Sacrifice

Today I went and visited a client at the Children's hospital. She is a 15 year old girl who has cystic fibrosis and had a double lung transplant 2 years ago. Sadly this transplant has rejected and she is now on the waiting list for a second transplant. She is surviving on a bipap breathing machine. Its heartbreaking to watch. She was sleeping when I visited so I spent the entire hour with her mum and it really made me think about sacrifice.
Is this mother sacrificing something? She has sat at her daughters bedside for the last 6 weeks and will sit with her until she receives a transplant, possibly 6 months. Is she sacrificing a life outside of the hospital or is it no sacrifice at all??

Soldiers, every day sacrifice their lives to fight for their country. Their families sacrifice valuable family time to allow their husbands and fathers to be away for months at a time. Is this a sacrifice or is this a choice to make a "better" life for their families???

A guy and girl go on a date and the girl picks lemon pie and the guy orders chocolate mousse. Upon receiving their dessert the girl decides she would rather the mousse not the pie, so the guy sacrifices his mousse and gives it to his girl. Is this really a sacrifice?? Or is he choosing to keep his girl happy and subconsiously knowing that by her being happy he increases his chance of "loving" later in the night?

All of this made me think a lot, are sacrifices actually sacrifices, or are they choices we make to benefit ourselves in the long run?

why do we make sacrifices? Is it our choice or do we feel obligated?

When people are sacrificing something or feeling like they are constantly missing out or giving up on something and that they make sacrifices all the time. Is this when people lose their sense of identity?

Is there such a thing as a sacrifice????

To me a sacrifice would be giving up the best and being left with the not so good. So in the end you don't receive any benefit??? Do we choose this or is this something that happens naturally?