Today I am telling you the story of our worst fear – the possibility of losing a grandchild. Unfortunately, a medical crisis happened miles away from our home and theirs. I will include some things I learned from this experience following the story. We thank God it turned out the way it did.
How it all began
On a Sunday in March, after our two granddaughters and their parents left to go home, my husband and I enjoyed the quiet for a few hours. And then, quickly, everything changed.
About four hours after they left, our son Bill called me. It was unusual to have him contact me before he was home from a trip. He started explaining what was going on. His voice was quiet, and he sounded like he had difficulty holding back tears. My first thought was they had been in an accident.
He explained that their three-year-old told her mom, her sister Camille, looked funny while they were driving. Katharine looked back in horror at Camille and noticed that her lips were blue and she was flailing her arms and legs. As soon as he could, our son pulled off the freeway. He removed Camille from her car seat and attempted to dislodge the food, or whatever was in her airway. Nothing came out that they noticed, but their daughter breathed again.
Urgent Care/Hospital
They googled the urgent care center nearby and drove there to have Camille checked out. At Urgent Care, a nurse told them to go to the Emergency Department at the hospital down the street. Once they arrived at the hospital, Katharine and Camille went inside. Bill stayed outside with their older daughter, Corinne. Bill called me and gave me the few details they had. They were a little over 2 hours away from our house. It took them 45 minutes from their original stop on the freeway to drive to Urgent Care, the hospital, and admit Camille. And now Camille and Katharine had been inside for an hour.
The hospital staff ran blood and urine tests. They had to insert a catheter in our 13-month-old granddaughter to get the urine. And then wait to get the test results. Finally, a nurse practitioner came out to speak with Bill. She said Camille was doing better. If the tests came back normal and Camille continued to improve, she would be released to go home. She might need to be transported to the Fresno Children’s Hospital if they found something wrong.
Our Response
I assured Bill, if needed, we could come to get their oldest daughter and bring her home to their home in Southern California. Another factor in the mix was that they had ice chests full of freshly butchered, cut, and frozen beef in their car, one-quarter of a cow. I told him we would take the meat and put it in his freezer. His home was another 4 hours away. Bill asked me to call his sister, who lived 45 minutes from their location at the Tulare hospital.
It took me a few minutes to reach our daughter. Since she didn’t answer her phone, I tried her husband, and fortunately, he was with her. She was distraught and said she could go to the hospital and, if needed, take Corinne home to her house if they ended up at the hospital for a long time.
She said she would text Bill to see if she could come. After minutes of waiting for her return call, my daughter finally called to say she was heading there. She made it in time to spend time with her brother and niece.
Sending out the Request for Prayer
In the meantime, I let all Bill’s aunts know what was happening. Our church was starting a prayer chain, but the committee hadn’t completed the process. So, I called the first name on the list and left a message. She called me back within fifteen minutes. She promised to pass the information on to the prayer chain members. I also asked my Facebook friends to please pray for Camille. So, many people were praying for our precious granddaughter in a short period.
My husband and I packed an overnight bag, grabbed some water and snacks, and started driving to the hospital. I couldn’t stand not being there, just in case it ended up in a critical situation.
Bill received a text from his wife in about an hour, saying they were released.
The crisis is over
When they came out of the emergency room entrance, Katharine held Camille. When Camille smiled, they knew she was getting better. Camille hadn’t smiled in the last few hours, so they were so excited to see her smile and smile a second time when her father took her in his arms. Camille is our always happy, always smiling granddaughter. I can’t imagine her not smiling for over fifteen minutes, especially not for hours.
Camille had had a Febrile Seizure, which is common in young children, even though none of us had ever heard of anyone having one. Now that she has had one, she might have more. Or possibly never have another one. A fever triggers them. Even though her fever had been low that morning, we decided it was likely because she had two new teeth coming in. It had been enough to start a seizure. Katharine had asked the doctor if Camille could have brain damage from not breathing for an unknown period. They assured her Camille hadn’t stopped breathing long enough to have permanent damage.
Bill and Katharine left to continue on their journey home. This time Katharine sat in the back, between her two girls, not taking a chance on missing anything. Rhiannon called me to tell me they were on their way and she was going home.
We turned around to return home, about 45 minutes from the hospital, thankful the crisis was over.
Prayers answered
Our granddaughter is fine. After the detour, they made it safely to their home, hours away. God had allowed everything to work out, so that Camille survived. Despite experiencing the worst fear of their lives, our son and daughter-in-law had their precious daughter back. I give God all the praise. God was instrumental in Corinne, noticing something was wrong with her sister. Even though she was only three years old, she hadn’t been looking out the window or napping. Instead, she had seen Camille and alerted her mother.
Bill could pull over quickly. They were about 15 minutes to a big city which had several hospitals. Katharine could bypass the emergency room line since she was holding a baby. The horrible experience of Corinne’s seizure is behind them. It wasn’t life-threatening, but it scared her parents. They feared losing their child since she hadn’t been breathing. God provided a helper to make it known. Corinne is now a hero to all of us. Her parents have let her know she saved her sister’s life. She doesn’t understand yet, but one day she will.
How to get through a crisis
- Stay calm and remember, God is there amid the crisis
- If appropriate, call 911. Our son and daughter-in-law were set on getting Camille to the hospital as fast as possible and they didn’t think about calling 911.
- Remember, God has a reason/plan for everything
- God can provide a hero, even in a three-year-old child
- Begin prayers as soon as possible
- Offer to help in any way you can:
- Drop any plans you have made and make the crisis your priority
- Offer to call people for them
- If reasonable, offer to pick up their other children
- Offer to bring them food if they are there for a long time
- Drive to the hospital to be with them as they wait answers
- Thank God for answered prayer, even when it’s not the answer for which you hoped
Have you ever had a crisis that seemed impossible? What did you do to get through it? How did you feel about it? Did you feel God’s presence in the situation? Please comment in the reply section below. If you have small children or grandchildren, hug them because they are alive and well. Watch them a little more carefully, and thank God for His protection over them.
