I really should tell you about our guardian angel. Seriously, I believe that we have a guardian angel, but she doesn’t have wings (well, none that I’ve seen), instead she wears a nurses uniform and looks after hedgehogs.
Let me explain.
Auntie C lives two houses up from us and we did know her before we had Samuel but only really just to say hello to. We got to know her husband much better as we were trying to sort out some problems we were having with the neighbour inbetween us.
But then Samuel was born and the day after he came into our lives, he was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where Auntie C just so happens to work. A few days into our stay (I’d not seen her working there at this point) we came into the unit, went over to Sam’s incubator and there waiting for us was an absolutely beautiful photo of Sam, his ink footprint and a gift bag full of baby goodies. That was the first of a thousand wonderful things Auntie C has done for us.
She has become so involved in our lives, such an integral part of our family that we asked her to become one of Samuel’s Godmothers when we had him Christened shortly after we came home from hospital.
Auntie C has been a nurse for over 25 years and in that time she has seen so much, seen just how damn cruel nature can be, so when I tell her the worst, the hard details of what the docs have said she doesn’t flinch. But I can see it in her eyes, the saddness, not just for Samuel or us, but for her as she absolutely adores him.
Until we start having respite with our local hospice, Auntie C is our only babysitter. Although our families continue to be supportive to us, emotionally (particularly my mother who has been terrific) and financially, they don’t feel confident in looking after Sam on their own and neither do any of our friends. So it is Auntie C who comes to the rescue!
But Auntie C’s wonderfulness doesn’t just stop there. When the premature babies in the unit reach 100 days, Auntie C (out of her own money & in her own time) bakes the parents a yummy cake to celebrate. When the premmies reach 1 kilo she bakes the parents a cake. When the babies have their first bath in the unit she gives the parents a tiny rubber duck for their memory box. When it’s Christmas, Easter, Mothers Day or Fathers Day she takes a photo of the baby and puts it in a card for the parents.
And there is more. She also takes in baby hedgehogs, injured birds, squirrels, ducks (yes ducks) and nurses them back to health before releasing them.
She is always on hand whenever we need some advice. Or just some moral support. When Sam’s Dad and I recently caught a bad tummy bug from when Sam was in hospital, she went to the chemist for us and brought round a gallon of lucazode while we were laid low.
She always buys Samuel lovely presents (and us!) and fancy dress costumes – his first Christmas while in NICU she dressed him as Christmas pudding, a bunny (with carrot) at Easter, a pumpkin for Halloween and this Christmas, well, he was a snowman.
No present, no card, no words can tell her what she means to us. We could never in a million years repay her. But I know she loves her cuddles with Samuel and has spent many hours here on our sofa giving him a good squeeze.
To us she is our guardian angel and we will treasure her forever. x
Tricky Customer 