Jul 19, 2020
"One phone call can change the trajectory of your life." In 2009
Patti Hall received a phone call that would change her life and her
family's life. Her teenage son was diagnosis with the rare disease
gigantism. In today's episode I speak with author Patti Hall about
how she found the courage and strength to fight for her son's life.
But in doing so she lost herself and pushed everyone close to her
away. After tens years of struggle, Aaron is able to take care of
himself and it's Patti's time do the same.
Show Notes:
- In one week Patti found out her son had a brain tumor and had to tell her two teenage sons she was getting a divorce from their father.
- She made the commitment to keep her family running.
- Dr. Google worked for her. She researched everything she could find on the the disease to gain as much knowledge as possible.
- When she told her son Aaron she decided to just give him the results that he had a brain tumor and then waited for him to ask questions.
- Patti gives insight on what we do when a grenade goes off and you have to be what your child needs you to be.
- She talks about becoming an island and hiding her fear and pain from her children and her close friends and family.
- A mother's guilt stole many years of her life.
- She learned the best way for her to move forward through this disease or "5th Family member" as she called it, was through humor.
- She was no longer the disciplinary parent but rather became a goofball. Patti, Aaron and his brother Justin started their own language. They feel in love with sick children in hospital and created their own dynamic to get them through the difficult times.
- The best advice she gave for parents going through something similar is to "Find out ABSOLUTELY everything you can about the disease. Then you decide what information you give your child."
- Fear and Anxiety is where parents with sick children live.
- If you have healthy children, don't take them for granted.
- Courage lives within us as an untapped resource.