“I am often asked ‘how do you cope?’ I realised when thinking about this question that there are so many reasons for how we do cope with the situation we find ourselves in”, these are the opening lines of ‘Living life as a gift’ by ICPCN’s guest blogger Janet Legemaate. Janet is the mother of two boys who live with life-threatening conditions. In her blog she gives an honest response to the question “how do you cope?”
Janet gives an authentic account of the many challenges her and the family have faced since her eldest son Matthew was diagnosed at birth with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallots and Pulmonary Atresia. “We were expecting to have a beautiful, perfect little boy and within minutes of his birth that changed when he became severely cyanosed (blue). Of all the emotions we have experienced over the years I can remember the utter devastation we felt at the possibility of losing him,” said Janet. In the weeks following Matthews’s birth, Janet and her husband committed to ensuring that for as long as he will live, they would make sure Matthew lives his life to the fullest. Eight years after Matthews birth the family was blessed with a second son who also had a potentially life-threating condition.
Matthew is now an 18 year old young man who looks at life with endless opportunities. Janet explains, “So how do we cope? We cope because our spiritual beliefs have always been at the centre of our lives. We cope because as a couple we believe each boy is a gift to be cherished, educated as best we can, guided to become the best they possibly can be and loved unconditionally. We cope because we decided early on that “Life is a Gift” and is worth living well. We cope because we try to tackle each setback as just another hurdle to navigate. Has it been easy? Never, but it surely has been worth it!” To read Janet’s blog, click here.
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