Brenna

Gordon and I were praying and fasting for answers. Along with our family, friends, ward family, and even people we didn’t know who were invited by friends to pray for Brenna in their own faiths. It was a very ‘close to the Spirit’ time for us. Gordon said his own prayers and I am grateful he listens for direction.

 

We were very frustrated with the docs as they had no answers for us and didn’t seem to know what to do next.

 

On about 8^th day in PICU, we were meeting with the head doc, and Gordon stated, with a surety, “We want you to take Brenna off all the medications she is receiving.” Well, of course, the head doc was taken aback and fought us on this decision. He said he would only take her off if we would be there 24/7 to help with the reactions she might have coming off the serious drugs they put into her. She was on a medication, I think it was Fentanyl, that they couldn’t take her off of unless they administered increasing doses of Methadone up to a certain level and then brought them both down simultaneously. It was amazing the amount of drugs they so readily introduce to such a little body.

 

All the while, Brenna was on a ventilator. We wanted that out so bad. The docs kept telling us that was not possible unless Brenna regained her gag reflex. They would always stick their tongue depressors down her throat with no reaction. We were frustrated. And apparently, Brenna was fed up with it too.

 

On day 10 in the PICU, it was a Sunday. Gordon and I were at Brenna’s side with a visit from our family friend, Paul. Brenna started chewing on the ventilator tube and the docs told us if she bit through it, the end would go into her lungs and they would have to do emergency surgery to get it out. So they tried bite guards in the back of her teeth. But she kept biting and grinding so hard, she would bite her cheeks and blood started dripping out the sides of her mouth. We were so frantic. We insisted the docs take out the ventilator. Again, he stated, “only if there is a gag.” So he stuck his stick down her throat and she gagged! So out the tube came. After all the hullabaloo, and the docs left, Brenna opened her eyes, looked up at me and smiled the biggest smile. We cried. It was a miracle. Our nurse snapped a Polaroid of the moment.

 

Later that week, we were told by Gordon’s sister, who lived across the street from us, truly why we were blessed with that miracle.

 

Our wonderful bishop, Bishop Holloman, asked our ward to fast for Brenna that very Sunday. Sacrament meeting was first and I heard it was a beautiful meeting. At the end of the meeting, Bishop Holloman got up to speak. But he was crying so hard, he had to sit down and write down his thoughts. His counselor read it for him. It went something like this: “There is such a special spirit in this chapel today. I see angels all about the room.” Sacrament meeting ended at noon and those angels flew right up to Primary Children’s Hospital and told Brenna to wake up. She began the ventilator issue about 12:15. 

 

We were so blessed to witness another modern day miracle in our Brenna’s journey.