He Need Me and I Need Him Too

 


 Photography By: Felecia Causey
Written By: Crystal


January 19, 2018 Bryson E. was brought into the world via planned cesarean. In my eyes he was perfect but I did notice that the right side of his face was a bit bigger than the left, so on his newborn doctor visit I pointed it out to his doctor. His doctor said that sometimes babies lay more on one side and that we would revisit the concern when he turned 3 months old. At his 3 month old visit his doctor told me that he thought is was a malformation, a cyst hygroma to be exact and he also referred me to a Interventional radiologist at a children's hospital. The radiologist confirmed what his doctor thought it was and told me to make an appointment when Bryson turned one because he didn't want to put him through sclerotherapy at such a young age. I was totally fine with that because at the time it didn't pose a threat to his health. We went home and continued on with our lives. October 1, 2018 Bryson caught his first cold from daycare and his face started to swell, so like any parent would I took him to the ER because he started to have difficult time breathing. From there he was airlifted to a children's hospital where we stayed for a week and he underwent a session of sclerotherapy. We went home and returned to our normal lives. We would have to return every six weeks for a check up and more sclerotherapy, if he needed it. October 19, 2018, he started to have difficult time breathing again, but this time it was way worse, and like before I called his dad at work and called my mom to meet me at the ER to get my other two boys while, I got Bryson checked on. By the time I arrived Bryson health was getting worse so I ran full speed into the hospital with him in my arms crying and begging for help. They took him straight to the back where he continued to struggle, his dad had arrived at this point, and we told the doctors and nurses what his condition was. As I sat on the bed with him in my arms they came in and wanted to deep suction him, they thought it would help. At that very moment, as they were deep suctioning him my precious baby boy coded in my arms and turned blue. As people ran in to assist all his father and I could do was hold on to each other crying and begging God to bring him back. Our prayers worked, as he laid there with a tube down his throat we called our family letting them know that Bryson was once again for the second time in the month of October being airlifted to a children's hospital. We once again packed our things and headed to Birmingham, leaving our other two boys in the care of my mother. In Birmingham, we did another session of sclerotherapy and have planned to be discharged on the 24th of October but something didn't feel right. I told them that I didn't feel comfortable going home yet, I didn't feel as though he was ready and his doctor agreed to allow us to stay another night, but moved us from the PICU to a different floor because a sicker child was flying in from somewhere and they needed the room. October 23, 2018 I rocked Bryson and singed to him, as he got sleepy I decided to lay him down so I could go out to get something to eat for my husband (his dad) and I. He wouldn't allow me to put him down, he held onto me really tight, but I laid him down and promised my husband that I would call him as soon as I got in the car.  It was dark out so he didn't want me to go but I needed some fresh air. As soon as I got in the car I called my husband like I had promised and I could here in his voice that something was very very wrong. All he could say to me was GET BACK TO THE ROOM NOW, HURRY!!! I ran as fast as I could to make it back to them, and as soon as I came through the double doors of the wing he was on all I could see was the nurses and doctors trying to help my son to breath. As soon as I could get through to my husband all I could do was drop down and pray that God helps our son. I couldn't lose him I just couldn't. They took him to the OR because his airway was closed so tight that they couldn't get the breathing tube in. As we sat there once again calling our family, the nurses was packing up our things to go back to the PICU. While they transported our things we sat in the waiting room of the OR just holding onto each other because at that time it's all we could do. The doctor called us back to tell us that they finally got it in. As the PICU doctors made their rounds that morning we discussed the plan. At the time the plan was to do yet another session of sclerotherapy and to wait. We met with the ENT doctor there and we agreed that it was best to do a tracheotomy. November 5, 2018, we wheeled Bryson down to get his procedure done, he came back and everything was fine. November 17th, we started our training to be able to bring our baby boy home and I got to hold my son shine for the first time since he coded the second time, those were days we had hoped for since October. 





Not only did we start training, he started physical therapy as well as occupational therapy. He had to learn how to sit up and how to eat again. Our baby boy had so much fight in him, he wasn't giving up. He passed his swallow study twice.  He was determined to get home to his brothers and be a kid again. On November 27th, we were finally able to bring him home. We was finally able to continue on with our lives. His brothers finally got a chance to see him in person for the first time since October 19th, a day that we all will forever remember. With him needing around the clock care I left my job.  I had to, I didn't have a choice.  He honestly needed me and I needed him even more. 




So we stayed home together, he continued with his therapists and I worked on things with him while dad worked and took care of the bills that continued to come non stop. We were just grateful that he was still with us. Months went by and his eating and drinking got better so his occupational therapist released him, he didn't need it anymore. While everything with him was going good, bills got behind and I needed to go back to work, thank God I was able to get my job back. My husband left his current job for another job with a better schedule. he would be home with Bryson in the day time and I would be home with him at night. Things were finally getting better financially, God had us covered through it all. June 9th, Bryson finally started walking, and things where really going up at this point. We see his ENT every month and his interventional radiologist every six weeks at this point. We have been through two trach downsize and he now gets to use the speaking valve, we hadn't heard his voice or cry since October so being able to finally hear him brighten our world. His physical therapist has now released him and now he gets speech therapy, I can't wait to hear what he has to say. This fight is almost over for us, we are so close to getting his trach removed. In about three more months if everything continues to go as planned, he will be trach free and of course it will be a celebration.  I will always wonder in the back of my mind if this would happen to him again. I thank God every single day for covering my Bryson, this has changed me and I will never be the same but we are all so grateful that the fight is almost over and that he will get to be a normal kid soon.




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