Dear Son by Prisma A. Mejia

Dear Son,
I am writing this to remind you of how important and precious you are to God and to me.
Every day that we wake up is a blessing that God gives us, and I never want us to forget that.
You are a miracle that God gave me, and I am grateful every day that I can call you my son.
Being able to see you and your sisters grow has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I
want you to always remember how precious life is because we never know how quickly
everything can change. We cannot take our health, our family, or even one day of our lives for
granted. I want to tell you about the day that changed both of our lives and taught us to see life
differently.
On October 5, 2023, our lives changed in a way that I never expected. Around 5:00 p.m.
I was in the kitchen getting ready to leave the house to watch the second half of your soccer
game. Everything seemed normal until I received a phone call from your soccer coach. He
asked me, “Does Carlos have any medical conditions?” I replied, “No. Why? What happened?” I
immediately started panicking. He then said, “Carlos is going to Uchealth Hospital. The
ambulance is on its way.” He also said, “He does have a pulse.” I remember yelling, “What do
you mean he has a pulse? What happened? Please tell me! Please tell me he’s okay!” The
coach then replied, “All I can tell you is to meet them at the Uchealth Hospital.”As I drove to the
hospital, the sky was getting dark, and the cold wind was blowing against my car. I could feel
the cold air around me, but I barely noticed it because my mind was completely focused on you.
The darkness outside made everything feel even more frightening, and I kept imagining the worst. When I arrived at the hospital, I was terrified. I was shaking and sweating, and could
barely think, I did not know what was going to happen.
When I got to the hospital, they took me to a waiting room. The hospital smelled like
cleaning products, and the strong smell made me realize how serious the situation was. I could
hear people walking through the hallways, nurses talking, and hospital equipment making
different sounds. Everything around me felt busy, but I felt completely alone and terrified
because I did not know if you were going to be okay. After a few minutes, a pastor sat next to
me and asked, “Can we pray?” My mind immediately started racing. I wondered why he was
there and kept thinking, Why is he here? ” I keep telling him, “Please tell me my son is okay.” He
explained he did not know what had happened to you and that he was just there to provide
emotional support. After a few minutes, I asked him to pray with me, and we did. About an hour
later, a nurse came in and told me that you were sedated and could not respond at that
moment, but that you were stable. She explained that you had suffered a cardiac arrest. Then
she took me to see you. When I saw you lying in the hospital bed, surrounded by machines and
wires, my heart dropped. The room felt cold and quiet to me, even though there were people
around. Seeing you lying there was one of the worst feelings I had ever experienced. All I could
do was pray to God and ask him to let you live. I talked to you even though you were sedated
and could not respond. At one point, tears started falling from your eyes, and I felt like you could
really hear me. At that moment, I did not care what the doctors said. I was your mom, and I just
wanted you to know that I was there with you.
After some time, they transferred you by ambulance to a children’s hospital. When we
arrived, the doctors asked me questions about you and your lifestyle. After that, we went into
your room. Suddenly, I saw doctors and nurses running towards you. They were performing
CPR and using an AED equipment because you were having another cardiac arrest. I could
hear the doctors and nurses moving quickly and giving instructions to each other. My heart was pounding, and I could feel my whole body shaking. I wanted to help you, but there was nothing I
could do. I tried to run to you, but two nurses held me back. I fell to my knees, raised my arms,
and prayed loudly, begging God to let you live. I promised God that if He gave me the favor of
letting you live, I would be a better mother and teach you and your sisters about Him. After
seven long minutes, the doctors were able to bring you back. When they let me get close to you,
I held you tightly and told you, “Please don’t give up. I love you so much.” Once again, tears
began falling down your face, and I felt like you could hear me. The doctor later explained that
because you were sedated, you could not hear me. The doctor also explained that you needed
to be transferred to another children’s hospital in Denver because they did not have the
equipment needed to treat you there.
You were transported to Denver by helicopter while I drove there. As I drove through the
darkness, the cold wind continued blowing outside. The road seemed longer than ever, and
every mile felt like it was taking forever. I kept thinking about you and praying that you would
make it safely to Denver. It was about a one-hour-and-twenty-minute drive, but it felt like the
longest drive of my life. I was scared and did not know what would happen next. Around 11:00
p.m., I arrived in Denver, and you also arrived around the same time. That night changed our
lives forever. We learned how quickly life can change and how important it is to appreciate every
moment with the people we love. I also learned how strong my faith could be during the hardest
moment of my life. Watching you survive two cardiac arrests made me realize that I should
never take my children or our time together for granted. You showed me what it means to be
strong, even when I thought I was the one who needed to be strong for you.
This experience had a huge impact on our lives. My life changed from being negative to
becoming more positive. I became more patient, and grateful for both the good and bad things
in life. Every day, I think about a song by Karol G called “Milagros,” especially the part where
she signs, “Vive la vida como si fuera el último día,”(live life like it is the last day). This helps you and me remember not to take life, moments, or opportunities for granted. We try to enjoy life
to the fullest. When we go through bad moments, we need to remind ourselves that they are
temporary. When something good happens, we need to enjoy it as much as we can. We need to
celebrate the good for the happiness, gratitude, and memories, and we accept the bad for the
lessons, strength, and clarity it gives us.This lesson has taught us to not ignore symptoms and that health is the most valuable
thing we have. You have taught me lessons that I never expected to learn from my own son.
You taught me how to stay strong, how to be a more present mom, and how to be patient. I
enjoy being able to watch you play soccer and cheer for your team. Those moments are very
special to me because I know now that every moment with you is a gift. I now see life differently.
I see every day as a new beginning, and I want a better life for us. Seeing you almost finish
school and watching you work toward your goals became an example for me. You motivated me
to return to school and study sonography. Seeing how the doctors used an ultrasound to look at
your heart made me curious about the medical field. Something that happened during one of the
hardest moments of my life helped me discover a new goal for my own life.After the incident, God has been very generous with us. He has given us strength and
protection. We are grateful, and we should continue to have faith. Praying every day has helped
us understand that when we put all our worries in God’s hands, we can trust that everything will
be okay.
Son, I want you to remember that you are loved, you are strong, and you are a blessing.
Your life is precious, and I hope you never forget how many people are grateful that you are
here. I almost lost you that night, and since then, I have learned to appreciate every smile, every soccer game, every conversation, and every moment I get to spend with you. You are not only
my son; you are one of the reasons I learned to believe in miracles.
Thank you, son, for being a guide and an example for me, even though I am supposed
to be the one guiding and being an example for you. You motivate me to keep going to school
and work toward a better future. Seeing you continue to work toward your goals reminds me
that you are on the right path and makes me proud of you. Seeing you and your sisters healthy
every day gives me the strength and motivation to keep going on my own journey.

Love,
Mom