The love that binds

 

Looking at these photos, you may see what I see. Two brothers intertwined with the kind of gentle yet firm affection that makes a mother's heart smile. But what you don't see is all the love and attention and effort that went into getting them to the park that day so we could all enjoy a picnic and make some memories running around together.  The boys in question are Teo and Kyle and they along with their parents Choi and Jeff have been part of our playgroup gang since the oldest was an infant.  And last week, the unimaginable happened and little Kyle, now 18 months old, was seriously injured in a fall from the patio of their home in Sunnyside Gardens. I woke up to this news on Friday morning and couldn't believe it, let alone imagine what they were going through as a family.  Hearing that a child is suffering and fighting for his life is not something you can prepare for. There is no "What to Expect When..." for those kind of scenarios.  It's just horrific.  And for those of us who know the family, it has been a shared nightmare with lots of prayers and a vigil held in our neighborhood Saturday night.  Our Sunnymoms group lit up with offers to help bring meals or babysit--a true outpouring of grief and motherly resolve.  And everyone is praying for Kyle.  So far, he has made it through surgery and doctors are still assessing how this trauma affected his small body.  And now our playgroup is coming together to help throw Teo a birthday party this coming weekend so that they can have some normalcy and remember to celebrate the good.  In the midst of all this hurt, there is hope and love and a sense that we can pull through this. And really that is something more valuable than all the riches in the world--having friends and family that carry you when you are struggling, no matter the cause.  We all know the love that Choi and Jeff have for their boys.  And we are sending them more love and healing powers so that they may see these two hug and run and laugh again very soon.


The family is currently staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Long Island and as a friend so wonderfully suggested, you can donate directly to the charity to help offset the $25/per day for the family to stay there.   They also need pantry donations which are listed here at:  http://www.rmhlongisland.org/wish-list.