Rose

Erin's Story

      It all started on February 26, 1999 at about 5:00 AM. I was asleep, but not my parents my mom was about to have a baby! They called my Aunt Liz because she lives just down the street, which was convenient, and when she came over to watch Katie (my annoying little sister), and me. When I woke up there was a tall lady by my bed – Liz. She had been crying like she usually does whenever something bad or really good happens. In this case it was really good. Well, I thought, I guess Mom really did go to have Rose.
      Okay so now you are wondering, "Who on this little green planet is Rose?" Rose is my cute cuddly little baby sister. But there is something else about Rose that you don’t know. She has a disability called Down Syndrome. It is a form of mental retardation where she learns how to do things slower than other people without it. She also had something very common for babies who have Down Syndrome; two holes in her heart that weren’t supposed to be there. Later on she had heart surgery for that but I’ll tell you about that later. Anyways my sister was going to be born and I was one happy go lucky camper that not even the class bully who usually picks on me couldn’t make me one teence of a bit sad.
      Eventually after having a C-section birth, intestinal surgery, about a week of incubation, and adjusting to the air Rose finally got out of the hospital a few weeks after my mom did who had about a one week stay. Then for the next month or so we (my family and I) spent all of our free time huddled around Rose cracking up at the slightest movement of funniness that she showed. Then sadly the time came when Rose had to go to the Hartford’s Children’s Hospital for her open-heart surgery. Little did I know that that hospital would become almost like a home to me for the next 3 weeks.
      Then early one Monday morning my parents brought Rose to the Children’s Hospital for her heart surgery. After school my aunt Liz brought Katie and I to the hospital because my parent’s had some very important news to tell us. When we arrived they greeted us and took us to where our family’s own personal waiting room equipped with crayons, toddlers toys and other things. My grandparents were also in the room. I could tell that they had all been crying. Then we go the news. "Well", I said "what are we gonna get first, the bad news or the bad news?" My dad smiled ever so slightly then got serious. "Um, well Rose" he paused to squeeze my mom’s hand then continued, "The doctors said that Rose might not make it and she doesn’t have a good chance but you guys we’re going to do what we can and so will the doctors. So do you, uh, have any questions, Erin are you okay?" I am not one to cry, you see I usually make some sarcastic remark then try to avoid the situation. This was definitely not something that I could avoid and I was about to cry What a wimp I am! I thought. But there one thing I dreaded the most please Dad please don’t say you love me I will just bust open with tears. "You know Erin your mother and I have and always will love you, Katie, and Rose no matter what happens." That did it I had to get out of there. "I have to go to the bathroom." I managed to squeeze out without crying. My mom took me to the bathroom. I didn’t even have to go so I just stood there and stared at myself in the mirror wondering Why me, why Rose, why my family?
      We ate dinner at the hospital I was quieter than my usual self my parents kept saying, "It’s okay Erin we’ll get through it." But I just stared at them like they were crazy or something. This was a BIG problem. This was definitely not something that I could joke about like all my other problems.
      When the day of the heart surgery came Katie and I got to skip school. I just sat in the waiting room with the rest of the family mom, dad, aunts, uncles, grandms, grandpas, and friends of the family. I didn’t get to close to anybody for fear that they would say they loved me and I would start to cry. Then one of the child life specialists came in, Cindy was one of the first friends I would have. During the surgery Cindy, Katie, and I all made get well cards for Rose. We hung them up in her room after the successful surgery.
      Another problem was my grades, they were dropping like flies and so was my self-esteem. The next day I didn’t get to skip school. Everyone who had heard about Rose (which was just about everyone) kept pestering me with all sorts of questions such as "Is she okay?" or "Wow how do you feel?" or "That must be tough!" Gee, do you think I’m fine or something!?! I don’t like to get pity from people it drives me crazy. By the end of the day I was driven crazy and was frustrated, and mad. After school my uncle Joe drove Katie and me to the hospital. We were given more very important news. This time instead of the bad news first we got the bad news first. Rose needed to be taken off the heart-lung machine her blood pressure was low because she was bleeding a lot. The doctors and everyone thought that she wasn’t going to make it except for me and Dr. Ellison. I kept thinking, this is not happening she has to make it this is impossible! I honestly don’t know what Dr. Ellison was thinking but I know he to must have had a very strong belief that she would make it.
      Mary another one of the child life specialists of whom I’d gotten very close to had spoiled Katie and I flat out (1 box of fruit roll ups all gone in 1 day and a cone of ice cream for each of us to be precise). Yes siree we were quite the spoiled bunch my sister and I.
      But sadly let’s get back to the hard part of my life. Everyone except me was waiting in the waiting room. I was in my parents sleeping room with Mary. She went to get markers and paper for me to make a good-bye card for Rose. I hated looking at that card. It reminded me of all the negative things in my life. I made it with markers that smelled like different kinds of fruit. When Mary left the room Grandpa McAuliffe came in to sympathize with me. That was the last thing I needed at that moment. Then he left and my dad came in and gave me the first good news that I’d heard in awhile, "She made it through the first test, she’s halfway through." I made a few quick changes to my card before my dad came in with the 3 best words I’d ever heard in my life "She made it!" We hugged. I went into the family room and Dr. Ellison was in shortly after my mom and got off the couch and hey had a group hug. And sarcastic me I said , "Aaawww, what a Kodak moment ! Hey I bet that nurse that was just in here is from Candid Camera!"
      Everyone laughed as usual and right then at that very moment for the first moment in a long time I knew not just thought knew everything would be okay.

And it was.

*Now Rose is home, my family’s happy, Rose is happy, we’re just one big happy family. Sometimes we go back to show her off and tell the surgeons that we think they’re the best. We’ll never forget them and their generous deeds. (Or the medical bill but let’s not go there.) Also you’re probably wondering, "Now what did she do with that good-bye card that she made for Rose?" Well, right after my mom, dad and Dr. Ellison finished their group hug I told mom that I had something very important to do in her and dad’s sleeping room. I went in there and as I was tearing up that letter I said, "This is for Rose!"

And we all lived happily ever after.

THE END