Day 5: Here Comes the Sun!!!

HE TALKED!!!

Miracles are happening everywhere in the world, and that's no exception for the Trauma Center on Scottsdale and Osborn! My 16 year old baby brother opened his mouth and did the unexpected. He actually  verbalized with my mother! This is what he said:

"Where am I?"

then later...

"Can I have a Strawberry Fanta?"

Excuse me...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha


Tears of joy have been rolling off the world's cheeks as we here such astonishing news!!!

He later complained that he was parched and needed water...and now the medical staff are satisfying that need with a hydrating gel, due to the still swollen throat he has.

He can raise fingers, toes, his head, and communicate. Of course he is not "all there" yet, but with our faith combined, all is possible.

The Family:

I am 22 today, and I cannot express what a gift and a blessing it is to know my beloved brother is alive. That realization shoves the majority of my wants and desires into a very deep hole that I've dug by tragedy, and places life's beautiful delicacies on a pedestal...my brother Jackson. I'm so thrilled to be a part of a loving circle of family and friends that I honestly lost reality of, by oblivion, and being so enveloped in my personal affairs. Not only are Jackson's eyes open, but so are mine. Family is everything to me now, and that's not just "lip service".

Chase LeBaron, the second oldest, is serving the Lord in Paraguay...Asuncion. He is half the reason Jackson is alive and well. It seems as families send their boys and girls under the Lord's wing and into the unknown (missionfield), miracles are wander into that common real of reality...we can never understand why so many blessings are "handed" to us.

Randall LeBaron, third in line, is preparing to serve a mission and also his Senior year of high school. He works at Harkins, and enjoys his job. He has taken Jackson and his other family and friends to movies free of charge. He is an amazing example of charity and genuine love.

Raegan and Laura are the two most beautiful girls we know. They are twins, also known as the Terrible Two, The Dynamic Duo! They will be Sophomores at Highland this next year. They enjoy art and watching popular shows with their father and brother Randall.

Dad, Robert LeBaron Jr., is the man! Recently out of surgery, he is at the hospital daily to care for Mom. His health is improving, but being under a knife just a few weeks ago isn't sufficient time to be riding back and forth and walking long distances, but that is just more proof of his love for Mom and Jackson. He's the best!

Luck doesn't have a role in our Heavenly Father's plan, but grace does!!!

 The Lord's grace is sufficient.

Grace...

A man walked outside of his home to ponder on the possibility of sustaining his family by building a garden and hunting wild animals. He set out to dig long furrows in the soil and fertilized it until it was rich enough to grow fruits and vegetables. He sowed the seeds into the tight rows of furrows, and in the meantime, built a bow and arrow for killing animals to eat.


After weeks of work, the poor man and his family, after all they could do to prepare themselves the necessary provisions for life to go on, lacked the growth of plants and no animals to be found.


God's grace is the mercy shed on us after faith and action have taken place. After prayer, the sun finally came out and the rain caused the plants to grow. The beasts of the field were now available and the family lived...and all thanks to the faith, action, and grace of our Savior. 

We thank you all for your continued support and prayers. The Lord has shined on us these last few days, and we are very grateful. 

Day Four: Blessings Pour

Day Four:
A ray of hope has fallen upon our family with a bit of good news. He's responding to commands! The boy is asked to squeeze the nurse's hand in attempts to verify that there is brain activity. He twitches his fingers after a constant stream of imperative gestures to solidify a beautiful truth...HE'S THERE

...and he hears us!

Here is what else he has done:

• Opened his eyes three to four times
• Wiggled his toes
• Blinked when asked

He is now being fed nutrition (feeding tube) and not an IV

He's still one handsome man!!!

Downside:

• Running a temperature
• Bad haircut

What The Family Needs Most:

The LeBarons are not a few to say the least, but the beautiful acts of service are limitless, even to the point of speechlessness. And what I mean by that is simple...we don't know how to react.

We weren't preparing for this to happen, so i'm stumped. We have been given everything from food to fun for the kids, and we welcome it, so thank you. We have been blessed by ward members, co-workers, family, and friends with things necessary to live (and some of the luxuries :). The simple prayers each of you offer builds our family's faith in the Lord and His plan for our dear brother Jackson. 

My Mother Kathi Sue:

It takes a special person to dwell within a tiled jail, resting on unconventional hospital chairs, and eating, once frozen, cafeteria food. She is simply a mother. Mothers will lay down expensive payments, temporary physical discomfort, and their lives for their children. It is a beautiful thing to witness the camaraderie between a mother and her child, or a woman and her niece, nephew, etc... When my mother looms through the family lounge, I feel her grief as she steps slowly, hoping time and prayers will bring Jackson once again into her arms. Her head seems to bob every instant the door that leads to Jackson's sliding wall room opens. Her love is expressed in a myriad of ways, and as simple as attaching herself to the bedside of her youngest son is praiseworthy and admirable.

She showers there in the hospital. She has made herself a home there, and that is where she will stay until Jackson wakes up.

Please continue praying for her. We notice that prayers are relievers of stress and anguish. This reminds me of a beautiful hymn, and an eternal principle that we must come to understand in this life time, to gain knowledge, a spiritual knowledge, of acceptance of the will of the Lord:

When sore trials came upon you,

Did you think to pray?
When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?

