My friend James died last week of cystic fibrosis. He was the toughest sonofagun I’ve ever known. He got his first double lung transplant when he was in his 20s and those lungs kept him alive for more than a decade. He fell in love, got married, and had a son.
Last winter he got the flu. He couldn’t get a flu shot because he was immunocompromised, so he was counting on the rest of us to keep him healthy. Someone didn’t get that shot, got the flu, exposed James, and he got sick.
The flu was so bad that his lungs began to fail. But being the lucky, amazing, walking, fighting miracle that he is, he was able to get a second lung transplant last spring. The procedure was more complicated, though, and his body began rejecting his new lungs. He fought as long and as hard as he could to stay alive.
He died last week and leaves behind a wife, a 3 year old son, and a world full of friends who miss him deeply.
Thanks to organ donation, James lived another 15 years. And thanks to folks getting vaccinations, we were all able to keep him healthy for so long.
Get your flu shot, y’all. It might hurt, but it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as losing someone you love.
What an absolute joke of a morning! All parents that are giving there babies RANITIDINE please stop! Me and my sister Becki Lauren Smith have had a nightmare of a morning with this.
Basically all chemists are still giving this product out still with the uncertainty of having the drug NDMA which links to cancer.. after a few phone calls to the chemist and one to ROSEMONT! And After a irate phone call with rosemont (the company which provides this product) they basically said they are testing the batch that is still being released for the NDMA drug and this could take months.. I asked the question
“So while your testing this product, why have you not recalled from all the chemist? And what if it comes back positive?! My niece has been having this medication!”
There response was “it’s up to you if you want to stop the medication but we are not recalling it’’ I told them ‘’ if this product comes back positive I will be suing the company’’
Her response ‘’that’s fine’’
which I think is very unprofessional! All these babies being left vulnerable! To now being told ALL RANITIDINE HAS NOW BEING RECALLED as of the past half an hour!
Me and Becki finally got to the bottom of this and our work is now done!
P.s if your child has been given this, in the past few weeks then go to doctors and they can prescribe omeprazole depending the babies weight
Cheaper than alcohol and far too easy to get hold of. It’s on every street and I’ve only just found out that most kids are taking it. They don’t even bother trying to get alcohol now, if they do it’s a ‘bonus’
Well this lovely little bag of white that cost around a tenner nearly cost my son his life. My son who turned 14 at the beginning of the month, who I’d never have even thought would even consider being so stupid. My son who went out with ‘friends’ – friends of which left him to die on a cold wet pavement all alone when it started to get serious.
I received a phone call from a stranger who had used his phone to call me, a lovely lady called Jane who had been driving past and saw my baby boy convulsing so severely he’s lucky he didn’t crack his skull. It took several grown adults to pin him down to prevent injury whilst keeping his airways clear and fetching blankets and duvets until I could get there.
I watched him as he turned blue in the back of the ambulance, I watched as he was put to sleep in intensive care to prevent any further damage, I watched as machines had to do his breathing for him. I watched the look of desperation on my mums face, pleading with the doctors to tell her her grandson would live. ….
….. he did, he’s alive, there’s no lasting injuries just the memory of that night. Thank God!
But as for his friends….. there are no words, well there are but il refrain. How dare anyone, let alone a friend leave someone, so young, so vulnerable, so close to death-so alone? I bet you all went back to your own warm beds and planned your next night out on ‘magic’
WARNING SENSITIVE MATERIAL BELOW! I have gone back and forth about posting this or not posting this but I believe if this post saves one child’s life it’s worth being vulnerable.
Our sweet 3 year old boy is a survivor. On January 7th our son climbed up to the top bunk bed and wrapped the blind cords around his neck. He then began to walk down the ladder as the cords tightened he panicked and tried to yell for mom and dad but nothing came out.
He scratched a the cords to loosen them but all he could grab was skin. At the last attempt to get free he jumped to come get us and that very jump saved his life! The cord snapped and freed him! We heard a loud thud (his jump) and then his loud scream! This was not just any scream it is one I have never heard in my life and it will forever be ringing in my ears.
We took him to get checked out in the ER and they were very concerned and shocked. These blind cords are not meant to break. We are counting our blessings! God has big plans for our little boy, it was not his time to go. Please please please take my message and take action now!! Editing: NO CORDED BLINDS ARE SAFE! They now sell cordless blinds and they are worth every penny.
