We'd finally touched down into mildura and whilst the girls had felt unwell we'd hoped the return to blue sky's, fresh air and familiarity would lift their spirits
Instead Willow desperate to return to school would need further days to rest and
recover, and Piper would again require hospitalisation admitted into the ICU to assist in the recovery of a very nasty chest infection.
It has now been one week since our girls became unwell, their cousins and grandfather all developing similar
symptoms and so we are told has the rest of the community, apparently this year has been terrible for pneumonia and the flu, the ICU full of children, it's a similar story at the Children's Hospital with numbers of flu admissions soaring well over last years,
so I guess it's anyones guess where we collected this strain, perhaps one of the aircrafts travelled, perhaps the play centre we decided to let the children loose to burn off a little energy, the tram ride in Melbourne, maybe even the hospital itself, what
ever the case the story remains the same, and we are once again in hospital with a helpless little girl desperate to feel well, wishing the crackles in her chest to silence and the sparkle to return to her eyes.
With Piper's inability
to cough and shift the mucus from her chest she has developed pneumonia, so with percussions, suction, fluids, nebulisers and antibiotics we assist the break down and reduce further risk of aspiration.
In china I would dream that Piper
would suddenly start to speak to me.
Each day Willow would ask 'is Piper better now?' I can't wait until Piper is better so she can she play with me.
Of course we'd explained to Willow our realistic expectations for Piper, although
I guess a five year old will also wish their own dreams true.
So here I sit in the ICU allowing myself to feel anxious, frustrated and just a little sad. I watch our precious girl in her big hospital bed try to overcome this strain of
illness and I know with thanks to our amazing doctors and nurses she will smile again soon, what I fear most is the wonderful advances made in china, those three seizure free days, the clear chest, the control of secretions, the presence of reflexes, those
strong little arms, Please, please don't take that away!
Let us build on hope, let even the smallest of our dreams come true x💜