sidenote: I am in my final focus for nursing school and was chosen to be placed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at ACH. Only 3 students out of 250 were placed at ACH so I was very happy. I had the coolest experience on my second day there.
Dan was at FMC for 10 weeks in the NICU weighing in at 770 grams, 27 weeks gestation. For a long time he was assigned a primary nurse meaning when she was on, she had dan one on one, her name was Stacia and I became good friends with her. She was only a few years older than me at the time, had a special needs child herself and was married young too. For your final focus you have to write a paragraph about why you want to be placed in a certain area. I requested the NICU. I wrote about her and the excellent care she gave to Dan and to Derek and I during this difficult time. I said that I wanted to be able to do for others what she did for me and my family in making a hard, scary time more bearable, what they now call 'family centered care'.
Anyhow, on my second day at the NICU, they nurses could not get an IV in a neonate so they suggested they get Stacia from the transport team to come over and try. My ears perked up and I asked if she was blonde and a few years older than me. They said yes, I told the other nurses about her and what she did for Dan. Anyhow, when she arrived, she did the IV flawlessly and easily then they brought her to me and at first she didn't recognize me. Then she did and said, 'Danny, 27 weeks, 770 grams, severe IUGR, continuous hypoglycemia, and on and on'. She remembered everything about him. She was thrilled to see me there as a nurse, to hear how well dan was doing; I showed her dan's mission blog. She remembers social work being all over Derek and I because we were so young and she always told them we were just fine. She told me they referred to him as googly eyes. She remembered my mom very well. She remembers the day after Dan was born, she was there when we requested for Dan to receive a priesthood blessing by my dad. Back then there would have been around 30 babies in one big room. So she helped us move the incubator into the quiet room and had to stay obviously in case dan needed anything. She remembered my Dad and Derek giving him a blessing and putting their fingers on his tiny head and my dad saying he would grow up and lead a normal life. She was very touched by that. She was so teary when I told about writing about her for my final focus placement. She wants to see Dan when he gets home and I invited her to his missionary homecoming at church. The other nurses were also emotional seeing this great reunion.
To me it feels like God wanted me to be placed here at this special time in my life when Dan is about to come home. When I am cuddling with the neonates in my care I am reminded of Dan's difficult beginning in life. I remember back then being fearful of developmental difficulties ahead for dan. Would he be blind? Would he have cerebral palsy? Would he have a major learning difficulty? Would he be in a wheelchair? What chronic medical conditions might he have to live with? So uncertain and so wait and see. I remember praying to heavenly father that one day he would be well enough to serve a mission and he was well enough and he did it very well. Tender mercy of the Lord for sure. julie
Hey Mom
Chuuk is awesome! We are going to baptize 3 people this month! I got a new companion his name is Elder Johnson he is really awesome, really tall and he's from Colorado! The work is going so well. We found some really good people to teach and they will continue to progress!
We had a typhoon on our island, it was small but lots of trees fell down! Chuuk is so great, I am just loving riding bikes everywhere, I have had a car most of my mission so this feels great. I know I will have an awesome last transfer, I was made district leader again.
We are also going on a campout to another island named Pisiwin! We received permission to go because we have an investigator going with us. Mechitiw branch will be conducting a baptism on that campout and I need to interview the investigator so it will be a good experience for sure.
About the airport, it's totally fine if you invite people to join you, it's up to you. Chuuk is awesome loving the bikes and I am going to have a great last transfer.
I am so grateful I chose to serve a mission, it has been an amazing experience to lose myself and serve other people and my Savior Jesus Christ.
I love you and everyone else, I can't wait to see you either.
Love Elder Kearl
