When the nurses finally told us we could go home, I expected to feel relief—a sense of release after endless months of sterile hallways, IV drips, and prayers whispered through clenched teeth. But as I stood there beside my daughter Callie, clutching our bags and forcing a smile, all I felt was emptiness.

Callie beamed behind her little mask, waving goodbye to the nurses like they were lifelong friends. Continues…