We are the 1%

A few weeks ago someone asked me, "How did you become a single parent?" the sass in me wanted to respond with a 3 letter word, but I have a filter so I didn't.  :) So let me tell you how this journey began...I was 18 when I found out I was pregnant.  I thought it was the worst possible thing that could happen.  I looked into adoption, but ultimately I knew I couldn't go through with it.  I was having to go to the doctor twice a week because "the baby" (Cal was referred to as "the baby" for all of my pregnancy, and still is quite a bit) wasn't growing right.  There was no medical explanation for this other than I was under a lot of stress.  Then one day in November, the little baby who wasn't growing made his appearance in the world.  He was a 5 pound 12 ounce little thing that was suppose to need NICU, but did fine on his own.  I moved back to Houston 10 days after Cal was born.  I was home, but lost as could be.  Being a new parent is one of the hardest, most scary and exciting experiences a person can go through.  I wasn't just a new parent though.  I was a teenager.  I was single.  I was living back at home after being on my own and I had to find the path that was right for me, the path that was right for us.  I won't tell you it was pleasant because it wasn't.  There were days, and still are, that I know Cal deserves more than I can give him.  My world was rocked, but I needed to be his rock.  So for a long time I refused to deal with the hurts and emotions that arose from being a single, teenaged mother.
About a year after Cal was born, I was starting to feel like things were settling down.  In October of 2004, Cal got his first ear infection.  This shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was the first time he had been sick.  He went to the doctor and then we went to Fall Festival at school.  That night I woke up and knew something was wrong.  I went to check on Cal who just didn't seem to be breathing right.  I took him to my mom who thought I was overreacting but said "take him to the ER if you think you should."  I did and, of course, got lost on the way.  I had to ask a police man at a gas station how to get to the hospital.  That was one of the scariest nights of my life and so much is a blur, but certain moments are crystal clear like watching a TV show.  I remember him looking at me like I was a crazy person and he told me "If you are going to be a help to anyone you have to calm down." The next part that I remember is Cal being in the exam room and the nurse telling me the machine batteries must be dying because it was reading his Pulse-Ox at less than 80%.  After the 3rd machine, she realized it was correct and I heard "Pediatrics to the ER stat."  The next few hours are a blur and I remember the doctor coming in and telling me I needed to call my family or anyone who wanted to say goodbye.  I couldn't get my fingers to dial any phone numbers.  When my parents showed up, a nurse had convinced the doctor to call Texas Children's and see if they would take Cal.  I heard the doctor tell my dad "kids like this just crash and burn."  Cal was suppose to fly on a helicopter to Texas Children's but the wind was too bad and we had to take an ambulance.  When we arrived the doctor told us there wasn't really anything that could be done and a counselor came in.  I suppose she was there to prepare us.  Cal stayed in ICU 10 days.  He was the 1% who survived viral and bacterial pneumonia of both lungs at the same time.  Doctors still say things to me like "he shouldn't be alive."  This is something I know.
When Cal turned 3, he had had pneumonia many times and had been hospitalized 4 times.  He had ear tubes and was functioning at less than 50% lung capacity.  He was not phased.  He was eventually seen by the head of pediatric pulmonology at Texas Children's who wanted him tested for Cystic Fibrosis.  His sweat test came back positive for Cystic Fibrosis and he was sent for DNA testing to confirm.  I was told the sweat test is 99% accurate.  He is the 1% that proves the test wrong.
When Cal turned 4, his hearing was tested because his speech was poor.  He had distinct hearing loss and his right ear drum does not vibrate at all.  Most kids with this issue never learn to speak properly and appear to have the speech of a deaf person.  He is the 1%.  Most people never know Cal has a hearing problem.
When Cal turned 5, he was on steroids and taking adult dosages of medicine to help his breathing.  These are medications he would need to be on the rest of his life.  Cal is now medication free.  My little boy has proved the 99% wrong from the day he was born.  He overcame things most adults haven't even dealt with.  He is my 1% and I wouldn't give him up for anything.  Cal is the biggest blessing of my life.  He came from a terrible package, but I wouldn't trade him or our life.  We are a family, odd as it may be, just a boy and his mom, but we are a family nonetheless.  So how did I become a single parent?  I chose to in a lot of ways and I was forced to in a lot of ways.  Initially, I had no choice, but now you couldn't make me share Cal for anything.
Welcome to our journey...we've been lots of places and we have lots more to visit!