Its an amazing fact that when a monumental event happens, you can remember details of the occasion in great detail even years later. Such an event occured 25 years ago today when Kevin James Crouch was born. Kevin was 15 days late according to my doctor’s calculations. So when Dr. Broadbent finally set a date to induce labor the morning of March 30, 1984, it was greatly anticipated. My anticipation wavered when I arrived at the hospital; I even considered making a run for the door when the nurse handed me a gown and told me to change.
After 12 hours of induced labor, Kevin made his appearance at 7:21 p.m. and we spent the entire night staring at each other. He had such dark, alert, penetrating eyes. I couldn’t wait to take him home and was on the phone with Rob at 7:00 a.m. the next morning to pick us up and take us home. There had been 31 other babies born at Utah Valley Hospital on the 30th, so there wasn’t room for us and after 12 hours on a gurney parked in the hallway I just wanted to sleep in my own bed.
A few days later, Kevin started showing signs of illness and after a couple of frustrating days of trying to convince the nurse at my new pediatrician’s office that I wasn’t imagining things, I got him an appointment to see the doctor where after listening to Kevin’s heart, I was commanded to rush him to the emergency room. When I pulled in to the E.R. entrance, three people were there to yank the car door open and wisk Kevin, car seat and all, into the hospital. While they stabilized my newborn, I was trying to track down Rob. He was taking finals and I had BYU Security trying to locate him in the buildings where he was studying between tests. When they did finally find him, Kevin was already loaded into an ambulance to lifeline to Primary Children’s Medical Center.
The next week was spent scrubbing, masking, and gowning up in order to hold my little guy who was attached to so many tubes and wires with monitors beeping and buzzing 24 hours a day. When we were able to bring him home for good on April 18th, I was so afraid to be completely in charge of him; he had lost two pounds and seemed so thin and fragile. Luckily, we had Mimi and Pop as assistant caregivers. Their first grandchild became their life as they helped us through the next few years of scary times with Kevin’s frail heart.
This year as we celebrate Kevin’s 25th year of life, we should also observe the 10th year anniversary of his heart surgery on May 5, 1999 which finally allowed him to live an ordinary life with a normal heart. The medical advances made in those 15 years meant the difference between life and death for our son.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KEVIN. WE LOVE YOU!
4 comments:
Oh my goodness, Georgia. I never knew that story. How scary! But how marvelous that 25 years later you're able to pen such a memory with such a positive outcome.
Oh Georgia...what a difficult way to start out motherhood. I am so happy for Kevin and the rest of you that he has grown into a healthy man. In June it will be 25 years since our son, Justin, was born. We too experienced much difficulty with our first born. He was born with "gastroschesis". So, basically, his insides were outside at birth. Shortley after he was born we were told to expect the worst. He was put on a helicopter to the nearest children's hospital in San Francisco and spent 5 weeks there having visited the OR 4 times! Fortunately he has not had any subsequent problems or surgeries. How blessed the Crouch's and Mossi's are! Happy, happy birthday KEVIN!
What a wonderful MAN Kevin is. It hurt MY heart to read about Kevin's rough start in life. I can't believe the surgery was ten years ago. What a great blessing to live in this time.
Happy late Birthday to Kevin!!
Georgia, thank you for this post. Can't believe Kevin is already 25! So happy that he and you all made it through such a horrible time. Really looking forward to seeing you all soon.
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