 Oh, how praying rests the weary!

Prayer will change the night to day;
So when life seems dark and dreary,
Don’t forget to pray.

Thank you all so much for your beautiful comments...please continue to post them, my mother reads this. :)

Day Three, Sun Still Down

Day Three:
Much has happened since the last post. Jackson surprised us as he moved, and still moves, his hands and feet. In a few attempts, his patience falls a bit short, and he even tries to remove his breathing tube on his own, grasping the silicone straw and shaking it. He has responded to some gestures the nurses made to him, such as lightly flicking his fingers and head movement. When some friends of his were contemplating plans out loud of movies, parties, games, and girls...his blood pressure spiked, especially when he heard about Batman The Dark Night Rises! We laughed, but then the nurses insisted that we leave so that his brain stimulation decreases and the healing can take effect sooner.

Right Now:
We are still unsure of the time frame in which he will exit his current state. He can hear us. He listens to us greeting him and his music. It is as if he is trapped and wants to express himself, but his eyes stay shut. We pray that he will improve. He is still on the ventilator and struggles to follow commands. He is currently running a fever, and has finished an EEG test, which measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain. We wait for the results.


His No. 1 FAN:
My mother has stayed by his side through it all. She never went home. Her natural nurturing spirit rings true at his bedside as she longingly waits for her beautiful baby boy to wake up. She sleeps on an air mattress in the family lounge outside of his room. Does she sleep on it? Not as much as she should, but her unmatched love and loyalty for Jackson is impressive. There is a table full of goodies and snacks just for her over by her mattress, although her children help her eat them. :) She is hanging strong during these most delicate hours of long-suffering and excruciating suspense. She needs your prayers as much as Jackson does.

To All of You:
The help you render is nothing less than wonderful, awesome, and it truly leaves us speechless. Our phones have transformed into, what appears, to be children's play toys from the light up screen blinking incessantly accompanied with vibrations...this is due to an outpouring of love only the Savior could supply in that lonely garden long ago. Texts, calls, and all messages are flooding our phones; digital love letters and warm regards for our family have lessened the weight of sorrow. We have flowers, cookies, pizzas, salads, food, house cleanings, paper route help, and a constant line of family and friends in the family lounge waiting to witness the beautiful face of a fallen member of the family, but also to comfort his heart broken mother. The succor is unending, such as the atonement, or sacrifice of our dear Savior Jesus Christ. Did he not feel what we feel? Is he as heart broken as my mother is at this time? Absolutely, and where do we draw comfort?  9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—  Mosiah 18: 9



 Hope is most possible when love precedes it.


We are never short on hope...it is a prerequisite of faith. Faith involves action, as to hope involves desire. We are fasting this Sunday for our beloved brother, son, cousin, nephew, friend, and fellow priest quorum member Jackson in hopes to understand the will of the Lord and restore his life.

Please comment below with any spiritually inspired remark. Stories, scriptures, experiences, favorite songs, movies, and all other memories of him are appreciated...please share.

Jackson Reid LeBaron

Little do most know, Jackson Reid LeBaron is a paperboy. That's right, he wakes up at an early 2 AM and drives down to the the distribution center for the Arizona Republic. He assembles and folds the various sections, loads them into a metal cart, and shoves them, sometimes 500 at a time, into his fathers vehicle and delivers them to various neighborhoods in the East Valley. He does it for his father, who recently had surgery, and with a smile to boot. Everyone at the distribution center knows him for his genuine service that he offers to anyone in need. He's definitely a miracle in our family...and he's only sixteen years old.

He wakes up at 2 AM. 

...and serves his family.

He WILL wake up again.

Jackson was with some friends on July 17, 2012 in the back of a pickup just driving around. They stopped at QT on Power and Guadalupe where I was standing alone preparing myself to go running with a friend of mine. He jumped out of the back of the truck and grinned his tight mischievous grin and said "That's my bro!"   He came over and slapped my hand like us LeBaron boys do, oh so cool, and then followed his friends inside to get some food.

After my run, I entered my home only to be notified with a shocking text that my mother was in an ambulance with Jackson on her way to the Trauma Center on Scottsdale and Osborn.

What Happened: 
Jackson fell off the ledge of the bed of the truck at a considerable speed and took a blow to the left side of his skull. The blow caused an epidural hematoma, which is a type of traumatic brain injury in which a buildup of blood occurs between the dura mater (the tough outer membrane of the central nervous system) and the skull.


It was an accident.


Dr. Marciano Phd. Neurosurgeon completed the task of extracting the blood clots to relieve pressure below the dura mater. After about three hours of surgery, he successfully completed the delicate task. 


What is Happening Now:
Jackson's brain is being treated with a constant supply of anti-inflammatory meds and other circulatory meds to speed the process of his recovery and reduce swelling. We are unsure of the time frame of his exit this coma.


He doesn't move.


He doesn't breathe on his own.


He has very little to no response, but...


He is a fighter and has ALL of your prayers. He can hear music. He can hear voices, even the doctors have said so.


He has always been good about waking up, and now is when he needs it most.


The Lord is standing with him at his bed, as our family continues to hope.  


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