We weren’t even 24 hours into this medical emergency, and Dylan, although very sick, Rob and I were confident he was in great hands. As for Rob and I, we had jumped into “emergency mode”. Dylan was certainly top priority, but we also have four other amazing kids. Two were with us in Oklahoma, two were in Oregon.
Savannah and Lincoln had witnessed something horrific, but had stepped up the minute I sent them to the lobby to notify the front desk of the medical emergency. They were the ones who sent that 1st gentleman to the room to help as we awaited 911. They sat in the ER waiting room with Rob for at least two hours, praying without ceasing. They awakened that Saturday morning, ready to assist however they could. We were 1500+ miles from home. We didn’t know a soul in Oklahoma. They knew they were confined to the hotel room indefinitely. They knew they needed to get along and support each other as we came and went from the hospital and supported their big brother. They knew we were literally taking it “one hour at a time” that initial day. At 11 and 13, they’re maturity in the thick of those 1st 18 hours blew me away.
Back on West Coast, Jeremy and Greg and were serving at Camp Attitude. Saturday was their “day off”. I had to call them and fill them in. That phone call tore me up. There was NO prognosis. I thought Dylan was dying just 12 hours before. Our household doesn’t sugar coat things or beat around the bush - we’ve always been straight up with our kids. We’re tactful in how we share news, yet strive for honesty and transparency. If we expect it from them, even when it’s ugly and uncomfortable, we need to be willing to do the same. I told them I thought Dylan was dying the night before. I told them we knew very little. I told them everything was operating an hour at a time. Their love for Dylan is so deep. I knew it was tearing them up. Despite the fact that they were so far away, I knew they were in the next best place to go through this. Camp Attitude was a home away from home for them and every where they looked, they were surrounded by people who loved them deeply and where there to support them.
As that 1st day - Saturday - progressed, God was showing up in the most needed ways for my other kids, especially Savannah and Lincoln. Lunch was provided via DoorDash by our dear friends, Rocky and Jessica, to both the hotel and for me at the hospital.
Someone we had gone to church with in California, but had moved to Colorado, had previously lived in Oklahoma City. She reached out to someone she’d gone to church with in Oklahoma. That sweet gal brought by all sorts of leftover VBS activities and snack bags for the two kids to enjoy while they were stuck in the hotel! Additionally, the lovely LizBeth from our church, who sells Mary Kay, reached out to her regional directors and a gal in the Oklahoma area brought us a few bags of simple snacks we could warm up in the hotel microwave and keep in the mini fridge.
We might have been 1500 miles from home, but between text, Facebook and Instagram, the love and support was surrounding us, especially for our kids who were putting on big, brave faces in the midst of the fear they were trying to manage.
Being Dylan’s sibling isn’t an easy task. You mature faster than you should. Mom and dad are pulled away when they otherwise wouldn’t have to be. Attention that you rightly deserve isn’t always given. Despite this roller coaster, they are resilient, loving, close knit bunch. When God put our family together, He hand picked each one perfectly.