Sketches of Owen by Sadie Payne

My good friend Sivi asked a local artist, Sadie, to do this drawing for us when we were still in the hospital with Owen. It is amazing and we love it. I believe Owen is always this close to our Savior.

This drawing of Dr. Chan and our Savior with Owen takes my breath away every time I look at it. I asked Sadie to do this about a year ago and she put so much work and heart into it. It couldn't be more amazing! After I picked it up I remembered I wanted a title of some sort but the perfect words didn't come until later. The day before we went down to SLC for his surgeries I had a neighbor entitle it "Guardian Angels" in calligraphy, it was perfect.

Thanks Sadie!

OH, What a week!

Monday: Gayle schedules Owen for ear tubes and remove his adenoids surgery for the 19 of August.

Tuesday: Gayle calls and tells me that she is having problems suctioning Owen and not to leave the vicinity. I went home to see what was going on, and the joy begun. It was like someone hit the code button in our living room ER. The ventilator started giving us issues, the circuits were giving us issues, the trachs were giving us issues, and my anxiety was giving us issues. After changing the vents four times, the circuits three times, and two trach changes we called Primarys' for backup. Between a few changes I hooked Owen up to see if he would vent and it almost seems like he was telling us that it still wasn't right. I hurried and hooked him up to the bag when his sats went under 50. I was bagging, bawling, and telling Gayle that I was not going to get him back. I looked and his sats were in the teens. Gayle came over, grabbed his foot, and moved the sensor slightly and it jumped back up to 50 and started climbing. That has always been a fear as a EMT not being able to revive someone. After Chris at Primarys' said that we had done everything she would have done and to start towards Salt Lake, Gayle and the kids dropped to their knees. After a wonderful prayer asking the Lord for guidance with Owen, Gayle thought of one more trach that isn't like the others. We put that trach in and off and running Owen went! After the whole ordeal, we figured that Bentley and I had bagged Owen for over an hour. And it was a wonderful opportunity to find out Evanston really isn't prepared for an emergency with a kid like Owen and we have some work to do. Mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted we conquered that day.

Wednesday: We waited most of the day to find out when we could have Owens trachea scoped. Between Chris and us, we figured there might be a blockage in his airway as to why we had the Tuesday we had. We also hoped that while Owen was under they could do the tubes and adenoids.

Thursday: 12:15 at Primarys' preparing for surgery, Owen finally goes in at 2:20. We called Dr. Chan to come and see us. 3:00 along with Dr Chan we sat in the waiting room for Owen to come out of surgery. We talked to the surgeon, Dr Grimmer, who is the best, and he said that Owen did great. They called for one parent to go back, Gayle left. Dr Chan looked at me and told me that he wasn't a parent and went back too. Gayle told me this after Owen got to his room. I guess the nurse turned to Dr Chan and told him that only one parent was allowed. Finally turning far enough to see his tag, Dr Chan bluntly told her he was not a parent. The nurse apologized and told him that she needed to get her foot out of her mouth. Dr Chan smiled and said I am a neonatologist. We laughed all night thinking she was going to kick one of the top NICU doctors out of Owens room. We also laughed because there Dr Chan sat with us in the waiting room and listened intently to the surgeons report. They took Owen to a new wing of the hospital for vented children. Which was great because Abby and Bentley could come in and out. He had is own room and nurse for the night.

Friday: We got the discharge orders and left with Owen around 3.

Saturday and Sunday were really uneventful, that is how we like it. Owen is feeling great and doing great. Thanks to all the friends that stopped by. It seems there was someone in his room all the time, we made really great friends and really appreciate the support.

Owens' Suite

We had an appointment at Shriners last week the 22. "Aunt" Marquelle (Owens' first nurse) met us for lunch at Shriners. We tried to talk her into coming to the game and batting her eyes at Trevor and Brady, but she had school work. Thanks Marquelle for coming and meeting us in the hospital and it will be nice to have you as a NP. Owen had an appointment at 10 and we left at 3. That gave us enough time to go to the hotel and get him on the humidifier for a few hours, then to the Bee's.


We reserved a suite at the baseball game that night so that we could take Owen and invite some family. Bumble, the mascot came by to see the kids and Owen. Later during the game the VP of the Bees came by and gave Owen a signed baseball from all of the players. They are the neatest people we have been around.

Brady and Trevor came too. They aren't family but pretty close. We had barbeque brisket and chicken in the suite, Trevor and I gave Brady a pretty bad time for being the only one with chicken. So he went back for seconds to get some beef.

