An Angel Among Us - Joey's Story

By Marilyn Lane

June of 2006  -   We got a call from Sherry, at CHASK.  She asked us if we would be interested in having our CHASK family profile sent to a birth mom, who had an infant boy with special needs.  She told us a little about him and we said YES! even though in our hearts we really wanted a little girl-- We now know the Lord had different plans for us.

July 2006   Sherry called us to let us know we had been picked as Joey's parents.  We hadn't had a baby boy in 14 years, so we needed to go shopping.  None of the little girls clothes we had bought would work!

Aug. 2006  I went to California to meet baby Joey and to learn how to care for him. He was born with his bladder on the outside of his body, plus no working kidneys.  He would have to be on dialysis every 12 hours until he could get new ones from a donor.  We came home 2 weeks later.  He went straight to our local Children's Hospital and stayed there until mid Oct. 2006.  While we were there we learned how to do all his bandage changes plus his dialysis.

Thanksgiving 2006  Family members from out-of-town came to meet Joey.  That weekend we had Joey christened.  Two weeks later Joey was in crisis, back in the hospital.

Dec. 2006 All things going great until last week. Joey had his 1st seizure. Now we are back in hospital.

January 2007 to Easter  - Few downs... more ups.  At picture time, he loves it when the camera comes out.

June 16, 2007  - Happy 1st Birthday Joey. His crib rails are covered in music toys, because now he had a g-tube plus the dialysis. He spends a lot of time in his crib. He also loves his warm, fuzzy blankets.

 It is now 2008--we are getting almost big enough for a new kidney

Easter 2008 Joey helps color the eggs. Everyone else makes a mess... not Joey... Hey, Joey, why are your hands hiding? Oh pretty hands Joe!

May  2008  I take Joey shopping. He can now hold up his head but not sit up, crawl, or walk.  I always take a blanket for the cart, to lay him down inside, but today he points to the seat so I put him in with my purse beside him to help hold him up. He takes it out! “OK Joe we can try it your way!”

Wow what a big boy. I then go to look at the flowers, Joey also no longer talks but signs. He lets me know he wants me to buy red geraniums.  He signs 10 red ones... then he signs “Done, no more.”  The other customers just cheer him on. He loves all the attention.

June 16, 2008  - Happy 2nd Birthday. Joey got his first cupcake. He ate the frosting and fed the dog the rest.  It's a start.

July 2008  He patti-caked through all the fireworks.

Oct. 2008   Joey went trick-or-treating with his brother and sister.  He loves to dress up.

Thanksgiving 2008  - Oh boy! A family get-together. He loves it so much when his big brothers and sisters come home with their families.

Dec. 2008  Joey helped make cookies and even decorated them.  The treasure of these moments are priceless. Money can't buy them.  Time for Christmas pictures. Christmas morning Joey sits in his own special chair and opens all his own presents.

Jan. 2009   Joey still doing great. He has the nick name of Chubb-Wubb. He has now learned to lick a spoon and put it on his nose. He is such a clown.

The music he likes is all classical, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and his favorite was Jesus Loves Me--He LA-LAs that one all the time.

Feb.12, 2009  -  We traveled to Pennsylvania for the birth of our new grandson; due Feb.13th by c-section. Joey got sick. Back into the hospital we went. He was going to come home Sat. but doctors felt better waiting until Sunday.

 Sat night Joey medically crashed.  He got his angel wings at 8:48am Sunday morning.  We were on the road coming home when we got the news that he was not doing well. When we got to the hospital, there he lay, already gone to heaven, his body waiting for us.

Saying Good-bye - Joey, you gave us so much blessing. Every new day it was “Good morning, Joey!” At night it was always, “Good night Joey, until tomorrow.”

Would we have adopted you, little Joey, knowing what lay ahead and that our hearts would break?  OH YES! We miss you Joey.  I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to hold you home... Love, Mommy 

Note from Marilyn - From his beginning breath at birth, he had so many things wrong inside, that he shouldn't have even lived at birth...

      After Joey’s death they did an autopsy. The results were incredible.  They found no calcium in his bones.  It had all gone into his brain. But why?  To this day that can't be answered, but to us this is amazing.  Joey loved to jump in his bouncer all the time, roll all over the floor and push off with his feet against the couch.

The day before he got sick, his therapist came to work with him.  He sat by himself for almost 7 minutes. Then he stood up and tried to take a step!

We were totally surprised about the misplaced calcium, and that there wasn’t any in his leg bones... yet not one broken bone, anywhere.  Our conclusion...He was already using his wings at birth.  We just we didn't know it.

Thank You! CHASK for the gift of our very own Angel, Joey.