Even if you cut the cords once the blinds are lifted up it creates a hazard. The cords can not be cut short to make them safer… there are still inner cords and if the cord is pulled so the blinds go all the way up, that pull cord will then be long enough to make a loop & strangle a child.
My heart goes out the families that have lost their loved ones this way I am so sorry for that heart ache and can’t imagine the pain you have gone through. These accidents can be prevented let’s take action now!
You can never be too safe in your own home. This is something I didn’t think my kids would do because I am constantly nagging them about not putting things around their neck. Kids will be kids and they explore, my son told me he was making a necklace and that’s why it was around his neck. Please help me save the next kid and share this message. Most importantly hug the people that mean the most to you. Be grateful you have another beautiful day with them. For more information about blind safety visit Parents for Window Blind Safety.
A man wanting to jump off a bridge in London, talked round by absolute strangers who proceeded to hold him for an hour until help arrived to get him down safely. Look at that grip. Look at the care, compassion, selflessness & determination shown by complete strangers to a fellow human being.
There is so much more good than bad around us, just sharing a little of it. Wishing the man a full recovery.
Last night at 1am Mia’s bed caught fire. Luckily she was awake however she was laying in bed and it caught right by her head. We got it out really fast and everyone was ok.
I have Minor burns and Mia did get sick from taking in to much smoke. So incredibly scary how fast it was spreading (all behind her bed and up the wall too) house filled so thick with smoke in seconds. It started because her Charger was touching her metal bed frame.
So lesson to everyone make sure your kids are not charging their phones on the bed or sleeping with their chargers on their beds. This could have been SOOOOOOO much worse if she had been asleep I don’t even want to think about it. Thankful the worst is we need to get her a new mattress new sheets and new pillows.
What do you know about food coloring? Have you checked your labels? Many mainstream processed foods contain these toxic chemicals! ☠️
🦄Why does society feel the need to see their food in unnatural states and colors?
🙅♂️It’s easy to avoid food dyes and caramel coloring. Check out your labels! Make this a priority in you and your children’s lives. Buy organic and take out the guesswork!
🧟♂️The Dangerous Impact of Food Coloring
Americans are now eating 5 times more food dye than in 1955.🤮
Many parents have observed their child’s behavior improve drastically when taken off food dyes, especially 👹
Red #40. Because of this widespread anecdotal evidence, the editors at Special Education Degree decided to do an investigative report on the negative effects of food dye’s in human beings.
The hidden dangers of food coloring dyes:
💙Blue #1 Brilliant Blue
Known Dangers:
Caused kidney tumors in mice
May induce an allergic reaction in individuals with pre-existing asthma
Commonly found in: baked goods, beverages, candies, cereal
🔵Blue #2 Indigo Carmine
Known Dangers:
Causes significant occurrence of tumors, particularly brain gliomas, in male rats
Commonly found in: beverages, candies, dog food
🔴Citrus Red #2
Known Dangers:
Toxic to rats and mice at modest levels
Bladder and other tumors found in mice
Labeled “possibly carcinogenic to humans”by the IARC
Commonly found in: skin of Florida oranges
♻️Green #3 Fast Green
Known Dangers:
As a food dye it is prohibited in the EU and some other countries
Caused significant increases in bladder tumors in male rats
Commonly found in: beverages, candies, ice cream, cosmetics
🛑Red #40 Allura Red
Known Dangers:
Accelerates the appearance of immune system tumors in mice
Suspected trigger of hyperactivity in children
Causes allergy-like reactions in some people
Commonly found in: beverages, candies, cereal, cosmetics
🚫Red #3 Erythrosine
Known Dangers:
Suspected trigger of hyperactivity in children
Thyroid carcinogen in animals
Issued a partial ban by the FDA in 1990
Commonly found in: baked goods, candies, sausage, maraschino cherries
〽️Yellow #5 Tartrazine
Known Dangers:
Can cause allergy-like reactions
May cause mild to severe hypersensitiviy reactions
Commonly found in: baked goods, candies, cereal, beverages
🔆Yellow #6 Sunset Yellow
Known Dangers:
May cause hyperactivity in some children
Causes adrenal tumors in animals
Commonly found in: baked goods, sausage, cereal, cosmetics
“Our daughter Emma is a completely different person since we cleared her diet of food dye. No more meltdowns or shouting matches. And we just realized that her reading, writing, and math have accelerated tremendously in these few short weeks. Coincidence?”
