THE STORY OF BRECKLYN
What’s in a name? I’ve always heard that expression but never really gave it much thought. Here at Breckland Ranch there is a lot in a name. My wife and I were lucky enough to have twin girls on April 16th, 2015. The day we saw Bristol and Brecklyn come into this world was the greatest day of our lives. Well, the greatest day of our lives soon became our worst nightmare, as we were told our sweet baby Brecklyn had an extremely rare heart defect. Shortly after, my wife and Brecklyn were on a care-flight to Dallas Children’s Hospital and I jumped on a plane with my mom shortly after. When we arrived, we were shocked to find that no one there had ever seen this specific defect before… but the head surgeon seemed confident she could fix it.
Brecklyn’s heart surgery was a huge success and everyone in the NICU seemed to be excited and in good spirits. Our prayers and the prayers of many had been answered! We were in the hospital for what seemed like a year, but was really only a couple months. Some days she seemed to be getting better, and others she seemed like she was getting worse. I would not wish the feeling my wife and I felt during this time on my worst enemy. Our faith and prayer was all we had. We had been there for so long and it seemed like nothing was changing and the doctors said she needed time. My wife and I decided she would stay and I would go back to work as I had been off work for over a month.
I had only been back at work a few days we I got a horrifying call in the middle of the night. Brecklyn was bleeding from her mouth and they didn’t know where it was coming from and couldn’t stop it. My mother and I booked the earliest flight and got there right after she’d been taken in for emergency surgery. The first update was hopeful. The bleeding seemed to have slowed, but they still hadn’t found the source. The next time the doctor came in he told us she was losing too much blood and he didn’t think she was going to make it. My wife was crushed but it didn’t seem to hit me yet. She wasn’t gone…there was still hope. The next time the doctor came in all hope was lost. She was gone. Our sweet baby girl had left us for a better place. She was in Heaven now. No more suffering. She was here on earth long enough for us to love her, and make her mark on this world, although we didn’t know what that mark was until months later.
We were told shortly after her passing that she had been diagnosed with Di George Syndrome that morning. It was hard to leave Dallas and admit it was over. We didn’t want it to be. God had chosen to take her from us and we were struggling with the reason. We both believe when it’s your time, it’s your time but some closure was needed. A few months after we returned home we received a call from a friend that is friends with Brecklyn’s surgeon. They had a baby come into the hospital with the exact same defect and because of Brecklyn’s autopsy they were able to save her! There it was. Her mark. Her life was lost so she could save another. Something good came out of her tragic passing. It was as if a weight had been lifted. She is gone but she will never be forgotten. Her name will live on forever.