Our Worst Nightmare

In January 2009, Dan's Ex called us she told us that she had kicked her husband out and had asked her mother to move in with her to help her with her four children. Dan and I were worried about her and asked her if there was anything we could do to help her. She replied with what she always replied with "no, everything is fine."

On Wednesday March 25, 2009 I was working and so was Dan. Dan received a phone call at work from his father, his dad told him to check his cell phone. His Ex had been trying to call him, Dan called her back and she gave us the news that our sweet Danny had been hit by a car while he was running across the street. She told Dan that he was being LifeFlighted to Albany Medical Center, Dan called me at work and we both ran home to figure out a way to get there as soon as we could. We bought the first flight out and were in New York by Thursday morning. When we got to the hospital there was nothing but bad news, the doctors told us that Danny as sustained a horrible brain injury and that he would never recover. He was brain dead, Danny was declared dead on Thursday March 26, 2009.

This was news that none of us were prepared for, we decided to donate Danny's organs and so many people were blessed by his gift! His heart now beats in a young boy who had been sick and many others benefited from Danny's gift as well. His kidneys, intestines, eyes and even his skin were donated.

After the news sunk in we had to prepare for Danny's funeral. How does anyone say good bye to the sweetest 8 year old boy out there? To say we were devastated in an understatement.  It was beyond devastating not even to mention the costs of flying to New York and having a funeral.  We just lost Danny and back at home Dan and I were in the process of buying a new home now we had more debt then we were prepared for. Somehow God provided and we were able to close on our home, but it was a home that we had bought with both the boys in mind. We thought of how we would decorate their bedrooms how we would buy them bunk beds for fun slumber parties. We had already started it with the memories we would make in mind.

Again with heavy hearts we tried to move on, we made plans for sweet Dylan to come and stay with us during the summer he had just turned 6 and we thought we would still be able to have a wonderful summer together. So at the end of June Dan flew to New York to pick up Dylan.