My son drowned 3 days ago. His limp, gray, lifeless body was pulled from the pool and it was every mother’s worst nightmare. He was dead. I heard screaming, and after a minute realized the screaming was coming from me. I watched in slow motion as people rushed to him, as he was laid on the concrete, as CPR was started.
A million thoughts were flying through my head as I stumbled around, not knowing what I was doing, screaming. I saw my dead baby on the ground. I thought about his twin brother and how could his life go on without his twin. I saw my 10-year-old son, hysterically sobbing, in his bright blue swim trunks, his beautiful tan skin glistening with pool water still. His life ruined because he just watched his brother die, drowned in the same pool where he was playing.
I saw my sassy little 3-year-old daughter, in her pink unicorn and rainbow suit, just watching me, confused. And how was I going to tell my husband that I let our perfect 5-year-old son drown?? It was exactly like I’ve read other people say in emergency situations: I thought this must be a dream, one of those dreams that you wake up sweating from, short of breath, because it was so real. Wake up! Wake up! But no, I was already awake. Then the screaming was worse. This is happening. My funny, silly, sweet, handsome, artistic, thoughtful little blondie was dead.
I finally was able to force myself to stop screaming, I ran over to where CPR continued on my precious baby. I have no idea how long it was. 10 seconds? 3 minutes? I don’t know. But I ran to him and watched and cried and talked to him as my friend tirelessly and relentlessly continued CPR. He looked awful and perfect still at the same time. I watched as water and vomit poured out of his mouth, eyes swollen and rubbery looking. Then a miracle happened! I don’t remember what it was first, but he showed some sign of life because several people at the same time exclaimed “there he is!” and encouraged me to keep talking to him.
My friend kept working, I kept talking. He started to try to open his eyes and another round of exclamation occured. My friend said she could feel a pulse, they decided to move him off the concrete to the pool house. A million thoughts continued racing through my mind. I was sure even if he was saved, it was too late. I was sure machines were going to be doing his living for him. I was sure it had taken too long.
Everything that happened next seemed like an eternity. The ambulance took forever to get there. They tried to get an IV on the scene but couldn’t. The ride to the hospital was painfully long. But my baby started coming around! He jerked his arm back with the IV needle stick! He cried! He was coughing! Somehow, my baby was still with me!
We have now been in ICU at Peyton Manning for the last 3 days. He is sitting beside me in bed right now playing with a stuffed puppy a friend brought to him and watching Captain Underpants for the 70th time. He’s off all oxygen. He will very likely come home with me today. Home with me 3 days after drowning, home to live happily with his family instead of us burying him today.
The reason I’m sharing? This happened in a pool full of people. A pool full of ADULTS. I’ve read so many stories about kids slipping away from their parents and getting into a pool, to be found drowned shortly later. I’ve never considered the possibility that my child could drown right in front of people who were watching him bob up and down from the bottom of the pool to just below the surface, but didn’t think he was struggling because he looked like he was PLAYING.
When I found him myself, 2 feet from adults who were in the pool, my first thought was that it wasn’t him, that it was someone else’s kid who was seeing how long they could hold their breath. I can 100% understand why the adults who were RIGHT THERE didn’t recognize that he was drowning because when I saw him, I too thought he was just a kid who was playing. What tipped me off was the kid I saw was wearing a shirt: Adam had gotten in the pool in his shirt. He doesn’t know how to hold his breath. GET HIM OUT!!!! THAT’S ADAM!!!!
This was 100% preventable. The fault was MINE. He’s a big 5-year-old. He has a very needy twin who makes it easy for me to forget that Adam is still 5 too and has needs that other 5-year-olds need. He’s not self-sufficient even though sometimes I feel like he is because he’s so capable. I didn’t tell him to get in the pool without his Puddle-jumper on, but I was aware that he had. I simply told him to stay in the shallow end while I got his sister’s swimsuit on, then I would be over.
I thought it was fine for 5 minutes, as he could touch just fine in the shallow end, he wasn’t alone because there were multiple adults IN the pool, and I’d be right next to the pool getting her suit on. Wrong. I have never ever been so wrong. He remembers what happened. He said he slipped off the edge. Based on where he was in the shallow end, and where we found him, he means the ledge from the shallow to the deep end. He said he kept going to the bottom then to the top and tried to yell “Mommy!” It kills me to hear that. It kills me to know that his last thoughts were that mommy didn’t come for him. But God decided to give me another chance to do better. He gave my baby back to me. Now he knows I DID come for him.
