On Christmas Eve, he awoke with such delight and excitment over the fact that he was finally going home. We left the hospital around 10:00AM on Christmas Eve and he returned on December 29th for a few more days of treatment.
Our time at home was absolutely wonderful! Our oldest daughter, Christie , her husband Isaac, and their three adorable children spent Christmas day and most of the weekend with us. It was a joyous time with family and friends, and observing Misha experience his first American Christmas.
Front left to right: Christie, Isaac and their three children Davina, Jeanna and William; Heather, Josh and their two children Noah and Mercy; Misha, Stephanie, Matthew, Josiah(beside Misha), Esther, Philip, Melissa, Hannah (behind Philip) and David.
As Monday slowly approached, I worried that Misha would refuse to return to the hospital. He grumbled some, but to Philip's and my amazement he began wheeling his wheelchair through the hospital in search of all the people he had missed over the last five days.
This surprised us because when he was admitted to the hospital on Dec. 1st, he had no interest in making friends and meeting others. All he wanted to do was go home. At the time, when I told him that friends were wonderful and that he needed to be nicer to people so that he could experience this, he would pout and tell me that he only needed his family.
This coldness poured over to all the nurses, as he refused to let them take care of him, requiring me to be there most of the time. Philip began intervening and told Misha that Stephanie and I would have to rotate staying the night and that he would have to let the nurses help him when mom wasn't there. Philip and others felt that gradually weaning Misha from his dependence on our family would be the best way to help him learn to rely on others. After several weeks, Stephanie and I began leaving him alone at night.
This is why it was such a delight to watch him eagerly search for Shannon, Stephanie, Alex, Francis and all the Doctors and nurses that he has grown so fond of these last few weeks. All these people at Shriner's have become an extension of his family.
This is a wonderful group of people, and we have all come to love them dearly!
As I reflect on my most joyous blessing this Christmas, I would have to say that observing Misha learning to trust and open his heart to others has truly been a highlight.
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