Rhett's miracle

Rhett playing in a mud puddle at the courthouse.  This boy loves water.

Rhett, our 18 mo old, nearly drowned on Saturday July 6, 2013.  We are counting our blessings and recognizing many miracles.

We were at a family reunion at the historic Piute County Courthouse in the small town of Junction, UT to celebrate my Grandpa Jackson's 80th birthday July 4-7.  During his early career as an attorney, he had tried many cases in that very courthouse. It has since been converted into a family reunion venue.  It is bordered by highway 89 in the front, a town street on the side, then a water-filled ditch around the back and other side. It also has nice green grass and large trees around the building. We had a wonderful reunion filled with water balloons, squirt guns, volleyball, board games, treasure hunts, piñatas, Just Dance 4, family history, and a whole lot of great conversation.

Historic Piute County Courthouse

When Reid and I first arrived to the courthouse, we saw the ditch and worried about it with so many young kids around.  An image of Rhett drowned in the ditch flashed in my mind several times while we were there. It was an awful image, one that I tried to dismiss quickly. It made me want to keep tabs on Rhett's whereabouts more diligently than I otherwise would have. Throughout the reunion, I made sure that if I wasn't going to be watching him, that someone else had the assignment.

On our last evening there, adults and kids were scattered throughout the property. Some were gathered outside chatting, some were outside playing, and others were upstairs in the big family room. Some were inside working on a big puzzle that Reid and I had started earlier, and others were taking care of babies.  I was preparing dinner with my cousin, Lindsey, in the kitchen. Our husbands were out grilling the meat. I had put Rhett up on a barstool with some snacks to tide him over until dinner was served.

Shortly before dinner was to be served, Rhett was begging to get down from the barstool. I was busy with dinner, so my grandma took pity on his cute face and helped him down. She wiped his cheeks and probably gave him a few smooches too.  As I was checking on brownies in the oven, I had the distinct and urgent prompting to go check on Rhett.  I realized I hadn't seen him for awhile.  

I called upstairs to my sister, Rachel, and asked if she'd seen him come up there.  No luck.  I noticed the kitchen door was open to the backyard, as it had been for most of the reunion with so many people going in and out, so I went outside next. I asked the group of adults sitting in lawn chairs if they had seen him. No. I asked the group of kids playing near the pavilion if they had seen him. My little 5 year old cousin, Archie, said, "He was playing with the rocks over there,” pointing to the gravel driveway on the side of the house where a few cars were parked. My mom had watched Rhett sitting and playing with rocks in that spot earlier in the day, so I expected him to be right there, but he wasn't. My eyes quickly skimmed the ditch and the neighboring yard across the little bridge over the ditch.  Rhett had tried to cross that bridge the day before, until I grabbed him off of it.  No sign of him.

Bridge over the swollen ditch at the courthouse

I looked further, worried that maybe he went out front near the highway.  I called for him, but didn't see or hear him. I decided to go back and check inside the house. Maybe he was playing quietly alone in one of the bedrooms.  I was moving pretty fast at that point. I checked every single room and asked everyone I passed if they had seen Rhett, with no luck.  That's when my heart started pounding out of my chest. I ran into our bedroom, where I found Reid. He sensed the urgency in my voice and went out front to look. I ran out the back door in panic mode repeating to everyone, "I can't find Rhett, I can't find Rhett."

I ran over to the ditch on the side of the house again. I didn’t see anything.  It was swollen from the few thunderstorms that had come through - about 4 ft. wide and 3 ft. deep.  Rachel had been looking for Rhett upstairs, when she had the distinct impression to look out a window in the main room.  She couldn't believe what she saw.

It was Rhett.

Rachel pounded on the window and yelled at me, but quickly realized that no one could hear her. She booked it downstairs and outside, then I heard her yelling behind me. I looked at her as she ran towards me pointing and yelling "He's in the water!  He's in the water!"

I turned back around and experienced a mother's worst nightmare. I saw Rhett's white round belly and little green Sketcher sneakers poking above the water, about 10 yds away, floating in the ditch.  His head was under.  Adrenaline surged and, without thinking, I ran and jumped in frantically screaming "Nooooooo!  Noooooo!" over and over. I quickly swept up his lifeless body out of the cold water and jumped out. The details of those moments, and the moments following, are fuzzy. I was absolutely hysterical.

