As Gavin has gotten older, it’s become more and more problematic. He looks very much like a typical eighteen year old kid on other outside and that’s very, very, very, very, very misleading.
With all that said, you hopefully have a better understanding of the context surrounding things in regards to Gavin.
If you’ve ever been to a pediatric outpatient infusion lab, inside a hematology and oncology clinic, you’re likely aware of the many reasons for kids being there.
There are kids like Gavin, who are receiving treatment for CVID but there are also kids who are fighting for their lives against things like cancer.
I’m in no way downplaying CVID. It’s absolutely a life long, life threatening condition but as bad as it is, in most cases it’s very treatable. The same can’t be said about cancer.
As a parent, seeing what these kids battling cancer are enduring is absolutely heartbreaking. My heart breaks for them and their family. No child or adult for that matter, should ever have to face such a devastating illness. I simply can’t imagine going through something like that.
While we were there yesterday, there were several small children, receiving treatment for cancer. It’s a very somber experience and as a parent, I understand the gravity of what they might be facing. Unfortunately, Gavin does not.
Gavin likes to talk and talk and talk. He doesn’t much care who he’s talking to, who can hear him and he certainly has no clue how his words can impact others.
The entire time we were there yesterday, Gavin’s singular focus was on whether or not he would need to have his blood drawn. At every turn, he was telling the nurses how he has so many bad memories of this place because he doesn’t like getting IV’s.
I get where he’s coming from and I know he gets hyperfocused on his personal situation.
The first time he started talking about that, I tried to shush him, without drawing any attention. He eventually stopped complaining about his memories of IV’s but as soon as he saw someone else, he’d find a way to complain to them about his history of having to get IV’s.
Again, I tried to shush him but he just wouldn’t shut-up.
I feel like you’re giving too much thought to other people paying attention to Gavin. I understand what you’re saying but I seriously doubt that anyone there cared about anything beyond their own child. The other part is that I’ve heard Gavin speak on video and it’s clear that he is special needs despite him looking 18 on the outside. So if anyone was paying attention, it’s doubtful that they had any mean spirited thoughts about what he was saying.
Maybe you’re right. I don’t know.
Sensory overloads happen. In this case gavin couldn’t help it because of being autistic.