Looking back, I am proud to say that it was my first real experience with resilience. I waited it out in my own way, by trying my best, by fighting, by staying busy and trying to find peace and joy where I could. He got better, just as the doctors said he would. I read articles about child health, bought books, listened to podcasts, asked for advice from parents who had been in a similar situation, tried hippie recipes and most of all, counted on my family to help us win the competition against this physical defect.Įventually, time did pass.

His crimson red face and his 113-decibel screams (That’s nearly as loud as an ambulance siren by the way) reminded me of his condition in a very violent and cruel way. My son, my first born, my flesh and bones was deeply hurting. Even though I saw multiple specialists who all came to the same conclusion (“… there’s nothing more to do but let it pass ‘mam”), I kept searching for a solution, a cure. The doctors told me there was nothing to do but wait it out and be patient. Luckily, today he’s ok, but back then, it resulted mainly in him crying for 15 hours every day for the first 10 months of his life. My son William was born with a rather serious defect in his digestive system. I am the kind of person who has a plan A, a plan B, a plan C and a plan D that I keep to myself, so I don’t sound totally nuts. I rarely come across a situation where I feel hopeless.

And more often than not, in order to win, never quitting and never letting go has actually helped me along the way.

Word resilience red bouncing ball