An Exhausting Year!

The year 2021 was a tough year for our family. My mother was diagnosed with transverse myelitis in May, my father had contracted the coronavirus in the middle of summer, and my son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in October.

My mother, who already suffered from a lifelong condition, lupus, would have another illness put on her plate. With everything going on in the world, she had to travel to Korea to get bloodwork and scans done to create treatment options. Before she was able to see the doctor, she had to quarantine for fourteen days in a hotel alone in Korea and due to her condition, was sent to the emergency room three times during her stay but was sent back to her room each time due to the maximum capacity status of hospital beds. Our family for over a month would lose sleep and be on our toes waiting for calls from my mother. Through her doctor’s recommendation and because of the constant back and forth visits to her doctor, she ended up staying in Korea for the rest of the year.

My father in the midst of my mother being away from home had caught the coronavirus from exposure through his employee. He had elevated blood pressure and heartrate for about a week. He was congested and was coughing throughout the night and would call us with concerns about the medications and actions he needed to take. On top of the worry that we had for our mother, we lost even more sleep due to the conditions our father went through. After a week of feeling weak and losing part of his senses, his symptoms eventually subsided, and he was back on his feet and went straight to work the next day.

My son whom we had suspected was on the autism spectrum at about two and half years of age, was officially diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome in October. After going through multiple assessments, we determined that sending him to school and putting him in different types of therapy was the only option for his wellness. We would begin our research with the school we would like to put him in to and then moved on to the different therapy centers we would like to put him in. We also looked into the different types of grants and funding for all the sessions he would have to be in. We as parents were not prepared to send him to school yet which stalled us for about two months before we finally decided in December that it was the right decision. Our son on the other hand, was excited about all the schooling and therapy sessions he would go to and to our surprise, he would immediately run in as soon as we approached the doors to the centers.

Overall 2021 was a rollercoaster ride full of amazing memories and also a year full of many sleepless nights. When I look back and reflect, I often remember the days I would go on not taking care of myself or even thinking about what the future holds for our family. Every day I would pray that things will get better and that there are better things to come, but not until 2022 did I realize that from the beginning, I was carrying the wrong mindset. Over the last few days, I learned that holding myself as priority in regard to my health, happiness and wellness would reflect on my children’s health, happiness and wellness. Therefore, my 2022 resolution is to recite a daily mantra for a positive mindset, journal our goals for the year in regards to all aspects of our lives, and make time for myself through rest, relaxation, and exercise. Instead of focusing on our struggles whether it is illnesses or financial health, I am changing my focus to being happy and healthy through better rest and feeling more refreshed everyday.