So sweet is the child. Not words I say often about someones children! But some touch my heart. That’s Freddy.
Freddy, I am told by his mom (and my client), was born “normal” and had a regular infancy but after what I think was an episode of high fevers, was left with a seizure disorder that has caused brain damage that leaves Freddy in a constant childlike state that makes him seem instead of his real age of about 25, more like 10 years old.
He is such a sweet boy that loves anything super hero, looks forward to Halloween to dress up, and loves the little gifts his parents get him all the time. He really requires so little and instead of a pair of expensive sneakers, or an iPad, or even a cell phone, all he really wants is maybe a super hero action figure.
He’s 6 foot tall with a football players build, but really just a sweet child.
I also cut his hair and love talking to him and asking him questions. We realized that he never saw the movie Underdog which was a remake from a classic tv show that aired when I was a kid. The cute thing about the movie is that even though it’s the story of a beagle that’s a super hero, it’s not animated like the original tv show but instead used real dogs in the making of the movie. I lent Freddy my dvd so he could take it home to watch it. I was excited to hear from him on his next haircut, what he thought of the movie.
On his and his moms next visit as I was doing his moms hair and he was sitting in the back of the salon with his father, luckily, when he started to go into a pre seizure state that got his mom up and running to his side. They were trying to sort of “ward off” the upcoming possibility of a full on seizure, and they were successful. Unfortunately he was in this state for what seemed like 30 minutes and though he didn’t have a seizure, he did lose what we would consider normal conciseness, and urinated all over himself and the chair that he was sitting in.
For obvious reasons his parents were mortified and were apologizing non stop. I was so taken back and moved from their display of love and devotion to their child that the thought of his urine on the floor was just completely insignificant. This is something they deal with on a normal, sometimes daily, basis. They are the super heroes. Freddy is a super hero.
By the time he was in a state that he was aware of his surroundings, and able to walk, they were able to leave. As it happens after an episode like that he just needs to go home and rest. His mom wanted to stay and clean the area where he was sitting and felt horrible about what happened. I assured her that it was fine and to just get him home safely. My main concern was that he was ok and that they were ok. I can handle cleaning up after this innocent soul, so I did.
Surprisingly most of the clients and employees still have no idea what even happened. The salon was so busy and he was taken care of with such love and skill by his parents that it was just another day. Another haircut. Another seizure.
I’ll talk to him next time about the “super hero” Underdog, but Freddy is my super hero. As are his parents.