Ella Shows Maturity While Her Mom Is in the Hospital

Ella’s mom, Lindsay, came home from the Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital over the weekend after having her lower right leg amputated because of a foot infection that lasted four years.

While Lindsay was gone, Ella had to rely solely on me for her needs. And she will have to do so for several months going forward as Lindsay learns how to care for herself. Ella widely used texting as a way to contact me wherever I was in the house or yard. Every so often, she would text me an emoji face with a tear on it and the words, “I just miss mommy.” Every time she did this, we sat down to talk about why Mommy was gone and what it might be like when she returns.

Our house now has six wheelchairs (four are Ella’s and two are Lindsay’s), two walkers (Lindsay’s), one knee scooter (Lindsay’s), two pairs of crutches (Henry’s and Lindsay’s), a KidWalk (Ella’s), a Stander (Ella’s), a cane, and an iWalk2.0 (Lindsay’s). Needless to say, the house is full of equipment. We are all just learning how to navigate the hallways and doorways for those who walk and those who don’t.

While Lindsay was gone, Ella colored a lot. A group of people put together care packages for the kids, which included inspirational coloring pages. They were intricately designed (primarily for adults), and Ella would spend time working on them with great care. Before long, the kitchen table was filled with inspirational pages, some half-finished and some completely done.

Ella is identifying with Lindsay because they’re both in a wheelchair. She also tells Lindsay that she will help her with physical and occupational therapy by being her “counter” for her repetitive exercises. Soon they’ll be playing table games together like they used to.

Having her mother gone for a week felt like an eternity for Ella. She missed her mother, asked about her, colored for her, and thought of her often. For an 8-year-old, Ella showed such maturity.

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