I thought my baby was dead.

Family ran over to where we were.  I yelled "Call 911!" to my mom.  Lindsey's husband, George, had jumped in right after me and he and McKell's husband, Mike, in calm voices, told me to lay Rhett down on the ground. His big brown eyes opened big, giving us hope that he was alive, but then he slowly closed them as he slipped in and out of consciousness. We tried to keep him conscious.  His body was limp, his face was pale, and his lips were blue.  We turned him on his side and a bunch of water popped out of his mouth.

He was not dead, yet.

Reid had run over from the front yard after he heard me scream and saw me running for the water.  I was pacing around frantically, sobbing hysterically, for a minute until my aunt JaNece embraced me as I continued to sob.  A crowd had gathered around Rhett, and my Dad told others to get all the kids inside and upstairs. Reid picked Rhett up and laid him on his lap.  My cousin, Jeff, retrieved a warm blanket and Reid undressed Rhett to get him warm.  I calmed down a bit and went over to where they were.  I wanted to see Rhett.  

We got word that an ambulance was on its way. My uncle, Brian, had called 911 and passed the phone to Reid. The dispatcher gave him instructions, then he passed the phone to me as he carried Rhett inside and laid his limp body on a rug on the kitchen floor.  Rhett was still in and out of consciousness.He wanted to close his eyes so badly, but we tried everything to keep them open. We knew if they shut, we might lose him.  He was still limp. We found hope in the fact that his eyes were open, and he had a pulse.

I asked the 911 dispatcher where the ambulance was coming from, worried, since we were 45 miles from Richfield & the nearest hospital.  Thankfully, they were in Junction and would be there any minute. Right then I heard the siren of the ambulance in the distance. When it arrived, the EMT's quickly swooped Rhett up in the blanket and rushed him into the back of the ambulance without hesitation. Only one parent could ride in the ambulance. We sent Reid. He's amazing at staying calm.  We both knew he'd handle it better than I would.  Reid jumped in the front seat and the EMT's immediately got to work in the back, putting Rhett on oxygen and trying to get him to respond. The ambulance left quickly.  Is this really happening? 

I grabbed my purse and got in the passenger seat of my dad's SUV, still soaking wet from jumping in the ditch. My dad drove as we followed behind the ambulance. We tried to keep up, but decided that it would take longer to explain to an officer why we were speeding than to just go the speed limit. About 5 min into the drive we saw the ambulance pullover and stop on the side of the road in the distance. I panicked and said, "Why are they stopping? Why are they stopping?!"  Maybe we had lost Rhett. My heart pounded furiously. Then we saw another emergency vehicle drive up and stop. A man jumped out, then jumped into the back of the ambulance.  Things must be really bad.

That 45 min. drive lasted hours. I went through cycles of crying and breathing heavy. At moments I felt like I was suffocating and would hold my chest to take a deep breath. My dad is wonderful at staying calm and calming me. He was very comforting and I'm so glad he was with me during that time. It was so hard not knowing what was going on in that ambulance.  Have we lost our precious Rhett?  Had he given up the fight and passed on to the other side?  These horrible thoughts were thankfully countered by a calming feeling telling me that he was, at least, alive. I knew he was.

When we got to the ER in Richfield, I jumped out and quickly made my way to the door in my squishy, sopping wet sneakers.  My eyes met Reid's through the reception window. He looked hopeful which gave me great comfort. He let me and my dad through the ER doors. Reid said, "He's still not 100%, but he's doing better, probably 80%."  "Really?!" I said, surprised at such good news.  When I walked into the room Rhett was in, there were about 6 medical professionals still working on him while he laid on the gurney.

My eyes met his.  

I bent down and kissed his head and cheeks. I stroked his soft hair. "You are alive!  You look so good!  My sweet, sweet baby."  I seriously could not believe it. Tears streamed down my face. In that instant, my hollow heart completely overflowed with love and gratitude.  He was alert and looking around. He even winced and whimpered in pain as they tried to draw his blood. I have never been so happy to hear him cry. (Reid said it wasn't until about 20 miles into the drive to the hospital that Rhett let out his first, very weak,cry.  Reid couldn't see him from the front seat where he was sitting, so he didn't know if he was alive until he heard that little cry.)  

