Ave Morales

AVE MORALES

As I sat in the living room playing with baby Jasper, my mom reminded me that I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for the afternoon. I groaned inwardly, knowing that I hadn't been taking care of myself as well as I should have been.

"Do I have to go?" I asked, trying to sound pitiful.

My mom looked at me sternly. "You know you have to go. You haven't been to the hospital in over a month, and your asthma has been acting up. The doctor needs to check you out and make sure everything is okay."

I sighed, knowing that my mom was right. I'd been putting off going to the hospital, hoping that my asthma would just magically get better on its own, but deep down, I knew it wasn't going to happen."

When we arrived at the hospital, the doctor looked at me with a mix of concern and frustration. 'Ave, it's been over a month since you've been here. How have you been taking care of yourself?' I looked down at my feet, feeling embarrassed. 'I don't know. I just haven't been using my inhaler as much as I should, I guess.'

The doctor said, 'Ave, you know that your asthma is a serious condition. If you don't take care of yourself, you could end up in the hospital again, and next time, it might even be worse.' I felt a surge of fear at the doctor's words. I knew that I had been taking my health for granted. It was time for me to take responsibility.

The doctor prescribed me some new medication and told me to use my inhaler more regularly. Mom and I left the hospital. I felt determined to take better care of myself, but as I looked at the medication in my hand, I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. I hated taking medicine, and I hated the way it made me feel. But I knew that it was necessary, and I was determined to do whatever it took to stay healthy.

As we walked home from the hospital, I turned to my mom and said, 'Mom, can I ask you for something?' 'Of course, Ave,' she replied. 'What's on your mind?' I hesitated for a moment before asking, 'But how do I get asthma? Is it because of something I did, or is it just genetic?' Mom thought for a moment before responding, 'Well, Ave, asthma is a complex condition, and there's no single cause. But from what your doctor told us, it seems that you may have a genetic predisposition to asthma, so it's not because of something I did," I asked my mom. My mom shook her head. "No, it's not because of anything you did or didn't do. It's just that your body is more sensitive to certain things, like dust and pollen, and that can trigger asthma attacks."

I thought about it for a moment. It was good to know I hadn't done anything to cause my asthma, but it was also a bit scary to think that my body was more sensitive than other people's.

As we continued walking, I asked Mom another question. "Mom, is it smart to have asthma? I mean, does it mean that my body is more intelligent or something?" Mom laughed. "Well, Ave, I wouldn't say that having asthma means your body is more intelligent. But what it does mean is that your body is more aware of its surroundings and is trying to protect itself from things that might harm it."

I thought about it. It was a bit weird to think about it that way, but it made sense. My body was trying to take care of itself, even if it meant having asthma.

The next morning was a typical one in our household. My dad was getting ready for another day at work, while my mom was busy cleaning the house and making sure everything was in order. Me and Jasper were in the parlor, enjoying the quiet morning together. I sat on the couch, eating my breakfast. Baby Jasper was in his high chair, watching me with his big round eyes. He was always fascinated by the food I was eating and would often try to grab it from me. This time was no exception.

As I took a bite of my toast, Jasper reached out and tried to grab it from me. I laughed and handed him a small piece, which he eagerly devoured. But then I made a mistake. I gave him another piece of toast, not realizing it was a choking hazard.

At first, baby Jasper seemed to be enjoying the toast. He was chewing it happily, and I was relieved that he seemed to be okay. But then I noticed that he was starting to struggle. He was coughing and gagging, and his face was turning red. I was in a state of panic. I didn't know what to do and was scared that baby Jasper was going to die. I tried to stay calm and see clearly, but my mind was racing.

That's when I remembered that baby Jasper might be having an asthma attack, just like me. I quickly ran upstairs to get my inhaler, thinking that maybe it could help him too. But when I came back downstairs, I realized something was wrong. Baby Jasper was still struggling to breathe, and his face was turning blue. I knew that I had to act fast, or he might not make it.

That was when I called out for Mom, hoping that she would know what to do. "Mommy, mommy!" I cried out, trying to keep my voice steady. "The baby is choking!"

Mum rushed into the parlor, took one look at baby Jasper, and immediately sprang into action. She quickly administered first aid, trying to dislodge the food from baby Jasper's airway. I watched in horror as my mom tried to save my little brother. I was scared and helpless, not knowing what to do.

My mom was calm and confident, and she quickly took charge of the situation. After what felt like an eternity, my mom was finally able to dislodge the food from baby Jasper's airway. He began to breathe again, and his face returned to a normal color. I was relieved and grateful that my mom had been able to save baby Jasper.

I realized that I had made a big mistake by giving him the toast, and I promised myself that I would be more careful in the future. As we all calmed down and tried to process what had just happened, my mom turned to me and said, "Ave, you did the right thing by calling me for help. But next time, let's make sure you cut the food up into smaller pieces, okay?" I nodded, feeling a little shaken. As the day went on, i couldn't shake up the feeling of guilt and responsibility for what has happened to baby Jasper I kept thinking about how I had almost lost him my mommy noticed I was quiet and withdrawn and she came over to sit with me, Ave sweetie it's not your fault she said gently, accidents happen, we are just lucky that baby Jasper is okay, I looked up at her feeling tear-prick at the corner of my eyes but what if he hadn't been okay, I asked my voice shaking, what if I had lost him one pulled me into a hug, we don't think about what ifs ave, she said, we focus on what we can control and we move forward from there, you did the right thing by calling for help and we are all grateful for that, I know them feeling better but I knew this experience had taught me a valuable lesson I had learned the importance of being vigilant and responsibility especially when he came to taking care of baby Jasper I was determined to be more careful and attentive in the future.