I Called 911 With Reckless Abandon

It's The Freckles

It was a cold night in Arizona and I was visiting with my two youngest girls. I had been helping my youngest daughter Jessie with the eight children that were in her care while her sister Amy was on a cruise. Four were Amy's and four were Jessie's. Amy had just gotten home and was showing us all of the beautiful (musty smelling) things she had brought home for everyone. It was about one in the morning and Amy was very tired from her big excursion and decided to go to bed. She went into her room and noticed that little Ryan was coughing a funny little cough and she came out to get a little purple strip to put on his tongue to help him breath better. It took forever and Jess and I waited for her to tell us he was OK. But when she brought him out he was not OK, he was a light blue color. Oh my gosh!! He wasn't breathing and then he coughed and it sounded like a funny little dog or seal. Croup!!  I said and into the bathroom I rushed them and turned on the shower and had Amy set him on her lap on the commode. It got steamy really fast and Ryan said "I can't breath", OK girls, I'm calling 911!! I got the phone and with a shaky hand told the dispatch lady what was happening, I picked up an envelope on the desk top so I could tell her the address and when she asked for the phone number I ran the phone into Amy in the steamy bathroom so she could give the rest of the information. Then they handed the phone back to me and the lady told me to go outside and show the EMT's where we were. So I ran out front and Wha-La an ambulance and a huge fire truck were coming down the street with lights a blazing. I jumped up and down and motioned them to the end of the street. So while one grandpa, one husband and seven children sleept peacefully, 10 Firemen and EMT's all in uniform, entered the house. One of the men told us to get a blanket for Ryan and go outside into the cold. We got the cute strip quilt that I had made for Tate and wrapped it around little Ryan. When we went outside the gurney was there waiting for us and Amy sat on it with Ryan on her lap and he looked up with his now rosey cheecks and gave his best "Dennis the Menace" grin to the men in uniform. He was able to get a little air into his lungs at last!! Then off to the hospital they rushed with Jessie following in her van. I woke up my husband, the grandpa, and told him what had happened. He later asked me if I remembered to pray. I told him I did not have time to kneel and say a prayer but I knew that Heavenly Father had guided me to put them in the steamy bathroom and to call 911. And then I prayed after they left and thanked Heavenly Father for 911. I then worked on little hats for the babies at my hospital in Utah until Tate woke up with a messy diaper and I changed him and rocked him until the girls and Ryan got home. Ryan got benadryl and a steroid shot at the hospital and benadryl for every six hours after that.

Very interestingly I had just read in Gerald Lund's book, Divine Signatures, that his little girl had a croup attack and he had been told by the doctor on the phone to go into the steamy shower with her. And now we know there is one more step, take them out into the cold air after the steamy shower trick. And if you are reading this call 911. I really believe in this instance it saved a baby's life. And once more proved that I am Super Grammy. :)

Love,

Grammy T.