Sometimes, it takes more...

I opened an email yesterday, titled 'Nominated Best Commercial of the Year'. I really thought it would be a commercial about beer or a woman licking ice cream off a famous nude statue or a crafty car commercial designed to make you want to go out and buy THAT car RIGHT now!

Instead, it was a commercial by Pfizer, a leading medical drug manufacturer. You see a teenage boy using spray paint and you see him spraying buildings in the dark. Then you see him go home the next morning to a harried and mother, who was wonders what terrible business her son was up to all night that he couldn't come home till morning. She sees the paint can in his hand and you see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes. The boy makes a bee line to a bedroom where you see a child laying in a hospital bed hooked up to oxygen. The point being, the child is very, very sick. Then you see the boy pull the curtains wide to the morning sun, the child sits up and sees what the boy has done. He has painted the buildings across from their apartment with flowers and the words 'Be Strong'. The girl smiles. The mother mouths 'thank you'. The ending message is...Sometimes it takes more than medicine.

I believe that. I feel that if Ed relied on medicine alone, he would not be doing as well as he is now. He would not be getting in and out of bed unassisted, or walking to the bathroom, no longer having to rely on a urine bottle and bed pan. I feel like he would still be being fed by someone else, and having to use a sipper cup with a big handle. This past weekend I watched him pick up his walker and go to the bathroom with very little assistance from my Mom. I saw him open a bottle of Ensure. And he was sitting on the sofa, not laying in bed or in his wheelchair!

I feel that all the care and attention Ed has received from my mom, my brothers, sister-in-law, uncles, aunts, friends, extended relatives, ministers, doctors, and my self, have lifted his spirits and bolstered him. The cards and notes he receives brings him smiles.

My brothers cut the grass and bring in wood for the fireplace, my sister-in-law takes him to many appointments, has administered shots, and does grocery shopping. Friends bring food and laughter. My uncles come to visit and share a joke or story over breakfast. I do what I can do too.

All this helps him feel 'normal' and have good quality of life.

Yes, the medicines attack the physical ailments of Ed's body. But sometimes it takes more than medicine.

If you would like to see the commercial, try this link:

Graffiti_-_Pfizer_Commercial.wmv (7858KB)