Grief

 August 23, 2022

I was thrilled when we found out Julian was getting to be transferred to Shepherd Center in Atlanta after 10 days at Richland. I was getting instructions over the phone and froze when she went over the Covid rules. Shepherd was allowing 1 “sleeper” per patient and once in the building this person was not allowed to leave and come back. It meant that for the foreseeable future it would just be Julian and I alone to essentially keep fighting for his life. I wouldn’t be able to see my other children or husband until restrictions lifted since Shepherd had a very vulnerable population. The ambulance transported Julian, and my dad drove me to Atlanta. Thankfully, Kelly’s good friend, Corrie worked for Shepherd and met me to escort me to ICU. Having a child on a ventilator and paralyzed from the neck down is traumatic in itself. Having to do it with no family support elevates it to another level of difficult. Julian was extremely upset, in pain, anxiety through the roof, on a ventilator. Pneumonia, fever so stress was through the roof. Kristen came to see me my first night there after hearing there was a new mom with a young son in the room her son had just left from. It was an instant bond. She knew exactly what I was going through as she walked the same path. It was another mom that could relate to the path that we had been placed on. She and I spent the better part of 3 months living at Shepherd with the boys. I do not know what my journey there would have been like without having her down the hall from me. Now a year later, Britt and Julian are at Frazier together! They have come so far from the early days and can’t wait to see how far they go. I thank God though that Kristen was placed in my path with her family. The O’Briens will always be a special part of our life as we continue to fight for our boys.