[caption id="attachment_1644" align="alignright" width="150"] Blog by Sr. Barbara Kane, OP[/caption]
The nurse suggested that I visit a little boy who had been injured by gunshots. He was a cutie – eight years old and kind of small for his age. During the first visit, he didn’t say anything to me but if I asked him a question, he would shake his head yes or no, or put up his fingers. Eight fingers for his age, three fingers for the number of sisters. The nurse said that because of his injuries, he makes a lot of mucus and has a tendency to spit when he talks. During the second visit, I asked where he want to school and suggested he could spell it out with his hands. After three letters – f a r, he was stuck and couldn’t continue. I told him that he could tell me that it would be OK if there was some spit but he wouldn’t budge. Finally, he jumped out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, spit, and said loudly “Fairmoor.” It seemed to wear both of us out to get this far but it was progress. I will visit him again and hopefully, someday, we’ll have more of a conversation.
No little boy should have to struggle so hard to communicate because he has been shot. He has virtually no voice to express his anger about being shot and to tell legislators to protect him like the students in Florida are able to do. We need to be his voice. We need to be the voice of all children who have no one to speak for them. Call your Senators and Representatives, state and national. Tell them it’s time to do something – require universal background checks, prohibit gun purchases for individuals with mental illness, records of domestic abuse, assault or are known terrorists, ban assault type weapons and high capacity magazines. These measures just make sense and have the support of the majority of the American people whether Republicans and Democrats.
It’s also time to get the NRA back to its true purpose – to help individuals use their guns in the safest way possible. Tell your representative to stop taking campaign money from them….to stand up to them and truly represent the people and not the NRA.
We need to be his voice….use yours today.
Blog by Sr. Barbara Kane, OP[/caption]
The nurse suggested that I visit a little boy who had been injured by gunshots. He was a cutie – eight years old and kind of small for his age. During the first visit, he didn’t say anything to me but if I asked him a question, he would shake his head yes or no, or put up his fingers. Eight fingers for his age, three fingers for the number of sisters. The nurse said that because of his injuries, he makes a lot of mucus and has a tendency to spit when he talks. During the second visit, I asked where he want to school and suggested he could spell it out with his hands. After three letters – f a r, he was stuck and couldn’t continue. I told him that he could tell me that it would be OK if there was some spit but he wouldn’t budge. Finally, he jumped out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, spit, and said loudly “Fairmoor.” It seemed to wear both of us out to get this far but it was progress. I will visit him again and hopefully, someday, we’ll have more of a conversation.
No little boy should have to struggle so hard to communicate because he has been shot. He has virtually no voice to express his anger about being shot and to tell legislators to protect him like the students in Florida are able to do. We need to be his voice. We need to be the voice of all children who have no one to speak for them. Call your Senators and Representatives, state and national. Tell them it’s time to do something – require universal background checks, prohibit gun purchases for individuals with mental illness, records of domestic abuse, assault or are known terrorists, ban assault type weapons and high capacity magazines. These measures just make sense and have the support of the majority of the American people whether Republicans and Democrats.
It’s also time to get the NRA back to its true purpose – to help individuals use their guns in the safest way possible. Tell your representative to stop taking campaign money from them….to stand up to them and truly represent the people and not the NRA.
We need to be his voice….use yours today.
