With a little help

Source: outcamethesun.tumblr.com via Samantha on Pinterest

Oy. I know it's only Monday, but it has been a week. 

Last Wednesday, Kyle called me at work to tell me he was having chest pains. And shortness of breath, nausea, and cold sweats. And pain in his left arm. Cue mild panic. He was driving himself to the emergency room. Three minutes later, I was on my way to meet him. 

I'm a worrier by nature, and as much as I hate to admit it, my mind automatically goes to the worst case scenario. Amazingly, I was able to keep calm and collected and made it to the hospital shortly after Kyle arrived. 

They took him back right away. Within 15 minutes of being there, they had taken an EKG and told us that his heart looked fine. Insert huge sigh of relief here. A chest x-ray revealed the true culprit--pneumonia. What? The diagnosis took us by surprise, but with an antibiotic in hand and strict instructions for bed rest, the doctors sent him on his way. Although he's still in a bit of pain and will take a few months to feel 100% again, I'm happy to report that Kyle is feeling much better and on the road to recovery. 

However, this story really isn't about our little trip to the emergency room. It's about gratefulness, and how it's ok to ask for help.

Although Kyle drove himself to the ER, there was no way I was going to let him drive himself back the 20 minute drive to our apartment. Call me paranoid, but if you're having excruciating chest pain from lack of oxygen, driving a car probably isn't the best idea. This left his car stranded at an emergency room in the suburbs, and it was stressing me out how we were going to get it back. Kyle is out of commission, and I really didn't want to leave his car sitting there for a week. I also didn't want to inconvenience any of our friends by asking them to drive me out there. 

But I had to get the car back somehow, so I turned to Facebook. I offered gas money and baked goods to anyone willing to give me a lift. Within 15 minutes, 6 people responded--happy to help, no questions asked. I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Although it may seem like a small potatoes, after the stress of the week it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. (And a special thanks to Joel, who picked me up and drove me out to Byron Center after working all day.)

I'm so thankful that we have a support system in our friends, and I love that we're all willing to help each other out, no matter the circumstances. This situation was just a little reminder to me when I needed it most that there is always, always something to be thankful for.