Vicki and I made this little movie of Harry's life as a memory for Monti and Shannan
One Year ago our family was blessed with the privilege of having my sister Shannan's baby boy Harry born into our family. He only stayed with us for 6 days.
In honor of Harry's birthday I am reposting his story and a few thoughts that I have about him:
During the early morning hours of April 19th, 2009 Harry was born by emergency cesarean section at Mountain Vista Medical Center. Due to complications surrounding his birth he was born oxygen deprived and he was flown by air evac to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Harry spent the next 5 days struggling for life. After 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.
It has been hard this last year as we have missed having Harry here with us but I have taken comfort in knowing that thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ we will be with Harry again someday. This is not wishful thinking on my part or just words that we say to comfort each other.
I know it.
I know it with absolute certainty.
I have a testimony that Jesus Christ lived and that He died for us and that He was resurrected.
I know that He lives.
I know that because of his sacrifice we can be resurrected as well and that through His Gospel we can live with our families again someday...that this life is only a probation and that Eternal Life is possible in and through the atonement of the Savior. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who provided us with a way to return to Him and for a loving Brother Jesus Christ who chose to be the Way.
Harry's brief probation here gave us a gift. He reminded us of 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.
