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On September 8, 1998, we got a call from the junior high school that our 12 year old son was being
airlifted to Children's Hospital.
Twenty minutes later, we were met by two chaplains at the door to the Emergency Room who kept us for what
seemed like forever.
When we were finally able to see our son, he was in ICU, monitored, IV'd and had a breathing tube in his
throat. He had suffered a heart attack due to Wolf Parkinson White syndrome, a rare electrical defect of
the heart, only detected by EKG or an "event".
Anthony stayed at Children's Hospital for 3 months and was still in a coma when he came home on December
12.
He remained in a coma for several more months, maybe a full year. He was tended to by nurses and by us 24
hours a day.
We always thought that Anthony would be fine when he finally "woke up" from the coma, but eventually we
realized that we would never again see the 12 year old we sent to school on September 8. A lack of oxygen
during the cardiac arrest left him with brain injury that would forever change him.
When he finally went back to school he was a different person, confined to a wheelchair, nonverbal,
accompanied by a nurse. His old friends didn't even know him anymore and were afraid of him.
Anthony still goes to school, even though his class graduated several years ago. He is accompanied by a
school aide instead of a nurse. He can hold a conversation. He continues to work hard. And his teachers
love having him in class even though his answers aren't always correct. However, he is always attentive,
involved and enthusiastic. He works hard at whatever he is asked to do. And when asked how he is doing,
he always says "good" or "great". Never "ok" or "bad."
He smiles gently at everyone and greets even strangers. And I know that when he works his magic, he makes
everyone recognize that their headaches are often trivial.
Anthony's attitude is a constant reminder that it is how we choose to deal with our problems that shapes
our lives and our happiness.