Every Mom's Nightmare pt 2

Unbeknownst to us, God was already answering our prayers. When the doctors at Birmingham Children’s hospital heard what was going on, they refused to be bullied and dispatched a medivac to retrieve my brother. The helicopter landed unannounced and immediately took over the chaotic situation. When the new doctor in charge took her hand and looked her in the eye, my mother knew she had found someone she could trust. He was young but professional, and treated her like a human being. He promised her they would take good care of her son until she could join them. They made sure she had a ride to Alabama, since the helicopter only had room for the medical team and my brother.  Before anyone had time to gather their wits, the helicopter whisked my brother away. The local medical team was furious at this turn of events! However, we never heard from them or CPS again.

Meanwhile, in Alabama my brother continued fighting for his life. Although his care had improved dramatically, the damage had been done. Where just a day earlier he had been alert and

My mom caring for Sammy in the ICU

responsive, albeit still fighting a high fever, he was now in a deep coma and losing ground fast. My mother spent her days by his side, massaging his small body,  going to the Ronald McDonald house at night to get a few hours of sleep. Sammy remained in critical condition, and on his 7th day in the intensive care unit my dad piled the rest of us kids into the car and drove the long 9 hours to Alabama. He had gotten the dreaded phone call, saying we’d better come right away. Sammy was slipping fast and probably not going to make it through the night. When we arrived at the hospital, we took turns singing to him and made sure he had his favorite stuffed animals by his side. Since my dad had to work the next day, we turned around and went back that night. Lots of tears were shed as we said goodbye to my mom and my baby brother for possibly the last time.

But he didn’t die that night. After our visit my brother seemed to improve a little. In the morning a local pastor came by to anoint him and he began to turn the corner. 3 days later he was awake, eating on his own, and well enough to be transferred out of the ICU. He was going to live!

Later we found out that Birmingham Children’s Hospital had seen 3 cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever in the past. Two patients had one or several limbs amputated, the other had died. The doctors considered it remarkable that Sammy had come through like he did, although according to them he would probably never walk or talk again. But Sam (and God!) proved them all wrong. Within a couple months he was talking and walking and as healthy as ever. He was our little miracle boy!  We are so thankful God intervened in the darkest hour and answered our prayers in such a miraculous way!

Today Sam is a healthy, robust 24 year old. Currently a junior accounting major in college, he spent four years as an Army Ranger, where God continued to spare his life during several deployments to Afghanistan.

Every Mom's Nightmare pt 1

It had all the makings of just another fun church camping trip. My siblings and I always looked forward to time out in nature with friends and family, and this time was no exception. Little did we know what was in store for our whole family.

A couple days after we got home my mom noticed 4 ½ year old Sammy was acting very tired and had almost no appetite. This little guy normally loved to eat! Something was off. She took his temperature and it was 101 and remained elevated for the next couple days. He was lethargic and was sleeping a lot more than usual.

My little brother, Sammy

By the third day, his fever remained high and was continuing to climb. That morning my mom called a friend who promptly offered to fly her and Sammy in her private plane to be seen at a highly recommended naturopathic facility two states away. It was an answer to prayer and just enough to give her the courage to take the trip. She was a stay-at-home mom and would have to leave the rest of us at home, five kids age 12 and under. At this point he had developed a rash all over his stomach and arms and my mom knew it was probably something serious. Just before they left, my little sister Sara, 6 at the time, went over to the couch where Sammy was lying. She felt his forehead like she had seen my mom do a million times, and very sweetly asked him, “Sammy, you know you might not live much longer?” He nodded his head “Yes.” “Have you prayed to Jesus and asked him to forgive your sins?” He shyly shook his head no. “Do you want to say a prayer right now? He will forgive you if you ask Him.” He thought about it briefly and then replied in a hushed tone, “Okay. Can you just watch the doorway to make sure no one comes in?” He knelt by the couch and I’m sure God must have smiled as this little boy’s prayer made its way to heaven. I can only imagine the Holy Spirit had spoken to little Sara, as up to this point my parents had kept all their worries to themselves and not even hinted that this could be serious.  

After they flew out, we kept in touch and learned that nothing was really changing for better or worse over the next couple days. After various teas, juices, hot/cold treatments, and other natural methods, my brother was drinking fluids and remained stable and alert but had lost a lot of weight. He wasn’t a chubby child to begin with and the stubborn fever was taking its toll. The doctor had ordered a spinal tap and formally diagnosed him with Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. (Contracted from the bite of an infected deer tick.) The Dr. and my mom began making plans to move him to Birmingham Children’s Hospital in Alabama, one of the best regional hospitals known to be able to handle rare and difficult diseases in children.

Sammy hours before flying out
(still smiling but very sick)

But before they could finalize all the arrangements, things took an unexpected and frightening turn. It happened so fast, like a summer storm on a sunny day. Out of nowhere, a swarm of ambulance, police and Child Protective Service (CPS) cars surrounded the location where my brother was at and forcibly removed him under threat of arrest. They wouldn't allow my mother to ride with him in the ambulance and refused to say where he was being taken. My mom will never forget the look of absolute terror and pain in his eyes as they began inserting IV’s into his small body and carting him away. Always the tough little guy, (you kinda have to be if you’re the youngest of 6 kids!) he started fighting even in his weakened state and screamed for them to leave him alone. He had never been away from my mom before, and she could only imagine he was thinking, “Mom, why are you letting them do this to me?” His screams broke her heart in a million pieces. 

At the absolute darkest moment, little miracles began to crop up. Up to this point my mom had no vehicle with her and would have been alone and stranded, not knowing where my brother was being taken. However, just a couple hours before everything began to unravel, a family friend had dropped by to visit. When she saw what was happening she immediately took over and became the rock my mother needed at that crucial time. “Yolanda, jump in my truck,” she said, “we’re going to follow them and you’re gonna get your boy back.” No one knew what was going on, as CPS was treating my mom and staff like common criminals and refusing to say where or why they were taking my brother. Much later it would come out that a well-meaning yet ill-advised nurse at the naturopathic facility had placed the call to CPS. 

When they arrived at the (unnamed Chattanooga) hospital, all the rooms were full so they kept Sammy in the hallway hooked up to IV’s without proper care or monitoring. The new doctors kept refusing to talk to my mom and even began threatening her if she tried anything. They even refused to move him to another nearby hospital that actually had a bed for him. Hours went by and my brother fell into a coma. It was obvious his condition was deteriorating quickly. He needed better medical care, and fast.