Vaccinations, sunshine withdrawals, and Laurie Berkner

"Rain, rain, rain! Why is it always raining?" Queen Teen shouts. She has said this every morning and several times throughout the day for a week. I can't really blame her. I love the rain but even for me this weather is a bit excessive. 7.25" in only three days, and it's still pouring. Occasionally it hails and the wind blows so hard from the south there has been rain-water pushed under my front door, making the entry damp and slippery. Queen Teen is a sunshine girl;she needs sunlight to make her smile. When it's gray and cold for more than a couple of days her spirit matches the weather: she gets gloomy.

And then to make the week extra fun, she got vaccinated.

We were finally able to get Queen Teen the H1N1 shot. She's been on the waiting list at the pediatrician's office for two months, and although there have been open clinics via the health department in our area, there was no way Queen Teen was going to stand in line for two hours waiting for a shot. Going to the doctor to get one and waiting 35 minutes was bad enough. She screamed and cried and hit. Luckily her dad came with us to help hold her down while I shoved up her sleeve, held her arm out to the frightened nurse, and said, "Now!"

I hate doing this but it's the only way to get her vaccinated, or her blood drawn. But I know every time we do this it just adds to her trauma and PTSD. I'm surprised she doesn't break into hives just at the word "doctor." By the time she's grown-up and able to make her own medical decisions, she's going to need daily therapy just to walk into a doctor's office for a check-up. That's why I only force this on her when it's really, really, really, really, really, really, really important. The H1N1 virus made this year's flu shot extra important.

Queen Teen was so upset she didn't even want to go to Starbucks. She wanted home: now! Then she hid in her room and rubbed her arm where she was injected. I keep trying to tell her that if she relaxes it won't hurt so much, but in the throes of panic she can't hear me. I gave her tylenol and juice and left her alone to sulk.

After a few minutes she came to find me. I supposed I was forgiven. She came into my room where I was surfing the internet and I suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Come here, doll." I pulled her toward me and sat her on my lap, then clicked on Laurie Berkner's website. Together, Queen Teen and I watched a few of Laurie's webcasts. It was like the sun had broken through the rain clouds. Queen Teen was laughing and singing along to the songs. She grinned and then hugged me tight, and then we sang, "The Goodnight Song."

"I'm a little frog and my daddy loves me.
I'm a little frog and my mommy loves me.
And when they tuck me in to sleep at night,
they say Ribbet Ribbet Ribbet, good night.

Goodnight. Goodnight. Goodnight little froggy goodnight..."

No matter how bad things might get in Queen Teen's world, Laurie Berkner always makes her feel better.

"Make A Wish" and Laurie Berkner

This Saturday, Queen Teen and I are flying to New York City to see Queen Teen's favorite singer, Laurie Berkner, in concert at Lincoln Center for the Arts, all thanks to the Make A Wish Foundation. Queen Teen was referred to the program four months ago by one of the social workers we work with. At the time Queen Teen had no idea what she wanted, but the two volunteers who came to interview her discovered that she LOVES Laurie Berkner. When they asked her if she'd like to meet Laurie Berkner, Queen Teen giggled and smiled so big her pony-tales practically pointed straight up. That settled it! We would meet Laurie Berkner.

The team warned us that celebrity wishes can take a year or longer to arrange, but Laurie Berkner is not your average celebrity. She has been more than accommodating and seems really eager to help make Queen Teen's dream come true TODAY. We've been invited back stage to meet Laurie after the concert and she asked what Queen Teen's favorite song is so that they can sing it together.

While Queen Teen was recovering from surgery last year, I contacted Laurie Berkner and requested a note from her to help cheer Queen Teen while she lounged around in two big casts. Laurie sent a postcard and a hand written note within the week.

Queen Teen says that listening to Laurie cheers her up. Even though Queen Teen is a teenager now, she still loves listening to the silly, children's songs of Laurie. I think partially it's because Queen Teen is losing her hearing, but since she knows every one of Laurie's songs by heart, she can still enjoy the music no matter how muffled it may become.

Make A Wish is sending a car to our home and driving us to the airport, paying for all the travel and accommodations, helping us navigate Manhattan, and providing meals and "incidentals." They want us to have fun without stress or worry about how much something costs. For that, I am deeply grateful. And I am grateful to the hundreds of volunteers and people who donate to the program who help make these dreams come true for kids who really have a rough road to travel.

When we found out her wish was granted, Queen Teen asked, "Why are they sending me to New York to meet Laurie?" She watched me very carefully and I knew I had to say something that would help her understand what the program is about without making her think people were feeling sorry for her. I was really stumped for a bit. I mean, what do I say? Um gee... because you have a degenerative disorder and who knows what the future will bring?

After a moment, I said, "They're giving you this chance to meet Laurie because the people know how hard things can be for you sometimes and they want you to have something that will make you super happy. You've been through a lot and have worked really hard and this is a present so you can just do something fun and not have to worry about anything."

She nodded while she thought about what I said. "Okay." Then she smiled and we started planning for the trip. I think I said the right thing because now all she talks about is WHAT we're going to do and not WHY we're doing it.

"Make A Wish" isn't about pity, it's about joy; a way to try and balance out some of the anger and frustration, pain and discomfort, of coping with a chronic illness. It's about giving a family time together doing something fun and care free.

To tell the truth, I'm really excited to meet Laurie Berkner too! It's Laurie Berkner!!!! She's awesome! Really! Check out her website and play some of her songs. Not just silly preschool stuff, grown ups can enjoy them too.

"I've got a song in my tummy and it wants to come out, I've got a song in my tummy..."

So okay, maybe that one's silly, but what's wrong with a little silly?

"I've got a song in my tummy and it wants to come out. And when it does, I'm gonna sing and shout... La La, La La, La La..."