A Little Sad this week.

We have always tried to not get very involved with our neighbors or Friends from school.But about a year ago we had some new neighbors.They have girls Melissa and Myla age and a boy a year younger than Tyrel.We live quite a ways out of town and not many kids around here.So we started letting our kids play with them and have them to our house and go to their house.Then we got to know their family a little.The mother was due to have a baby last may.The doctors told them the baby girl had heart problems and also a chromosomes 18 disorder and she could be severely handicapped if she lived.They mad the decision to have her anyway instead of terminating the pregancy When she was born she weighed 4 1/2 pounds at full birth ,not early.The doctors let them bring her home because her life expectancy was 6 months-to a year -if that.So at 1 week she came home.she was on a monitor and took special bottles to feed her because her stomach was so small she could not digest good.Then when she was 3 moths old the doctors felt she was ready for her first of 6 heart surgeries.So they headed to Portland on July 31st,her surgery was for August 3rd.



On the way to Portland their family was hit head on by another driver that was hit broadsided.The family was all taken to the hospital.The boy had a hurt hand and bruised,The girl Myla's age had a cut across her forhead.The girl Melissa's age had to get a rod put in her upper leg that will have to stay there for a year.The mother crushed her foot and broke the bones in her lower leg and had a cast all the way up her leg.And was not to be on it for 6 months.The baby was life flighted and it sent her into a heart attack.They didn't know her problems until the mother was able to tell them after they arrived at the hospital.The father was not with them in the accident for he was supposed to go to Portland the next day.



So they were all over in Portland in 2 different hospitals .The 3 older kids were releast to their dad after 3 days ,mother stayed in hospital for 2 weeks .The baby whos name is Sage was finaliy taken in for heart surgery on August 15th .She came thru as they said doing very good.At this point she weights 5 3/4 pounds .They bring her home a week later. She seems to be doing good but not gaining weight as fast as the doctors want her to so the go back to Portland and get a feeding tube put in to her tummy.She comes back home and she is now 5 month old and weights about 7 1/4 pounds.She is home a few days and starts having breathing problems at night,so the doctors send them home with a monithor and oxegen ,she is hooked up to all this at night or any time she is having breathing trouble.She seemed to be doing good ,starting to gain weight and she would even smile sometimes when you talked to her and she loved being held and rocked .This is something I did many a time when I was down visting them. After the accident their insurance asked them to find someone to hepl the mother with house hold stuff that she should not be doing becuase of her leg.So I had been going over to their home during the week for about 3 hours a day ,and the insurance was paying me .Which is another reason we were getting to know this family so much.



Then this sunday evening she was asleep in her bed(which is right in the living room where everyone is at). When her big brother named Zane who is only 12 goes to check on her .Her lips have turned brown and he tells his mom something is wrong with baby Sage.The mother Pauline trys to revive her ,the kids run out side to get their dad ,he trys to revive her ,they can't.They call 911.She had not been having any trouble that day so they had not put her on the monitor yet.It must have just been her time to go.



Brian saw the ambulance go by and came in and got me .We walked down to see what was going on,not knowing.And Elise followed us down there.The family was crying and screaming .It was the saddest thing I have ever saw .We tried to comfort them ,The dads parents were there and the medical people .We stayed for about an hour and I think it was one of the most hardest emotional things I have had to deal with .The family was just so tore up .They wanted me to help them get the baby ready for the mortition to pick-up.They felt like I have been one of their very dear friends and wanted me to stay and be there with them.We picked out a soft burgendy dress to put on her while we cried .She had a soft pink fuzzy blankie from the Ronold Mcdonld House they stayed at in Portland that we rapped her in she looked so peaceful.


We came home from their house and tried to tell our kids what happened .The little girls were very upset and sad .Elise was cring she had baby sat Sage all day on this last thursady and she had watched her several other times during the summer.Our children have never been around death ,they have been to funreals .But so far no one close to them has died and they have definitly never been where it has just happened like this.( think I probly should have sent her home when we found out she was there it was a very sad time there.)I pray that she will be able to get over it okay ,and not remember it as a bad thing.
They are planning a funeral for sage on friday .We plan to go to it and hope that it will bring closing for them.The school that our kids go to is very small and the staff and teachers have all been very good to this family teachers have had kids make cards .The principle is friends with thier family becuase her husband does rodeoing and so does the dad in this family she has came out to the home as has one of the girls teachers with flowers and cards from the staff.picture of Sage when she was 4 months old in her sisters doll playpen.