Dear Heavenly Father,
We don't like sick,
Please help.
(Prayer to Heavenly Father by Sam Bailey..Julianne's little brother after being told about baby Jayne.)
Two weeks ago tomorrow our family experienced an event that has changed our lives. Jen & her girls are here visiting for their yearly July vacation. On Friday, July 10th Jayne, who is 20 months old aspirated on either peanuts or popcorn. We had just finished eating BBQ pizza when this took place. We went from cleaning up dinner, getting kids ready for bed to.. drop everything and take care of Jayne. Within minutes she had stopped breathing and was limp. 911 was called as we attempted to clear her passageway and administer CPR. Within minutes the first officer arrived, swooping Jayne off the floor to take her to the street for a faster hand-off to paramedics. During the entire event, it was James who kept a clear head, worked on her, and gave her the life saving blessing as the officer waited for the ambulance. I attempted to call Austin, Rob, & Amy to let them know Jayne was on her way to the hospital, and I told them I was afraid she had choked to death. The paramedics did not stop to gather any information, they were handed Jayne, they got in the ambulance and were gone. Bill, Jen, & I followed as quickly as we could get a path cleared as James was trying to tell us she had responded. As we raced to Provo, breaking many traffic laws, we called James to find out what he meant. He said as he gave Jayne the blessing out on the front lawn she had tried to breathe. Austin was the first to arrive at the hospital. He was ready to administer to her. By the time she was in the ER she had very labored breathing, was crying, and she was alive. We arrived and were able to go right to her. At this point she was no longer limp, but her limbs & back were rigid & she could not focus her eyes. She was crying & very upset. I am sure she was very, very scared and did not understand what had happened. In the 2 hours we were at UVRMC she had a CAT scan and an EKG. Her color had improved. Both EKG & CAT scan came back normal, but she was not able to focus. It was at this time the medical staff working on Jayne told us she needed better care and arrangements were being made to life flight her to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake. As no one would be allowed to travel with her & it is a short flight, Bill & Jen left the hospital to get a head start. During this entire event Jen always wanted someone with Jayne so she wouldn't be scared. It would be over 48 hours before Jen would let herself get a little sleep. So before they left, Jayne was given another blessing and was told she would make a full recovery. Bill & Jen left in order to be at the hospital when she arrived and Austin & I stayed behind. We talked to and kept touching Jayne to try to comfort her. At one point a nurse was trying to insert a 2nd IV in her foot and she was crying & upset, As I talked to her and looked in her eyes, for a tiny fraction of a second her eyes moved in a way I felt was normal and she was trying to see again. It was the first time in several hours I felt hope of a full recovery. After all the necessary paperwork & phone calls ahead to Primary's Jayne was wheeled out on a stretcher and loaded into the red life flight helicopter. I stood by her, told her to be brave, as the final preparations for her safe travel were made. I can not say enough complimentary words in behalf of the police, paramedics, pilots, nurses, etc in my corner of the world. Each was very professional & caring towards Jayne as they saved her life. I am grateful to live where all those life saving practices and procedures are in place. After Jayne left; Austin, Julianne, & I went to pick up Rob for the long drive to SLC. Without Jen close by I was able to cry for our little Jayne, still not sure what the outcome of this would be. When we arrived in SLC we found Jayne in the trauma ER surrounded by skilled & competent medical personal. Jayne had lost ground in the time that had passed. Her color had turned waxy & yellow and her breathing had declined to wheezy rattle and was even more labored. The most current x-ray showed a blockage in her airway and a surgical scope would be inserted & hopefully the piece or pieces would be removed and a quick recovery would ensue. As we waited in the waiting room we all breathed a sigh of relief as recovery was now in sight. Dave had been called numerous times by this time and would arrive the next morning via Southwest Airlines. At one point he was prepared to drive though the night to get to Jayne's side. Realizing he would arrive at appoximately the same time either way, he opted for the early a.m. flight. About an hour and a half later a doctor came to the waiting room to tell us they were not able to find any blockage, meaning they could not explain her symptoms or why they were so severe...possible answers were asthma, ARDS, or an allergic reaction, but we were back to square one. Jayne was in recovery and would be taken to the Pediatric ICU (PICU) where we would be able to see her again. It was at 3:00 a.m. when we were led into the PICU, where little tiny Jayne was in room 1, now on a ventilator, a suction tube in her nose, 2 IV's, heart monitors, and a toe wrap to monitor the oxygen in her blood. By morning the staff had turned her breathing 100% over to the ventilator as she was breathing too fast and breathing against the ventilator. They did not want her to wear herself out and it was critical for her to get enough oxygen. At this point she was still considered to be in critical condition. Through these hours Jayne was sedated and also administered a paralytic to keep her calm, allowing her body and mind to recover and giving the doctors more time to figure out what was wrong. As we waited by her bedside Saturday, she slowly improved. The nurses were able to turn the ventilator down and allow her to begin to take over her own breathing. Her temperature would go up to borderline fever and they would treat that and it would come back down. Her heart rate was above normal, but that was expected due to the drugs she had been given. Her blood pressure was up high, then down below normal, again due to the drugs. Slowly as the hours went by the drugs were reduced, the ventilator turned down, and we continued to wait for answers. We kept watching for signs that there would be no brain damage. On Sunday morning as she was coughing, she coughed out the ventilator. Her nurse had to think fast and decide whether to reinsert it or leave it out. She decided to leave it out, which was the right decision. As the medication wore off, Jayne was restless & at one point rolled toward Jen when Jen talked to her. On Sunday morning when Gramps & I went into the PICU, there was Jayne sitting on Jen's lap! Gramps started crying. It was a miracle. In fact it was a lot of miracle's in one. Jayne remained in the PICU until Monday then moved to a private room, where she stayed until Wednesday. In the end this is what I understand happened. Jayne aspirated on popcorn or peanuts at our house. As the fragment blocked her airway fluid was drawn into her lungs causing her to quit breathing. At UVRMC her blood was drawn and cultured. A bacteria which is 3rd most common in causing ear infections & pneumonia was found in her blood stream. Although the bacteria is a common one, it is not common or healthy to be found in the blood. Jayne was placed on antibiotics within 24 hours to combat that bacteria. The fluid in her lungs dissipated quickly, which is true in cases of aspiration. The blockage on the x-rays was believed to be pneumonia. Before being released from the hospital a PICC line was inserted and she receives a daily dose of antibiotics to combat the bacteria and the pneumonia. I am posting this experience to quiet the rumors of seizures, ARDS, affixation, etc. I am also posting to say thank you to the many, many kind and generous family members and friends who called, took care of kids, fed us, prayed with us, and helped carry us through this scary time. I am reminded of the importance of being in the right place at the right time, but more importantly James, Rob, Dave, Gramps, Eric, & Austin were worthy to exercise the Priesthood and bring the power of heaven which saved Jayne's life. We are grateful and recognize her life was spared and we have the continued responsibility to care for her and love her. We will be more kind, more grateful, and more careful from this experience.
