PNEUMONIA!

I had mentioned that my older daughter would get colds and they would invariably settle in her chest. We took her to the doctor on many occasions because of a growing concern.

At 21 months old she had just such a cold. Since we couldn't evaluate the cold ourselves, we would take her to the doctor. This time, she said she had pneumonia and we needed to take her to the hospital. She was in the hospital a week.

During that week, they put her in a steam tent and she was improving. I had her toilet trained during the daytime hours, but I had to do it all over again after returning, since the nurses kept her in diapers during her hospital stay. She had a private room and I was able to stay with her in a bed that was in the room.

I had gone down to get a supply of diapers and came across a Mother and Father literally holding each other up, from the news that was given them. Their 21 month old child had just died of pneumonia! The child was just admitted moments before. This was the exact age of our daughter and I could not imagine the agony these parents were going through.

When the doctor came in to see our child, I asked her whether this was neglect or why that child died so rapidly. She said, "No, a child can take pneumonia and die that quickly". I was always glad that we took her for her checkups when she was sick. As I had stated before, she would never give her antibiotics unless she thought it was absolutely necessary. I trusted her judgment!

Wisdom--When in doubt, always error on the safety side! I still have a vivid memory of this couple and their plight that day.