A horrible thing.

I don't even have words for this post. I am beyond them. But I am going to try.

We have a family friend who we've known for more than a decade. He's a young boy, Caly's age, who has some disabilities. I'm not going to name him, and in order to protect his privacy I'm not even going to be very detailed about his condition. Here's what I will tell you. He's got some mild retardation and some physical problems as well. He can walk (with a limp) and talk (with some slurred words), and he has some issues with his bodily functions. But he can also drive a tractor like nobody's business. He helps his family on their farm and raises miniature horses. He goes to school, can read, has a girlfriend who's one of Caly's mainstream classmates, and enjoys life. He comes to Caly's birthday party every year and all the kids know him and treat him well. I am incredibly proud of both Caly and her friends that his condition has never been an issue.

Last week he got sick. Very, very sick. His kidneys shut down.

And then his doctor told his family that they could treat the kidneys with a stop-gap measure, but wouldn't it be better to just let him die? He was already unconcious so there wouldn't be any more pain.

Holy fucking crap! If this boy were not disabled, would anyone seriously ever have considered letting him die when they could treat him? Yes, he is disabled. But in his day to day life he is healthy and happy. He drives that tractor better than my husband drives ours, and so what if they had to special order one that didn't need as much pressure on the pedals. He's GOOD at it. He already has paying jobs with it lined up for his summer vacation. He is NOT a burden on his family, not any more than any child is a burden. They all need fed and clothed and cared for, don't they? And he is certainly not so sick that his care is overwhelming them. I know that sometimes a person will get so sick that keeping them alive is slowly killing the ones caring for them. I saw that happening to Scott's mom when his dad was so sick after his strokes. But that is not at all the case here. It's not even close to being the case.

And his doctor tells the family that everyone has to die someday? He's 12, not 70! So they don't know why his kidneys shut down? So they say it'll happen again and again unless they figure it out? Well then get off your lazy asses and figure it out!!! What the fuck are they thinking?

Thank God, this boy's family are not idiots. They made the doctors treat him and now he's home from the hospital and seems to be OK for now. There's still trouble on the horizon. The treatment is temporary and not free of risks. But he's alive and happy and back to raising baby horses. Right now I can't even stand to think of where he'd be if it had been up to his doctor.