How Fragile We Are*

It's such a beautiful spring here in Budapest and I feel as a cup of joy filled to the brink. Body feels lighter having shed layers of winter shields. If different pains raise voices in winter time reminding me of sports exploits, they are silent now reshuffling their armies. Some favourable cocktail of chemical elements is running in my veins.

However, it is not quite like that. Spring does not mean we are not exposed to silent stealth attacks from unknown enemies. Several days ago my phone rings and I hear the voice of my son Boris' kindergarten teacher saying that Boris is not ok - crying and hardly walking. I phone immediately my wife and as she is closer to the place she goes and picks him. Boris cannot walk from pain. I leave immediately and take him to the hospital - the good old Semmelweis Child Clinic.

The doctor comes, looks and very quickly puts a diagnosis bearing the name of two German doctors - a disease called Henoch-Schönlein Purpura. The doctor is young and immediately prints a wikipedia descpription of the disease which we read hectically. It's not innocent but not that bad. It could get pretty bad in some cases but it's controllable.

That's what Boris drew from the hat of surprises, from God's hat of diseases. Actually, it is a good draw and I hope my boy will be fine again soon although he looks like a panther now. However, this reminds me how close we are to the bad news. This also reminded me of this faraway January in 1990 when my cousin (aged 11) complained of an innocent leg pain which we all dismissed as a sign of him being spoiled. However, it was a tumor, he passed away nine months later, this changed the life of my uncle, etc. Being 19 at that time and maybe looking for easy excuses, I promised to myself that I would live twice as intensively to compensate for him.

My point with this post is not that we should fear the draw. On the contrary, we should enjoy every moment when we are healthy (or relatively healthy) because this can be taken from us on an ordinary sunny spring day when we feel happy and fine as there is a draw after all.

* Part of the refrain of 'Fragile' - A song by Sting
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

Boris in hospital determined to beat the disease