Thursday, December 19, 2013

"I'm Not Going To Wake Up"

Little 13-year-old Jahi McMath needed a tonsillectomy to correct an obstruction in her breathing which was causing sleep apnea. Although that is a routine surgery complications can and occasionally do develop. They did in McMath's surgery. In fact, she went through the surgery okay but developed bleeding afterwards while in recovery and then later went into cardiac arrest. As a result she is now brain dead. The family has so far left her on life support. The sad story can be read by clicking this link.
 
My heart goes out to the family and friends of that sweet little girl.
 
Jahi's uncle explained to CNN:
 
"The worst thing about all of this is that Jahi told my sister, 'I don't want to get this surgery, something bad is going to happen. I'm not going to wake up,' "
 

A child's not unreasonable fear and anxiety over a major life event or a premonition? I now have quite a collection of these types of stories (not all involving inklings of impending death). It is very hard for me dismiss this type of thing lightly now.

7 comments:

  1. As a former recovery room and operating room RN I can tell you that I hated T & A day and it was with trepidation that my own children also had a T & A operation as well for chronic strep infections and blocking of airways, such that one of our children had a protruding tongue because of those tonsils. They also had breathing problems.

    As a recovery room nurse you are frantic to watch for bleeding. It's not fun at all. The worry is extraordinary. :-(

    This is sad. I cannot read the link.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The whole story and especially the details of how the family is dealing with this tragedy are heart-breaking.

      Delete
  2. Death is always a possibility in the most common of surgeries. I still recall the first surgery I was 'put under' and signing that form which basically says I accept I may die. UGH The death of a child---horrible. Anyway, your fascination with premonitions is so unlike the posts from years ago. It is so interesting to see this in you. My great aunt Vi often (OFTEN) had premonitions of her "death at a young age." She lived to be 103. As a child I was CERTAIN I would never live to see 21. My point is, I do believe for every "premonition" come true there are millions that don't. For every prayer answered, millions not so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your comment inspired my latest post which I hope you will check out when you have time.

      You're right that my more frequent postings now about premonitions might seem odd compared to the things I was writing about two or three years ago. I would just point out that often down through the years I wrote of these strange things I had experienced, but because I was at the time locked into a certain way of looking at things, I mostly marveled and tried to explain them away in order to make them compatible with worldview.

      But over time I've allowed myself to listen more carefully to those I was lightly dismissing (because of my basic assumptions about reality). I can recall several exchanges you and I had about your ghost adventures. You aren't alone. But folks who believe as you do about that subject are lightly dismissed by science geeks. I don't think I've done enough of a 360 to now agree wholeheartedly with your views about it. However, I do allow there is something to those ghostly experiences of yours and others who have had them, as well as other freaky things (such as my mom's gnome sighting, for example, that I've also written about). I think I'm slowing coming around to a viewpoint that sees reality as - at least partly - something of an illusion. That might make room for all kinds of oddball experiences that get dismissed as our minds playing tricks on us. And that isn't to say that our minds don't play tricks on us, just that that needn't become a one-size-fits-all explanation for every time something doesn't fit our views about reality.

      As for my hangup with premonitions, I have been collecting for some time now stories of premonitions and clairvoyant or prophetic dreams. The one I posted about here just happened along in the course of my reading the daily news. But I've amassed such a collection now together with many examples of people I have personally known (such as the my parent's former pastor and the man who married my childhood sweetheart and me, who told his family and friends from his hospital bed on a Wednesday that he was going home that Saturday; everyone thought he was talking about leaving the hospital, but in fact he died that Saturday - I did a post about that too, years ago), that I no longer see good reason to be dismissive.

      I would interested in more details about your and your aunt's inklings that you would die young. Obviously those weren't premonitions because they didn't come to pass - unless, somehow, actions might have been taken or behaviors modified that changed those particular foreshadows. That would, of course, be based on some idea that the future is not absolutely fixed.

      But were these "premonitions" dreams or "visions"? Were they feelings that were difficult to shake? I'm just wondering how or why you two formed the belief you would die young. Understand, I'm not seeking debate, I'm just curious and always eager to expand the scope of my thinking.

      Delete
  3. It was not a dream or vision, no, I'd say a feeling or...just a truth my brain had been told? Hmmm How Aunt Vi thought it, no dream or vision, never right out asked...just...a belief based on what I am not sure. I'll ponder it. True we might have died young, but every feeling could easily turn into a "might have."

    ReplyDelete
  4. My sister was discussing yesterday that she had a patient at her hospital with some strange and rare and most of the time deadly pregnancy complication. The lady was convinced that she would die in labor even before she knew what was going on. I guess one of the symptoms of this particular thing is "impending doom". Now that is strange.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have to consider the possibility that there are other ways of knowing than just the five senses - an intuitive way. Of course one has to be careful of that. Sometimes feelings of impending doom are just deep fears we harbor. The universe is, I truly believe, a strange place.

      Delete