We had a great time besides the long day at the hospital, Trevor getting lost, and the miserable heat. The next day when we came home the van read 106 and the bank sign said 109. It was great to come back to the high 80's.

One Year Ago!

The battle ends and a new Journey begins

July 15, 2008 Owen made his way home to Wyoming (at 6 and 1/2 months old) where everyone slept in their own bed, and the family room became Owen's room.

We had finally won the battle, paved the way and brought our baby home. We had been told there would be absolutely NO WAY to get a trach/vented baby home to where we live in rural Wyoming.

We had made hundreds of phone calls and sent dozens of emails and letters. Every response was a no, no response or a 'sorry, we just can't help you'. We were told we were too rural and too big of a liability. We were frustrated, sad, and confused because we knew Owen was supposed to get home.

We had those who told us "no and please don't call again". (There were people making calls for us and we were double calling. Serves them right for saying no!!) We were also told "we wouldn't touch that patient with a ten foot pole". All of this because of liability and the sue happy world. We reassured them all that we would sign away all liability due to distance. We had gotten past sad, we were getting angry by this time.

Then the light at the end of the tunnel got brighter, through many phone calls and emails we were finally in touch with the right people. I can't remember how we all got connected but I remember the call that gave me Sam's phone number. She is an angel in our midst, among others. I am not sure if it was Sam that got Donna involved but the two of them sure got wheels rolling. They were two of our biggest supporters, they were not going to take no for an answer and it turned out to be a huge blessing on our behalf. They both did whatever they needed to to reach our goal of getting Owen home, and they did not stop until he was home. (Sam stills makes phone calls when needed, we love you Sam.) Donna found a grant to pay for our housing in SLC and was just a great support. I could go on and on about these two women but I don't think I even have the words to describe what they really did. They were beyond amazing and when we wanted to just give up they told us we could do it and not to give up. When we hit another dead end it seems like they found one more way to try. We wouldn't be home in Wyoming if I had not followed the phone number trail and found Sam.

How home came to be~

Wyoming's Children's Special Health purchased all the equipment needed for Owen . Dr. Depalma agreed to be Owen's doctor, which later became another huge blessing. She is more than amazing and we love her. Best Home Health agreed to take Owen on as a patient, which was a huge missing link for so long. We had to have someone be willing to take care of the equipment, which is why we couldn't just purchase it. Thanks Janelle and Wendi!

There were so many involved in getting us home and we don't even know your names. Not a day goes by with out my heart being full of gratitude for all those who brought us home. Now we celebrate one year of being in our own home, together as a family should be.

Owen in the truck leaving SLC. Lenn turned around at the last light leaving SLC and asked me "Are you sure?" I will never forget the feelings of excitement, anxiety and just plain happiness that day. We were going home but we were going into unknown territory with a very special baby.

These two pictures were taken by two very special people. The top was taken in SLC by a lady who takes pictures for babies with an unknown future. The bottom was taken the end of May by Ashlie who took the time to come to our house and take some great pictures just to be nice.
You think the world is coming to a crazy end with nothing but bad happening and then you have a baby like Owen and good works come out of the wood work. We have met so many loving, kind and generous people since Owen. There are so many good people out there and I want to be like them.




We have made it a year, but we couldn't have done it with out all of you who have been there to help and support us. Thank you!

Random Summer Pictures

In June we had very few days without rain. Three of those days we had massive hail storms with it. Bentley braved the weather to go get a handful of hail from in front of the door. I stayed inside and took the picture through the window!!!

Lenn isn't too into family pictures so one Sunday after he, Bentley and Abby went to church I decided I would get Owen and I ready and catch them at the door when they got home and snap a few pics with the good ol' self timer. They didn't turn out as well as I would have liked but it is a family picture none the less. Who says you have to have the outdoors to set up a tent. We had Bentley and Abby's tent set up in the living room one day. The three kids spent half the day in the tent, coloring, reading and listening to music. Bentley and Abby made sure that Owen was involved with whatever they were doing. Bentley even helped Owen color a picture.

Bentley playing with Owen.

Owen enjoying his binki upside down! Whatever makes him happy, right!!

Abby loves to have her hair be curly or have it braided when wet so it ends up like this.

This was Audrie's last day of coming to see Owen. She moved away and we sure miss her.

Bentley says 'howdy', he is the best at mimicking his Dad.

Bentley at his piano recital. He started taking lessons last fall and is a natural. His teacher says she has never had a student try so hard to not like piano.