My mom and brother, Patrick, arrived to the ER shortly after my dad and I. Mom came back and spent some time with us and Rhett, and then I went out to the waiting room with her while Patrick went in to see Rhett.  Reid, Dad, and Patrick gave him a priesthood blessing of healing.

It didn't take long for Rhett to bounce back to his usual 18 mo old self. We gave him some apple juice and he ate part of a graham cracker and, in true Rhett fashion, threw the rest on the ground.  Reid and I went with Rhett to get X-rays of his lungs. Then back in his room, a phlebotomist was finally able to draw his blood.  Rhett swooned the staff, making them smile and laugh.

The results came back great. His blood work was completely normal and, miraculously, there was no water in his lungs.

Dr. Greenwood kept emphasizing to us how miraculous Rhett's condition was. He said when they got the call from the dispatcher with the details of his age and condition, they prepared for the worst. They had life flight ready to go.  He said kids in Rhett's initial condition go 50/50. Either they slowly come back and eventually recover or they just plummet quickly and don't make it.  He could have easily gone that way.  Dr. Greenwood was wonderful. He praised us and the EMT’s for saving Rhett's life in those first moments.  He was as shocked as we were that Rhett recovered so well and so quick. It was unmistakably a miracle. 


After checking Rhett's vitals again, and looking him over, Dr. Greenwood confidently discharged us. I had never even considered being discharged only a few hours after arriving. Best case, based on the condition I found him in, I thought Rhett would have many complications, including brain damage, and need to be in the hospital for a few days at the very least. I couldn't believe we were on our way back home with a toddler who was almost dead, but was now completely back to normal. 

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We are home in Wyoming now.  Rhett is, thankfully, still his usual sweet, adventurous self. He has shown no signs of any complications or abnormalities.  I still can't believe it.

I am filled with gratitude for the wonderful family members who were there showering us with love, support, and comfort. Also, for the amazing EMT's, Dr's, and nurses in the ER at Sevier Valley Medical Center in Richfield, UT.

We don't know how long Rhett was in the water.  We don't know if he slipped and fell in while throwing the rocks into the water, or if he just wanted to play in the water and got in willingly. We DO know that if he had been pulled out even one minute later, that he wouldn't have made it.  

I know without a doubt that Rhett had angels with him. I'm so grateful that Rachel felt distinctly prompted by the Holy Ghost to look out that random window.  I'm so grateful that I was given the impression to go look for him when I did.  

God must still need Rhett to serve a purpose on this earth, because He spoke to us and made miracles happen to save him.  I am, and will be, forever grateful for those miracles.     

                           

 -- Kristen Mason

 A few, of many, takeaways from this experience:

1.  You can’t assume someone else is watching your child.  I expected Rhett to be with cousins or an aunt & uncle like he usually was.  With so many capable caretakers around, it's easy to assume that someone else is watching them. I've been reminded the hard way that that is not always the case.  In the future when we are in large groups, I will make sure someone agrees to keeping an eye my child, specifically, before I get involved in something that takes my attention away.  Things can happen so fast.

2.  Learning to float & swim is important.  We have almost been swimming more in the past month than in the last 8 years combined.  I honestly think that Rhett had the instinct to turn and float on his back because of that.  He’s done it many times in the pool.  I am so grateful for that. I am encouraged now more than ever to keep my kids going to swim lessons. Thankfully, I have already got them going.  We are on week 2 of 4 weeks of swim lessons throughout this summer.

3.  Keep your first aid & CPR skills current.  We wish we were more prepared.  I, and others, felt helpless.  Luckily, we did have a couple family members with these skills.  It’s been many years since I had any first aid or CPR training. I need to refresh my skills ASAP and keep them current.

4.  Know where a landline is if you’re in a place with limited cell service.  Only a couple of us had limited cell service.  The rest of us had no service.  When I yelled for someone to call 911, no one thought of using the landline in the house.  Most didn’t know there even was a landline there.  My mom even started running toward the convenience store across the street to use their phone until my uncle reached 911 on his cell phone.

3.  Trust in God.  Perhaps the most important takeaway from this experience.  I have been reminded to put my trust in God. He has, and He will continue to, put people in my life to comfort me and to bless my family in every trial and test of faith I go through as I trust in Him.  He will do the same for you.

Norm & Ruth Jackson Family - July 6, 2013