Open Letter to Children’s National Medical Center

To Children’s National Medical Center: Below is a physician’s review I posted to Angie’s List. Since your survey was eliciting feedback, I thought you should know. Dr. Yewande Johnson met with our family shortly before my son was scheduled to go into the OR for his first of two surgeries in one week. She took […]

Hilarious

When my son is in the hospital, my wife and I take shifts staying overnight with him. That way there is always one coherent parent present when Drs and nurses come by. In this last 6 day stint, Monday was one of my nights off. When I got home I was so keyed up, I […]

Kinda Prayin’

I must preface my remarks today with an observation. Love has become an almost meaningless word to me. It is so ubiquitous in our lexicon that it can refer to hamburgers, sex or a lifelong commitment. So I am going to stop using it. For today’s entry the word I will use to convey my […]

Lament of a Tired Soul

I have a favorite poem. It is the “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot. It is a poem of a tired soul. The first stanza in particular resonates with me today. Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized […]

The Black Hole

Deep inside of me there is a black hole. It is a malevolent mass of pure evil. Were it to be freed, I might be capable of doing unthinkable things. Usually, it is under wraps. It is buried so deeply in my psyche, that under normal circumstances, I cannot even access it. But under prolonged […]

The Long Slog

Most days, VACTERL is just a pain in the ass. It’s just time consuming and it wastes your child’s time, your time and family time. There is a checklist of tasks that you must worry about every day, which normal families take for granted. But over time any set of tasks can become routine to […]

Diet Guru

Only December 31st, I went on a diet. I have already lost 10lbs. And the amazing thing, I have not been hungry! I think I will write a book… Well, perhaps not since the target audience would be only me. It’s kind of a limited publishing market. How did I do it? I gave up […]

Nothing Moves…This Week

This week was a roller coaster ride. Thankfully, it is over. Sunday the world is fresh again. “Gray Day….Everything is gray. I watch. But nothing moves today.”…Dr. Seuss Monday was one of those days that I felt wholly inadequate as a parent. Ethan has struggled with his whole life with urinary continence. What most children […]

This disease brought to you by, Snickers.

It is now officially Netflix season. Actually for my family it has been for several weeks. Every summer after the TV season ends, my wife and I find a TV show on Netflix that we never watch when it was on TV and watch every episode in order. Last summer it was “Roswell.” This summer […]