December 22, 2008 would be a day that my family and I will never forget. With school closed and excitement in the air that Christmas is but only 3 days away we never gave thought that tragedy would come knocking on our door. After I got off from work at the airport I decided to stop by my friend’s house in Lake Cunningham to pick up a table and chairs for our Christmas dinner party.
My father was just diagnosed with Cancer 2 weeks prior so my wife and I decided to have a big dinner event at our home. While getting ready to leave my friends home we were outside and got to talking about his neighbor’s 3 year old son who was playing outside his parent’s residence and I was hoping that someone was watching him because of how fast accidents happen.
The neighbor I refer to would be the Doctor who would be called in to Doctor’s Hospital to tend to my love one as the story goes on. While on my way home, I telephoned home to say that I would be home soon (as I always do). I live off Mackey St in the back of Wendy’s area referred to as Shirlea. While on Bay St, downtown near Rawson Square I see my home number show up on my phone and I answer it. What I heard on the other end would change my life forever.
My daughter of 12 years was screaming and crying with the sound of death dripping from her mouth that Kevan (my son) was chocking and couldn’t breathe. I knew immediately that my son was in serious trouble and I began praying to the top of my voice and driving as fast as I could. I remembered praying and praying to GOD to please do not take my son, and that I would give him my life and dedicate my son to him. I prayed all the way home hoping that when I pulled in my yard they would say that he was fine. That didn’t happen. Everyone standing outside had a somber look on their faces and I rushed inside to find my son lying on the floor lifeless.
All I remembered seeing was that his lips were blue and blood and mucus was coming from his mouth. My wife’s cousin who lives in the apartment in front of us was over him performing CPR and I then took over. I pumped his chest and blew air into his mouth but nothing. I began to believe that this was the end and that this could not be happening. My entire future flashed before my eyes and it painted a very grim picture for my family. I then recalled someone saying to me that I must take the phone and talk to the person on the telephone.
With all that was going on I do not know why I took the phone from that person, but I did and it was the dispatcher from EMS ambulance. The lady said to me calmly “Mr. Knowles just calm down, everything’s going to be alright and then asked if I swept his mouth to ensure that nothing was in it. It was at that point that I remembered that I had forgotten to check inside of his mouth for any foreign objects. I had learned CPR 5 years earlier but never had to use it, so I didn’t remember what to do. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO LEARN CPR AND TRY TO STAY CURRENT. When I dropped the phone and took my finger and went to the back of his throat there was the meat and I pulled it out.
I continued CPR but still saw no improvement. At this point my brother’s fiancé who was also called to the house came in the door the same time and screamed out Kevan’s name when she saw him. She is a pediatric nurse employed by Doctor’s Hospital and immediately took over the CPR. Because the ambulance was taking a while I ran outside and began tossing off the chairs and table so that I can rush my son to the hospital. It was at that point that the ambulance got there and we got him in the unit and was on our way to Doctor’s Hospital. Believe me when I say that prayers changes things. This is all we could do at this point. No one knew what was going to happen but we couldn’t give up on our baby and we continued to pray. I was in such distress that the Doctor’s had to sedate me. Kevan was treated by several physicians (including my friend’s next door neighbor) and sent to ICU.
In my profession I transport patients for a living and see all kinds of patients; from the critical to the basic but never thought that I would have to ever see one of my children intubated on a ventilator with 2 chest tubes in him. How is this a miracle you may ask?
I will break it down from the beginning:
- Every evening my family and I always try to eat dinner together; unless I am working late. My wife said that Kevan was bugging her for his dinner from about 5pm, constantly begging for his dinner even though she said that I was on my way home. At 6pm my son and daughter were served their dinner; and at 6:02pm my son couldn’t breath.
- Several persons said that they had put their fingers in Kevan’s mouth but never felt anything in it. I believe with all my heart that it was there when I checked because that was GOD’s plan.
- My wife’s cousin who as I mentioned lives in the apartment directly in front of us, goes to Canada every Christmas to his mother but this year he decided not to go. I thank GOD he was home for Christmas this year.
When my wife telephone my brother’s home in order to get his fiancé to rush over my mother was on the other line and says that she does not answer beeps but this one time she decided too. When she answered she only heard someone screaming: “send Sherry” and something about “Kevan”.
She immediately pushed my brother’s fiancé out the front door and told her to rush to my house. For 6 days we prayed and friends prayed and neighbors prayed and my church prayed and I could literally feel the prayers going up to heaven. Why did this happen we will probably never know and will never question GOD. His will be done. My son was taken off the ventilator after 6 days with a very sore throat and was released from hospital 30 December, 2008 (just in time for the New Year). One of the first things he said to his mother when he caught himself was that he wanted to go home for Christmas. That brought tears to our eyes.
Christmas is now everyday for us and we continue to give GOD praise and thanks for giving us the best Christmas and New Year ever. Believe me when I say that Miracles Still Do Happen. GOD puts people in places at just the right time to fulfill his plan. The Doctors had predicted that Kevan would have to be home for at least 6 weeks once released from hospital. Kevan was released from hospital on Saturday 28 Dec; school reopened on the 5th January and returned to school on the 12th January. Kevan has made a full recovery and we are so thankful to everyone who has said a prayer for him and for keeping him in their thoughts. He is a gift and a blessing. GOD BLESS .
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