Harry's Story...

I am not even going to attempt to catch up on all of the events of the last six months (and there have been some doozies!) but there are some things that have happened that are pretty major and the first of these (and the most important) was Harry’s story.

My sister Shannan was expecting a baby boy due May 7th. During the early morning hours of April 19th her water broke and she experienced a cord prolapse. Baby Harry was born oxygen deprived and struggling for life and was flown by air evac to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Shannan was still in the hospital at MVMC willing herself to recover as quickly as possible so that she could be with her baby. Since Monti was at PCH with Harry, I was able to stay over night with Shannan at MVMC. She was released the morning after her surgery and she literally fled to Harry’s side.

Meanwhile, Monti was with Harry standing by his little bedside talking to him and comforting him and praying for him hour after hour. In the interim whenever Monti needed to rest there was a family member there to spell him and spend some time with Harry. Rob was able to take a shift with him during that first night so that Monti could get a little sleep. He says those hours are some of the most precious of his life.

After 5 days and numerous tests which finally indicated that Harry would not be staying with us for long, the doctors made the decision that it would be best to turn down the ventilator and see how Harry reacted. There was really no reaction. It was evident that his little body was just not going to be big enough to hold his amazing and brilliant spirit.

The morning of April 24th the plan was to remove the breathing tube and to let Harry rest from this work he’d been doing. The tube was removed at 1:45 p.m. Shannan and Monti were able to hold him without all of the apparatus and to sit as a family and just love and comfort each other. Some of us were privileged to be in that room as the veil was parted and Harry seemed to linger somewhere between here and eternity for about five hours. Those hours felt like minutes to us they passed so quickly. In short time Harry’s struggling breaths slowed and his body seemed to be even more cuddled into his mother as he truly began to leave it behind. He returned to Heavenly Father at about 5:30 p.m. on April 24th.

Harry is an extraordinary spirit who was born to extraordinary people. I believe he was so good and so valiant that he did not need to be tested in this life. He needed a body and because of the extraordinary efforts that his mommy and daddy made to provide one he was able to obtain one and to fulfill his brief mission here.

Harry was surrounded from the start by his eternal family and so much love abounded in that little room. Nurses and other people mentioned on more than one occasion how amazing it was that this little boy had so many people who loved him enough to stop their lives and stay there with him and his mommy and daddy. For those who were there it did not seem extraordinary to do so---it seemed natural because that is what a family does and yet as it was pointed out again and again it did draw our attention to the fact that we are so very blessed to have that love and support and to realize how precious that closeness is.

Harry gave us that gift. He reminded us what is essential. He reminded us what is most precious to us above anything else. We were so blessed to have him with us for 6 days and we love him and will miss him.

Vicki and I made this little movie of his life as a memory for Monti and Shannan (There is music to this movie. You will need to scroll down to my playlist and pause it or there will be overlapping music.: