When you have awesome parents like I do, it is difficult to really do justice to how they support me in both ways that are directly related to my disease, and ways that just make my life easier, which in turn makes dealing with my Crohn's less of a hassle. But I'm going to focus on the Crohn's-related stuff, because listing all the ways in which I appreciate them would take too long.
Basically, my parents were the ones who jumped to my rescue the minute I found out something was wrong with me. When I first found blood on the TP, it was my mom who I yelled to for help, and she put everything under control right away--she got me a GI appointment and my first colonscopy within a few minutes of my unsettling discovery. A few days later when I actually had to go in for the procedure, my mom was the one who coached me through my first bowel prep (among the most nauseating things in the world, and difficult for someone like me who basically eats constantly) and stayed in the hospital while I had plastic tubing inserted into my nether regions. That's more than enough, but then my mom let me stuff my face at P.F. Chang's afterwards to make me feel better (ask her sometime how much I ate).
Anyhow, my parents involvement in my care didn't stop there--when I returned to Germany they sent me my medication in the mail and generally checked up on me to make sure that I was doing okay. I can only imagine what it must be like for a parent to find out that their child has a chronic inflammatory disease like Crohn's, but I'm glad that my parents held it together because I might have gotten freaked out more than I did.
Since I've been on my own for the last number of years, my parents watch over me, but less directly. They call and email to make sure that I am still in good health, and when I am home my mom makes a CostCo run for me to make sure that I have enough peanut butter and cereal to eat, in the name of keeping meat on my bones. I think my parents freaked out when I lost a ton of weight a few years back, and they are happy to see me at a healthy weight again. Mostly, I am just grateful to know that my parents think of me, love me, and keep me in their prayers. Growing up it used to bug me that my mom referred to me as her "baby" (I'm the youngest of three kids). But now that I'm older I have a better appreciation for what sentiment really lays behind that name, and I'm just grateful that I am guaranteed to have two people (well, 3 now, with Eileen) who love me unconditionally and who will always be there for me, especially in case of emergency.
Here is a picture of my parents at their wedding:
And at mine:
I hope our marriage is as fruitful and long as theirs (and BTW, if I were a betting man (and in this case, I am) I'll bet it will be).
Mama and Papa, your guidance and support in so many ways has made my life easier and helped me to deal with this challenging part of my existence. You have made me what I am today, and I hope that what you see makes you proud. I value everything you have done for me, and I hope you know that I love you both very much.
Holla!
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