Words. It is one of the most powerful things in the entire world. They can build you up or tear you down. They can spread awareness or they can spread fear. They can be mightier than the sword or they can be your own worst enemy. We use them to communicate with others through face to face contact, in phone calls, face times, social media, or even simple text messages. And with all these options, we still manage to find time to use them to criticize random strangers while hiding behind a computer screen. The purpose of that? I have no idea. We all have the freedom of speech. I know that. We can use words as we please. I used to just use them for everyday conversation but now I use them to help spread my thoughts & feelings about the struggles of life in a couple paragraphs, a couple times a week. And I’m good with that. But today I choose to use them a little bit more. Today I choose to use my words to spread awareness & not fear. Because in a world that’s already so scary and hard, sometimes just having a little bit of knowledge can help make it a little better.

Most of us have read about the 12 year old girl from Indy that contracted Necrotizing Fasciitis while on vacation. And while yes, I did have the flesh eating bug as well, we have totally different stories. But that’s not the point of this post. This young lady had an opening on her foot when she went into the ocean that allowed the infection in. But do you know how many people go into ocean water EVERY DAY with an opening of some kind on their bodies? Big cuts, little cuts, ingrown hairs, razor burn, whatever. The options are limitless. And majority of these people come out of that water without a flesh eating bacteria. So stop sharing the fear & start using that noodle. I’m not saying just roll with the high odds of not contracting NF when you visit the ocean & just go about your day. I know the odds are pretty good. But I am saying to just take some preventative measures. Measures that’ll take just a minute or two. Cover open wounds if you already know they exist. If you feel your toe stinging because of the salt, then take a gander. Chances are there might be a small cut there. And when you get out, clean the wounds up. Easy peasy. Sure it’s not a 100% guarantee of not contracting Necrotizing Fasciitis but is anything in life ever 100% guaranteed? There is NO NEED to cancel your family vacation to the beach that you’ve been planning for the last 6 months. Because hopefully you read this post & have not only watched the various news stations that turned a story that was meant to inform the public about a rare, but real infection into a nightmare. Both for the families who want to go to the beach & for this specific family in general. These journalist & news stations took a very good, original story of someone’s mountains & basically shoved them off a cliff, forcing them to claw their way back up again. But only this time they have so many people putting their 2 cents in about their lives & even more people pulling them in about 10 other different directions! And this isn’t the first time it has happened to a NF warrior! I have heard of SO MANY Necrotizing Fasciitis stories being botched and turned into a Nightmare on Elm Street version of the truth. And that should never happen. We should shut that down in a heart beat. But how?

With our words. We have the ability to write & say the right stuff. We have the ability to read & comprehend the right stuff. But before you criticize someone through a Facebook comment about how they never should have went into dirty ocean water, think. Do you think a mom would really tell her daughter to go in & walk around if she knew what the end results would be? Of course not. We can not live our lives afraid of germs or dirt because they are literally everywhere. Putting you & your kids in a bubble is not an option. Is it our jobs as parents is to protect our kids? Yes. But it is also our job to give our children a good, well rounded life. And that includes experiencing firsts. First snow tube ride down Mad River Mountain. First dive off the high dive. And even, if your lucky, their first walk down a beach & getting to feel the ocean water. Was the aftermath picture perfect for this family? Obviously not. But in that specific moment, in that brief period of time, all was right in the world. So think about that after you read that scary story of the 12 year old girl who “almost died after visiting the beach”. And then before you use your words, think about all the details that were left out. And then use your words in the way they were meant to be used. But I’ll let you decide what that is. End rant.

Disclaimer: I know this isn’t my usual “inspirational” post but it is something that hits near & dear to my heart that I thought was worth a couple paragraphs if not more. We need to do better at helping people up their own mountains instead of pulling rocks out from beneath their feet.

P. S. This is my best “shame on you media” face that I could get. 😂

#TheOneLeggedMommy #NecrotizingFasciitis #SpreadingAwareness #BuildingPeopleUp #HipDisarticulation #UseYourWords #BeSmart