Hard Week
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This past week has been a hard one for me. I am a speech-language pathologist in a public school. My first year of working (the 2003-04 school year), I had a little boy on my caseload that had a terminal disorder. He lived a lot longer than anyone ever expected and he passed away in his parents arms on November 10.
Here is what I wrote to read during the share time during visitation hours:
When I started working as a speech-language pathologist in District 5 August 2003, Ashton was assigned to my preschool caseload. On my first day of my first job, I had to have a meeting to set up Ashton’s goals for the year. I was a nervous wreck for that meeting being new, and then I was so nervous as I drove out to meet Ashton for the first time. After that first time to the house, I looked forward to going out twice a week. For the first few times, Ashton didn’t call me Corrie, he called me Bubble because I blew bubbles with him on that first day. I soon realized Ashton’s love of music and his amazing sense of rhythm. Borrowing Sandy’s guitar, I would sometimes play for him. He would want me to play faster and faster. I remember one silly preschool song we’d sing and he’d just cackle until we were both laughing.
I was learning to play “when you say nothing at all†and would play the chords and kind of vocalize the notes. Pretty soon, Ashton would do it too and would vocalize the notes whenever I played them or whenever I asked him if he wanted me to play guitar. The popular love song quickly became Ashton’s song to me.
In January 2004, with my preschool numbers high and still rising, I was told that someone else would see Ashton so I could add more kids. It was so hard to tell Jason and Sandy that I wouldn’t be coming out anymore. I visited regularly and babysat some and the speech therapist role totally diminished as Ashton became even more of a buddy and not a student.
From day 1, I saw the family’s strength and faith, and living each day to the fullest. In March of 2004, Ashton had a very close call and I saw him looking so small and tired next to Jason in the hospital bed. As he drifted off to sleep, Ashton said “love you Daddyâ€. With the power of prayer and what was basically a miracle, Ashton’s condition got better and he was home in a few days.
Ashton didn’t have to say much to speak volumes. The simple words he would say at times were amazing and profound. I could be going out to the house in a bad mood due to whatever was going on at the moment back at school and leave an hour later with a totally different feeling. Ashton just had that way of lifting you up by saying nothing at all.
I miss you, Ashton! 5/5/99-11/10/05
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