http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5056756/Traditional-parenting-leads-to-well-adjusted-children.html

Traditional parenting methods that focus on breastfeeding, discipline and high expectations are most likely to produce well-adjusted and able children, a study has shown.

http://www.komonews.com/news/40326812.html

"There is a $1.5 million price tag on 2-month-old Laith Dougherty's life. That's how much it will cost to give him the new heart he so desperately needs."

This story is just heart breaking.  This poor baby is a mere 2 months old.  To save his life is going to cost $1.5 million.  His parents have insurance, but it doesn't cover transplants.  They can't receive assistance.  Want to know why?  Their income is too high.  So because their income is too high, they can't receive assistance on a $1.5 million heart transplant that is the only hope of survival for their son.  Are you with me so far?  

Ok, good.  The hospital that's caring for their son doesn't preform the surgery.  The closest hospital actually will need the full $1.5 million in full upfront.  Ok...  How many people do you know that have $1.5 million just laying around?   You would think that the hospital would be a little more compassionate.  After all, it is the life of a child hanging in the balance.  Nope.  Here's their statement.

"It pains us to be in a position where we cannot provide health care services to all children who need them. We receive requests for financial support from families throughout the world and unfortunately do not have funds to care for every child in need.

We are committed to providing health care to children in the WAMI region (Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Unfortunately we do not have the funding to make the same commitment to children outside our four-state area. Patients who live outside our region are encouraged to work with their insurance company and members of their communities to raise the money needed to be seen at Children’s.

Children’s provided more than $86 million in un- and under-compensated care in FY 07/08 and that number is expected to grow to more than $100 million in FY 2009."

Ok.  So I can kind of see where they are coming from.  Unfortunately, they are doing this all at the cost of a child's life.  

The parents are looking for donations.  There isn't much time left.  http://laithdougherty.info/

I couldn't imagine being in those parents' position nor would I want to.  I hope that some miracle comes through for them.  I hope that some caring soul picks up the tab for the surgery.  I hope that some person restores faith in human kindness.  So far, no luck.

"Really, at any moment if he were to get an infection, if anything were to change, he wouldn't survive," said Ghadah Makoshi, the baby's mother.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/gallery/022309dana_farber_beams/

This is just incredible.  These iron workers are working on the Yawkey Center take names on a daily basis from names taped to the window of a cancer treatment center.  They spray paint them to the I beams that are hoisted up to construct the frame of the 14 story building.  Each time they add a new name, the children staying in the windows cheer and clap.  

This amazes me and just gives such a sense of hope.  These men are on a dead line.  They're pushed to work, work, work.  They need to have so much done by a certain time.  Not only that, but in this day and age, there is such a sense of apathy among much of the human race.  It's so easy for each of those men to turn their backs on those kids and just go about their business, do their job, and go home.  No, they don't.  They choose to make a difference.  They choose to make a small gesture that equates into such a huge gesture to these kids.  With a can of spray paint, $2.50, they give these kids something to smile about, something to talk about, something to remember for the rest of their lives.  

Well, it's been a little more than a month since I have returned to work.  It has been such a huge adjustment.  I hated the fact that I had to leave my children.  I hated that I was going to miss all of the things that I missed with Logan due to my illness.  I vowed not to miss one second of Evie, but here I was going back to work.  I hated myself for leaving.  I resented that Brad was able to stay with them even though he had been away for so long.  The time was good for him and the kids.  He really needed that time to be with his children.  The first few weeks were SO HARD.  It was even more difficult because of the year I had last year.  I wanted to go hide in a corner.  I wanted to quit my job and be with my kids myself.  I hated that I was at work every day.  I hated getting up in the morning and walking out the door.  I hated hearing about all of the wonderful things that Evie and Logan had done during the day while I was away. 

Slowly though, things got better and better.  I started to actually enjoy my job.  I was disgusted with myself for enjoying my job.  It did make leaving easier.  I just wanted to be with my kids though.