Today would have been our follow-up appointment with the burn care team. The one that we were under duress to keep. Even so, I think we made a strong choice in coming here to Switzerland. Mostly what’s required with second degree partial thickness burns during recovery is diligence in observation and continued perseverance in the face of the daily wound care. Lake has been a great sport, more clingy to Mummy and quick to sob, but he’s also adjusting to many new elements including the time change as well as jet lag. All the while he’s been working on healing. As of today, he has only four patches which are not completely healed over and are still requiring bandages: chin, neck, axilla and dorsum of foot. In the evenings in between dressing Lakes wounds I am able to gaze out at the alpenglow on the French alps. When he wakes up in the night and I groggily go to him, I see the lights of France across the lake. It’s a picturesque setting for a convalescence.

Our biggest struggle has been the hat.

No… hat… No… hat!

He’s been quite adamant. I was at my wits end really regarding what to do. It is imperative with his fair skin and brand new tender healing skin that he wear sunscreen and a hat.

For a full year

said the physician team.

Here in the mountains the sun is also particularly strong. Lake was not convinced regarding the hat wearing, but he also didn’t want to stay inside by himself either. I really needed his cooperation and buy-in since he can simply remove it at anytime if he so desires. And he did vehemently desire No Hat!

After a prolonged back and forth that felt like it had no solution, I was rapidly loosing my patience. My friend remarked that she thought I was being extremely patient but I did not feel that way, quite the opposite. I had no choice but to see it through, maybe that presents as patience. Lake also had no choice but to wear the hat. We were both cross and irritated with our predicament. I decided what we needed was to change the conversation.

Let’s go say hello to the cows, Lake! Off we go, hats on.

Off we went down the lane to see the cows…

Hat!

And he wore it the rest of the afternoon. I told him I appreciated how mature and courageous he was being. He can be very proud of himself, and wear the hat everyday when we’re outside. Thank you Lake, your precious skin and surely all the burn care team thanks you too!