You Gotta Believe

Yesterday, June 24th, was my daughter Emma's 10th birthday. A good many of you have met Emma, as she has scored a couple of our wiffle games. I call Emma, the Girl in a Hurry, and here's why:

Emma was born at Miami Valley Hospital at 32 weeks, (that's eight weeks premature, Eric) by cesarean section.  I tell you the honest truth, when the doctor pulled her out Emma's head was no bigger than a wiffle ball; she was three pounds, three ounces. The surgical team cut the cord put the baby on a gurney and whisked her off to a resuscitation room. A few minutes later, they asked me if I'd like to come in a see Emma. Karen, awake under local anesthetic said I should go.

They led me into the next room, which was quite dim. Emma was on a high table with tubes and wires all over her, there were seemed like half a dozen monitors going, and a four-member team there to keep her alive, including to help her breathe, if needed. But that's the thing, it wasn't needed. There was a $100,000 team of medical professionals standing in a semi-circle .. watching Emma .. breathe on her own.

[And let me digress here to say, Miami Valley Hospital is great, and all the other hospitals around here are posers. There's a radio ad that Kettering Hospital System runs for Greene Memorial Hospital during Dragons games. It says nice things about GMH and then says, "It's the only Level Three Trauma Center in the region!" Probably true, but Level Three is the lowest, least capable trauma center.  Miami Valley Hospital is a Level One Trauma Center - which is better. A lot.]

We were told to expect Emma to stay in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) for up to 6 weeks. Emma was done with that place in 27 days, and ever since she really hasn't been much interested in what conventional wisdom says about what she should be capable of at her age. Good on her. At times I forget how wonderful that is, and I get annoyed. This is the time of year I remind myself that it's great, and something I, and we all, can emulate. You gotta believe.

You gotta believe that your team will mount a comeback. You gotta believe even if you strike out your first five at bats, that you can get a hit for the sixth one. You gotta believe that your hit will start a daisy chain of hits and build the big inning. You gotta believe you can stick your hand out and the ball will fly into it. You gotta believe that your stats don't matter, because the games's too fun, and too therapeutic, to get worked up about numbers.

I tell you all this because I have to put on a birthday party for Emma today and the stats will only be updated later this evening. And a real game story, may not be coming at all.

Glen, Kurt, Matt - 8
Eric, Peter, Han-Soo - 2

W: Cebulash
L: Zamonski