April Fool's Day

Have you ever felt like your life was an April Fool's joke. You know, the most ridiculous story that you just know has to be a joke, but it turns out to be true. This April 4Th, my wife and I have been married for 19 years. Getting married right out of high school is no joke. No one is fully prepared, and I would not recommend it for everyone. The best thing is your both young and think your invincible. We married in April, Deana was pregnant, and it was a rough pregnancy. From toxemia, pre-eclampsia, diabetes, and OB's that treated us like kids, we muddled through the 4 months until Jay was born. Prior to his birth, I asked the physician about his size. Not being a nurse back then, I read a book and calculated Jay's birth weight to be around 10 lbs. The doctor basically said I was stupid, and that the baby would be around 8lbs. Well, an induced, 21+ hours, labor, a resident who didn't know how to do an epidural, and an emergent c-section equals a 11lbs, 7 oz baby boy. Our life was forever changed. From that point on, we inherited what I call the issues of Job. One problem after another occurred and yet we survived. Just when we would recover from one setback, another would occur. Each incident seemed like a bad April Fool's Day joke, only know one was yelling out after a while.

As we celebrate this anniversary, Deana, Natalie, and I are getting ready to celebrate the graduation of our son Jay, James Thomas Freeman. He is an amazing young man, and the thing that went right in my life when so many things went wrong. I often wonder where I would be, or what my life would be like without him. Would I have been motivated to go back to school and become a nurse? Would I have finished my BSN? What about the MBA/MHSM degrees that I will finish by the end of this year? Honestly, I do not think I would have done it for Deana or for me. People who know me, say no. They tell me I would have pursued more in life, but I am not so sure. You see, he was my motivation during that time in my life. I had to provide for him. I do good for him. I needed to be someone for him. When he was a little boy, he would want to hear my stories from work. The more gross and disgusting the better. He made me laugh, he made me cry, made me proud, and frustrated... sometimes within minutes of each other. You see I never had a consistent father figure in my life. Two step fathers that lasted the longest, Rich Sergott and Tom Semchee. Both very good men. Each added to who I am as a person. While things were not always perfect I learned the value of being a hard worker and provider from both of these men. Now, my son is planning on becoming a nurse. Poor boy, he has no idea what he is getting into. He will start to look for a nurses aide job when he graduates. This is my advise any young person who wants to be a nurse. You see, if you can't handle the needs of residents and families in a nursing home, you don't need to be a nurse. I know so many people that think they will come out of school and never have to bathe or clean an incontinent patient. To them I say, you will not like your job. Because in addition to the science, assessment, and medical care provided to each patient, you almost always have to wipe some one's ass at the bedside. If you can not humble yourself and and help someone in their weakest moment, often a moment of shame and discomfort for them, you should not be a nurse. I couldn't be more proud of my son.