Panic

Panic, true panic, has visited me few times in my 36 years of life. But this past Sunday was one of those times. I watched my 22 month-old son deteriorate in front of my eyes. Fortunately, we were able to get him emergency medical care. We have since discovered his has diabetes. Throughout my son's short life he has had several difficult health issues for which we have received excellent medical attention. So as things were progressively getting worse Sunday and I started to panic I knew my son's pediatrician was just a phone call away. After being here a few days and things having calmed down a bit I was reflecting on that feeling of panic and fear I had Sunday. I remembered another time when I felt panic, true panic. It was on a Monday when I was having coffee and looking at my budget for the next two weeks. There was no more money (I was unemployed), I had already used all our food stamps, and we had no food. I really did not know what to do. Panic set in! I remembered seeing a poster at the Texas Health and Human Services office about 2-1-1. So I called. I called everyday hoping that I wouldn't have to get a food voucher. But no money came in. So on Thursday I went for a voucher. Everyone was so wonderful and I couldn't believe all the food. In thinking about these two most recent times when panic was an unwelcome guest, I found myself realizing that just knowing I had someone who could help me was a huge relief. So if panic is knocking on your door - just know that you are not alone and that we are here for you.