The plan was for Reas to come back to the hospital, have dinner with me, and spend the night in my room in the comfy hospital pull out bed. We had dinner and then around 7:00 my mom who was home with our kids, called because she was worried about Ty. He had been struggling with his asthma for a few days, needing breathing treatments more and more. By Tuesday though, the treatments didn't seem to be working effectively. By evening, he'd finish a treatment and he'd be struggling for breath just as much as before. His breathing tends to get worse at night, so considering his day had been so rough, my mom was worried about what kind of a night he might have.


After she called us, Reas called our home teacher, Bro. Coffey and our neighbor, Bro. Taylor to see if they would go give Ty a blessing so Reas could stay at the hospital with me. They did. But, by 8:00 Reas was on his way home because Ty was so upset and wanted him. Then around 11:30 PM Reas was back at the hospital in the ER with Ty. There just wasn't anything else left for them to do at home to help Ty's breathing improve. I had no idea Reas and Ty were there until Reas came walking into my recovery room at 1:00 AM. As exhausted as I was, I hadn't been to sleep yet. Between worrying about Ty, baby feedings, diaper changes, and nurses walking into my room for one thing or another sleep didn't have a chance.

As soon as Reas walked in, I knew what it was. Every part of his being told me what was wrong. He sat down next to me and we broke down together as he told me what was going on downstairs in the ER. He had just spent the last hour having to watch a room full of doctors and nurses frantically running around a hospital room trying to figure out the quickest and best way to stabilize Ty. No one told him anything at that point. They were just yelling out numbers, and running like crazy while Reas stood in the corner looking on. I can't imagine having to do that on my own. I know it was terrible for him. They quickly realized Ty would need to be fully sedated in order to get tubes down his throat that would send oxygen and albuterol directly into his lungs. A mask wouldn't have worked fast enough. Finally, when all the tubes, patches, IVs, and medication were in place someone stopped running in order to talk to Reas. They were going to give Ty some time to stabilize and for his oxygen level to improve and then they'd be transferring him to Sunrise Children's Hospital across town, where there is a Pediatric ICU. It was during this waiting time that Reas came up to my room.

I wanted to be with Ty. I knew that as soon as the transfer was made I wouldn't be able to see him until I was discharged sometime the next day, so Reas and I walked down to the ER. There was something so movie-like about the whole situation - me having just had a baby, still in my hospital gown, walking to the ER to visit my put-under child. A horrible movie, that makes you ask, what kind of dillusional person would think up this story? Reas had tried to prepare me for what Ty would look like. Nothing can prepare you for seeing your 7 year-old sedated in a hospital bed, shirt cut from his back, and struggling to breathe despite all the medical help he was receiving. I sat next to Ty, holding his hand, kissing his head, and trying to be strong. One of the nurses said he was responding to my presence, that his heart rate picked up when I'd talk to him. In a way that only made it harder for me when it came time to leave him because part of him knew I wouldn't be there.

Before too long the transport team arrived and I had to leave. I cried all the way back to my room. Knowing that Reas wouldn't leave Ty's side, except to follow the ambulence to the next hospital, was the only thing that got me through. I slept for about 45 minutes that night.

By morning, word about Ty had spread pretty quickly and the nurses and doctors who needed to approve mine and Jack's discharge were all working to get me out of there as fast as possible. It still wasn't quick enough for me. I was home by noon, which I guess considering how long things always seem to take in the hospital, was ok. I threw on some clean clothes, called around for a babysitter, kissed my girls, and headed out with my mom. Leaving my 1 day old baby with a sitter to go see another child in the hospital wasn't exactly the way I had envisioned spending my first day home. My good friend Anna who has been a blessing in my life from the day I met her came over to spend the afternoon with the baby and my girls. Anna has six young kids of her own, and I swear she's Super Woman in disguise. She brought crafts and glittery nail polish and I don't think my kids missed me a bit!

By the time my mom and I arrived at the hospital, Ty had been awake for a few hours. I was so happy to see him looking more like himself, although he was still very weak. I'm pretty sure Reas was super happy to see us too. This was the first time he had someone to talk to other than hospital staff and he was running on pure adrenaline just as much as I was. The IVs would stay in for another day and the albuterol was being given through a mask now. Ty cried when he saw me. That made me happy and sad at the same time. Again, I sat by his bed, talking to him. He'd try to talk a little, but his throat was so raw from having the tubes down it and not being able to drink that I could barely understand or hear him. Eventually, they allowed him to have ice chips and then finally water and he downed cup after cup like he had just crossed the Sahara. My time was again limited with Ty because now I had a nursing baby at home. For the next day and a half I went back and forth between Ty at the hospital and nursing Jack at home. Reas only left the hospital once - on Thursday morning to come home for a couple hours to shower and say hi to the girls. My mom stayed with Ty during that time. This was the first time since Jack was born that we had everyone home together without Ty. It was the strangest feeling, trying to be happy about having our new baby, but not having Ty around to celebrate with. It was hard, to say the least. I would want to take pictures of all the kids together, but then couldn't bring myself to do it. Other times I'd think I was going along, doing ok and then I'd see Ty's shoes in the corner and start crying again.

Thursday evening the doctors told Reas that when Ty could come home would be determined by how his night went. They wanted him to go a whole night where his oxygen levels stayed up on his own and he didn't need any breathing treatments. Thursday night he had a great night! We all prepared for them to come home. Friday afternoon I again made the drive to the hospital, but this time I'd be bringing Reas and Ty home with me.

Every doctor we spoke to would comment on how amazingly fast Ty's recovery went considering where things had been on that first night in the ER. I didn't know much about oxygen and carbon dioxide levels before last week. I've since learned that any carbon dioxide level above 40 is dangerous. Ty's got up to 130. His pediatrician told me that at that level the brain is telling the lungs to shut down completely. Another doctor went as far as saying that had Ty not received the treatment he got when he got it, there wouldn't have been anything left to do. I'm not saying this to be overly dramatic. Someday, when Ty reads this I want him to know how blessed he was that night. I want him to remember that he had a priesthood blessing where our inspired home teacher specifically blessed him that his body would respond to the medication and that his body would be able to rest and relax. And I hope he knows how much his family loves him, and that his dad never left his side. I am so grateful to Reas for being strong and for caring for Ty and being there to comfort him when I couldn't. We are grateful for prayer, for our extended family, friends, and for our children. We are so grateful that my mom was here for all of this, to support and comfort and help with anything we needed her to do. We are grateful for modern medicine and doctors that knew the best way to treat him in an emergency situation.

When I look back on the day Jack was born and the following few days, I can't help but see how we were being watched over. And how things happened exactly as they should in order for us to bring our two boys home. We still have a way to go with Ty. Now he'll be seeing a pulmonologist and an allergist to try and decide what will be the best way to control his asthma. In the meantime, I just look at my family and smile, so happy that we have eachother.