Could Have Been

We were out to lunch about a week ago, Pup, Fish, the Zookeeper, and I. On our way out the was a middle aged man walking in with a cane, with a significant limp. Now this wasn't your run of the mill "I twisted my ankle" limp. It was more along the lines of his leg may have never worked properly for whatever reason. The Zookeeper went out of his way to get the door for him (he was still about a minute from the door when we were leaving).

He met back up with Fish and I at the car and said, "That could be Puppy one day."

That sentence is often said or thought when we are out and about with our daily lives. People who we normally would have not taken a second glance at, we now notice and empathize with. It could have been, or could be Puppy. He is doing incredibly well compared to his scans, surprising doctors at his progress at every turn. But what if he wasn't born in 2009, in a large city with a great Children's hospital. One of only a few hospitals in the country that preforms whole body cooling on infants (go read the article... short and sweet. For reference Pup had the dreaded 1 APGAR too.) We will never know, but it has changed how we think.

So next time you are out and you see someone in a wheelchair, stop and smile. When you see a person with a funny twitch or someone not able to speak properly, don't avert your eyes and walk by. Recognize them for who they are. Someone who has fought their entire life to make the progress and the gains that they have achieved. They are not the ones to be forgotten.

Because after all, "It could have been Pup."