Off to the Cardiologist

We're on our way to Greensboro today to see Sam's cardiologist. It's just a routine visit, but I have some very important questions to ask him, so it may be enlightening to our future.

I've had a difficult time trying to explain to Sam his condition lately. He has taken to running his fingers down his scar when we take his shirt off and saying, "uh oh, Mama, a boo boo." I've used the word "zipper" with him before, but I'm not sure how I really feel about it - it sort of implies that we're going to open him back up again. I'm going to talk to Dr. Buck about other ways to approach this or other words to call it. I've told him it's his scar and emphasized it's not a "boo boo" but instead a blessing from God. But, I also know that there is a world of heart patients who use their own phrases for this kind of thing and I want him to be able to communicate with them one day too.

I've also showed him this video that Mark O'Shea, a country singer, put together. He highlights patients at Vanderbilt Hospital when they were little and as they grow (some are still little) and then shows that he himself was a patient. I just want Sam to see that he is not alone.

Any insight is welcomed.