EDITOR'SNOTE
Life does not travel on straight paths.
nancy macdonald It forks; and it curves, without notice.
And despite well-made plans, at any given moment - CRASH!
That's what happened to our family.
On Sept. 24, we spent the day at Kids- Fest. We came home, had dinner, and Bella eventually went to bed.
I headed upstairs to my officeto answer work e-mails and proof pages for the October issue. My husband Rich stayed in the family room, yelling often at the television due to the poor performance of the Patriots that night.
Around half-past 10, I asked if he wouldn't mind making Bella's lunch for kindergarten, as the Patriots were still losing. I continued typing; and then I heard incoherent yelling.
At that instance, I thought Rich was back downstairs watching the TV.
Within a second of time, I heard a loud thump. Thinking Rich had taken a spill down our stairs to the family room, I jumped down my officestairs.
Instead, I found Rich unconscious, clutching his throat. Thinking he was choking, I tried to clear his airway. Instead, he began shaking. He was having a seizure - his first and only!
The next minutes are a cascade of actions. A call to 9-1-1. Fire, police, and ambulance personnel coming through the front door. Rich leaving the house unconscious, and still shaking. Me getting my shoes on, and awaking our 5-year old daughter for a pajama drive to the hospital, minutes away.
Upon arrival to the ER, Rich remained unaware of what had occurred and didn't recognize me.
I filled out forms, comforted Bella, and questioned every nurse and doctor who saw Rich. About an hour later, Rich says a flood of memories came rushing to his head, including Bella & I, as I explained to yet another doctor that he was making our daughter's lunch when it happened.
To this day, he still does not remember the seizure or that missing hour, but memories of life before that moment have returned.
Rich has been seizure-free since. He is doing well. In a couple of months, he should be medically cleared to return to work.
Life has tossed us back onto a straight path, for now.
This "crash," made me realize, we are not as financial secure as we should be.
Neither of us has a will. Neither of us has a health-care proxy, which I could have used during that 60 minutes in the ER. If something catastrophic should happen to both of us, we have not made plans for our daughter.
However, we are lucky. My husband works for a great employer; and he is getting paid while recovering. We miss his overtime hours, but we had at least set aside savings for a "small accident" in life - something financial planners recommend.
Many families are not that blessed. Therefore, inside this issue is our 4th Annual Family Finance Guide. You'll findan article on the importance of having a health care proxy, a guardianship agreement, and a will, if you are a parent. Every parent should read and take action on this report on page 44.
Many of us know we should prepare these documents, including myself, but somehow we don't. Why? Because we never want to expect the worst. Who plans to crash?
Other family finance articles include "7 Ways to be Financial Successful in 2007" on page 42 and Parenting 1-2-3 columnist Dr. Robyn Silverman's fivetips on how to start teaching our children to plant money trees and not to spend, spend, spend. Read her advice, beginning on page 46.
If you have a child about to turn age 2.9, you'll want to turn to page 32. There you will findBay State Parent's first Preschool Education Guide. Freelance writers Rosemary Cafasso and Jennifer Lefferts compiled everything you need to know to enroll your child in preschool.
Finally, thanks to the scores of readers who entered our 4th Annual Amateur Photo Contest. The winners and their prize-winning photos begin on page 16.
Family is what life is about. Spend some quality time with yours this month. School vacation week is the perfect opportunity to plan some memorable moments on life's path. Enjoy!
Susan Scully Petroni
editor@baystateparent.com
P.S. Check out Calendar Editor Carrie Wattu's and my top picks for family fun during school vacation week, on page 26.
