by WILL FOLKS || I don’t post very often on personal matters. Maybe I should do it more frequently. Who knows. Other than having a somewhat large family (six kids … for now) my personal life is pretty nondescript. Routine. Unless there is something from my journey that I believe has relevance on other people’s lives – I invariably opt against oversharing on a personal level when it comes to this particular microphone.
Because in addition to being boring, that is not what this microphone is for …
At the end of the day (each day) my job is to provide reporting and commentary on various newsworthy events – with a primary focus on my home state of South Carolina (most notably its politics and government). When I am unable to do my job for an extended period of time, I feel I owe it to my readers (and especially my subscribers) to explain why.
Such a professional incapacitation occurred last week when my three-year-old son Sebastian fell seriously ill during a family trip to Daytona, Florida.
I won’t bore readers with all the details, but mein fünfter (the fifth of our six children) was admitted to Advent Health Daytona Beach last Friday in acute respiratory distress. While receiving treatment for this asthma-induced pulmonary issue he developed aspiration pneumonia – and started to head downhill fast over the weekend.
At one point, things got so dicey there was talk of transferring him to a special children’s intensive care unit in Orlando, Florida.
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(Via: Will Folks)
Thankfully, his diagnoses were accurate and the treatments in response to them were effective … and late Wednesday, after nearly a week in the hospital, he was finally able to return to his brothers and sisters in South Carolina.
Whew.
A couple of quick thoughts before I dive back into the news business …
First of all, thanks be to God. I don’t use this microphone to push my faith on people (again, that’s not what it is for), but I believe God was with my little boy – and still is – and that everything that happened to him and our family over the past week was according to His plan. Our prayers aren’t always answered the way we want them to be, but in this case they were.
And I know who to thank for that …
Second of all, thank you. In addition to the patience shown by my readers and subscribers over the last week, literally hundreds of you have been following Sebastian’s plight/ progress on social media and have reached out with heartfelt prayers and messages of support for him – and for our entire family. Even people I have sparred with in years past took time to offer a kind word.
Those prayers and messages have meant more – and have mattered more – to our family than you will ever know. They have also served as another compelling reminder of the fundamental, God-given goodness residing within each one of us. Which (in addition to seeing my little boy healthy again) is a truly wonderful way to kick off a new year.
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(Via: Will Folks)
Finally, I cannot say enough good things about the staff at Advent – a faith-based facility run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Sebastian received excellent medical care during his time in Daytona, and the professionals attending to his needs – led by Dr. Ashwini Jasutkir (“Dr. Ash”) – showed skill, kindness and consideration at every step of what was an incredibly difficult journey. They were nothing short of amazing (all of them), and my family will be forever grateful to them for their efforts on behalf of our little “Sebi.”
Posting will begin returning to normal today on FITSNews – and on our sister site, PalmettoWire.com – but before I pressed my nose back to the grindstone I wanted to take a quick moment to update everyone on the little man’s status and to thank everyone again for their prayers and patience.
I will always remember this New Year’s Day for the celebration of Thanksgiving our family enjoyed upon his homecoming … and for the thankfulness I have in my heart toward everyone who supported him and lifted up our family during a difficult time.
God is good.
Will Folks is the founding editor of the website you are currently reading.
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