As Told By Molly

Flashback Friday!

Three years ago, this very weekend, Porter got a tummy ache. He was only four years old. It started just after lunch time and got worse as the day went on. When Olen got home that evening Porter couldn't move because of the pain. He threw up only once, but still didn't feel better. Then came the fever. The temperature peaked at 100 and I got nervous. So I did what I always do when I'm scared and nervous; said a prayer and called my mom. Mamasita Bonita told me where the appendix was located but it was rare for such a young child to have problems with that. So we continued to pray and watch the thermometer.

We let Port stay up late that night and watch a movie with us. When it was time to move him to bed he panicked when Olen was coming to carry him off the couch. Something just wasn't right. We had been tossing around the idea of taking him to the ER all night, "Should we go and just see? Or should we wait out the night at home?" was what we kept asking ourselves. At this time, I was seven months along with London and waiting all night at the ER didn't sound great, but something in us both said we had to go.

When we were admitted to the hospital Porter's fever had reached 104 degrees. It was midnight and they tucked us in a room and did some tests. Just after 5 in he morning they came in and told us the ambulance was ready to move him to a bigger hospital in Mesa because they didn't have the staff to preform an appendectomy at their hospital. Porter's appendix was about to burst.

Riding next to my heavily sedated baby strapped in that ambulance was pretty much the worst moment of my life. It was a very long ride.

Olen followed along in our car and made phone calls to family. We were met at the hospital by Olen's dad and two of his brothers, ready to administer a Priesthood blessing of health to Porter who was about to go into emergency surgery. I was such a wreck. No sleep that whole night and the thought of my little boy going in for major surgery really took it out of me. After the prayer was said a wave of comfort and peace washed over me and I was confident that Porter would be just fine and reminded that we listened to the promptings of the Spirit to make the right decision to bring him to the ER that night.

Well, Port did great. His scars are almost invisible now. If you ask him, he'll proudly tell you the whole story of how he doesn't have an "Independex because it almost blew up". The doctors told us that in children so young most parents write off the symptoms as the flu and only come to the hospital after the appendix has burst. They said that we were very lucky to have thought to bring Porter in before things got bad. Olen and I know we were blessed with more than luck that night.

Porter only had three small diaganal cuts to remove his swollen appendix. The nurses all fell in love with him and gave him all kinds of trinkets. One was a small chipmunk with one of Porter's hospital bands and a surgery mask on it. Port named him Chippy. We still have him tucked away in a safe spot.

Porter loved all of the visitors that came by to see the brave boy (can you tell, check out that smile!). Here are Porter's Aunties Darcy, Chelsea, Katie and Bethany. Nurse Val is changing Porter's IV, not one of Porter's favorite things, so he is trying not to look. Port loved that the hospital brought him food three times a day - on a tray!

Here's Porter and some of the major score of presents and cards that family and mostly grandparents brought to keep him busy during our four-day recovery stay in the hospital. Porter still remembers this time at the hospital like a big Porter-Celebration vacation. He says it was great. I say, thank goodness he only had one appendix.

P.S. A big huge THANKS for all the well-wishes left about our happy news. I am feeling your good vibes. Oh, and Olen couldn't believe I posted a picture of the "test" on the WWW. But, seriously, who hasn't seen one of those before, right? Anyways, I sure do have the best homies.