At 2 months old our son, Brody Thomas BeQuette, was admitted to the hospital for seven days with RSV, and against my better judgement they sent him home New Year’s Eve.

He seemed to be coming around, and on the night of New Year’s Day he woke up crying so we just assumed it was time for a bottle.

As I was making a bottle, his mother, Crystal Davis, called me back to the room because he had started gasping for air. I found him white as a ghost.

I told Crystal to call 911, and while she talked with emergency operators Brody turned purple/blue and stopped breathing.  I then went entered a frame of mind that I still have trouble explaining.

I told myself I was too nervous to do CPR without hurting him further. So I put his face against an air purifier we bought while he was ill.

Luckily that gave him enough air until the ambulance arrived. He crashed on the way to a local hospital and once he got there as well.

So the emergency room doctor made the call to the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital and requested a helicopter. Before getting on the helicopter they vented Brody to prevent trouble in the air.

The fastest, longest drive I’ve ever made was getting to that hospital before Brody did!

Brody was in ICU on a ventilator for nine days and then was moved to a recovery room upstairs for the remaining four days. Even though it was the worst time in our life, the nurses, doctors, family and friends made it a lot easier!

Not only did Brody’s  mother and I go through this, Brody also has a now-10-year-old brother, Landon Davis, who was just as worried as we were and stayed strong through the battle.

Blair E. Batson is an amazing place. You never will know what they do for the kids until you see it first hand.

Every nurse Brody had was so nice and patient even with the hundreds of people in and out the hospital.

The hospital was extremely welcoming.  I remember sitting there until 4 a.m. some days, and every five minutes a nurse would come check on us.

Brody just turned 3, and according to his father is healthy and spoiled rotten.

I want to give back to the hospital that saved him.

That’s why I’ve organized, along with Christmas in Natchez, the third annual Family Fun Day on the bluff.

This event is for families and children and will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16. It will include ice skating, train rides, space jumpers, face painting, an AirEvac helicopter landing, raffle items, the Alcorn State petting zoo, food and beverages.

This event has no admission, and all proceeds from the events will go to the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. This is one way for us and everyone to give back to this amazing place not only for Brody but for the thousands of children they treat each year. Blair E. Batson is the only children’s hospital in the state of Mississippi.

For additional info, contact me at ronbequette@gmail.com.

 

Ron Bequette is the organizer of Family Fun Day.