Many people talk about the tight-knit community here at Tuck in general, and among the families living at Sachem Village. In the two months that we have lived here we have found it to be as warm, welcoming, and open as we had heard. The warm smiles and easy playdates have been much appreciated, especially as Fall A got underway and Zach became so busy. And then, a few weeks ago, the true importance of that community really shone through-- my four year old son got a bad cold, and by the next day he was having labored breathing (wheezing, breathing at a very rapid pace, etc). It was the middle of the day on a Friday when I realized I needed to take him to the ER... but I had my toddler at home with me as well and didn't want to take him unless absolutely necessary, and Zach was busy at school and difficult to reach (the Tuck campus is kind of a black hole of cell phone reception).
I was starting to panic when I suddenly remembered why it was that we chose to live here at Sachem to begin with, and felt this wave of gratitude for our little community in the woods. We've only been here a couple months yet already I had a list of neighbors I knew I could call on for help if needed. Once I got past my initial freak-out moment, I started contacting some of the other parents I knew were home and quickly found someone who agreed to watch my younger son while I took my four year old to the hospital.
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| My little guy in his ER room, once he started feeling better, |
In the end, we spent a few hours in the ER and then were able to come home that same night. My son recuperated quickly, and thankfully that stressful day is behind us. It was not a fun experience, but it took a huge load off my shoulders to know I had friends here to lean on and who are ready and willing to help me out in an emergency.