Shabbat in the Hospital

Shabbat in the hospital doesn't feel like....Shabbat.

There are still people coming in and out with medicines and tests. There is still a flurry of things to be done. Nevertheless, we wanted Shabbat.

There was challah, brought from home. The batch was split into two, one challah in Milwaukee, one at home. Sam's favorite turtle held the challah for us.

 There was a Shabbat blessing, even though Sam was feeling a little under the weather and didn't eat any Shabbat dinner. (He did have a bite of challah)

 There were candles. Well, sort of. The chaplain visited us earlier in the week. When he learned that we are Jewish, he immediately offered "candles" and brought them back to us on Friday morning! (I suppose I shouldn't tell him about the Chanukah candles that we actually lit in the hospital when Solly was born. I knew that was a rule-breaking moment!)

But it was a rough night. There were a few fights with the nurse over the simple vital signs that she needed to test for. Every four hours, they come in and check blood pressure, temperature, and a few other things. Plus there was 3am chemo treatment, administered through Sam's central line. There's quite a bit of activity during the night in the hospital. Sam was feeling a lot queasy and he wasn't interested in eating...which continued into Shabbat morning.

But then a few special visitors came, and that brightened the whole day for him:

Ready to roll

Sam with his superhero team

 Sam showed them around the HOT unit (Hematology/Oncology/Transplant), and gave them the grand tour.

A Shabbat walk

 He also showed them some of the hospital stuff, like his central line, and he listened to their hearts.
They also got to eat some of his candy...and so did he.

 He was so happy to have them here. It's amazing how much time my kids spend with each other, and Sam and Yael have barely ever spent more than a day or two apart. I hadn't given that much thought until now. Solly was a little tricky. He wanted to touch and taste everything, which doesn't much work in a hospital. We're going to plan a visit for this week that is only for David and Yael...we'll leave the little guy at home.

Then we took the other kids out. We had planned to do the zoo but it rained, so we hit the Milwaukee Public Museum. It was nice, but hard. Sam is the biggest fan of the museum (he loves the rainforest section) and I think we could all feel his absence.

 After we got back from our little outing, I was exhausted...so Sam had a little quiet chatting time with Uncle Josh. And he ate a McDonald's fish sandwich and french fries. It was the first real food he had eaten all day.

 

Sam has not been very interested in walking around. He is a little nervous and frustrated with the IV pole to which he is attached. I think there's a little embarrassment also. Finally, we convinced him to go for a walk and see the fish tank in the lobby. We spent a lot of time there, talking fish with Uncle Josh and just enjoying the big tank.

Then, after Uncle Josh left, we explored the Healing Garden, which is a quiet outdoor space. Sam walked around it a few times and we decided to come back again tomorrow. It was so lovely to get some fresh air and to see him enjoying the outdoors. His nurses were so proud of his adventure!

It's getting a little easier for Sam to deal with all the challenges that are presented to him. He hates to take meds by mouth, and so we're finding new ways to make that work. He isn't so interested in eating, but we've already planned tomorrow's breakfast menu so hopefully that will help out with eating. The doctors are trying to avoid a feeding tube, but sometimes that is inevitable, we're told. Sigh...many pieces of this seem unavoidable. We have a lot of trust and faith in the work of the doctors and nurses...

We had some lovely visits from rabbi-types and other friends before and during Shabbat, so many wonderful notes and coloring books and gifts...Sam is starting to feel the love, and we are so very grateful. Thank you to everyone! I know I can't thank you all personally, so please know that we are so very grateful for everything you are all doing, for Sam and for our whole family. We truly felt all the prayers for healing that were said all over the world on this Shabbat.

May this pleasant Shabbat ("a good day," as his nurse called it) be a harbinger of the whole week ahead!