Who knows what we’ll face from here? Physically, it is beyond comprehension that he is suffering no consequences. He is asking to go back to my friend’s to swim and says “this time, I’ll wait for Mommy” before getting in the pool. But he yells for me every single time I’m out of his sight. He clearly has some anxiety that he didn’t have before. I pray that some counseling and lots of reassurance will fix that.
I’m sharing this because I want to prevent this from happening to anyone else. Before going to any pool, first make sure your kids know not to get in until the adult who is responsible for them is ready to watch them. That sounds like common sense, but I was thinking because so many adults were present, he was fine, but those adults didn’t know his swimming ability so they didn’t question when he was under water. Second, KNOW THE SIGNS OF STRUGGLE!
Adam didn’t look like he was struggling! He wasn’t splashing, thrashing, or screaming. He was simply underwater and couldn’t get his head above water. Third, know CPR. I do know CPR. Could I have performed it in that moment? I like to believe I could have if I hadn’t seen someone else taking charge. I like to think if I had been alone, my survival skills would have kicked in. Luckily, I don’t know, because my amazing friend was busy saving him, but I do know that if I didn’t know CPR, my helping him if we’d been alone wouldn’t have even been a possiblity.
I said I wasn’t going to share what happened. I feel so responsible (I am responsible!) because I let him get in without any sort of safety device on, and he was in before I personally was ready to watch him. But I decided to share because I see parents at pools doing these same things every single day! And I’m sharing to hopefully spread drowning awareness.
I’m also sharing to thank my friend for saving him, to thank her over and over and over. I am eternally grateful to her and will never ever be able to repay her. Ironically, I was there for her as her nurse when her son took his first breath after he was born, and now she was here for me as my son took his first breath after he died.
Please take water safety seriously. I never thought this would be me. It was me, but thanks to God and my dear friend Kristin, my son is still safely here. Learn from my mistakes so it’s not you.
My Son Drowned 3 Days Ago
Adam Jeffrey Leeson, born 3/15/14
Adam Jeffrey Leeson, saved 7/20/19
I have no pictures of what he looked like when he drowned. Unfortunately I only have the image forever tattooed on my brain. I’ve shared a few images of him in the hospital and the most important one, the one with his guardian angel, Kristin Moon.
Please please please share this. I’m a nervous wreck to share what happened, sick to my stomach to hit “share” actually. But I feel this happened to save others. In my heart of hearts, I know other parents need to read this.
I can’t stress enough! Don’t give kittens away for free!!! 😠😡😠😡😠😡😠😠This is what can happen when kittens are given for free or in the hands of the wrong people. Each one painted a color with permanent markers (similar to the photo below) and used as bait for dog fights. People bet on the color of the cat who will survive the longest. This is common – and yes happens in a lot of places!
This is for public awareness and only by all of us advocating and discouraging free adoptions by ANYONE or ANY ORGANIZATION – can we make a dent in this problem.
Craigslist….etc..etc..
PLEASE KEEP SHARING THIS POST.
IT IS KITTEN SEASON , SO THESE SICK PEOPLE ARE OUT COLLECTING THEM NOW.
⚠️ I know this subject has been posted many a times, but still to this day, I see babies/ children in pushchairs on very sunny and hot days with blankets draped over them to block the sun and heat out…. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!! ⚠️
👶🏻 Today I did an experiment with my baby in her pushchair, to be able to show what actually happens to the temperature 👶🏻….
🔆Dolly had her factor 50, 5* UVA suncream on, her drink to keep her hydrated and sun hat on.
But it was still hot, so I thought I’d put a blanket over her to block the sun out 🔆
‼️ I also popped a thermometer in with Dolly.
The temperature before a cover over her was about 35 degrees.
After just 12 minutes I thought I’d see how it was going….The temperature had risen to 45 degrees!! Another 15 minutes later we were pushing onto nearly 50 degrees ‼️
All I can say is, thank goodness Dolly is a dolly.
Please, please think before you do this to an actual child as the thought of the outcome is just unbearable.
Please share the life out of this post to reach people who may not know how severe doing this could be!
