Fight or Flight...

With all of the recent tragedies going on in the world with shootings and bombings...the news often spends some time focusing on the heroes that stepped up to help and those who passed by. It is easy to watch from your safe and comfortable couch in your home and say "I would have ran towards the danger and chaos and helped. How could people pass by?"

But when you are actually faced with an unexpected, scary, tragedy would you really?!

When I look back now at the day that changed our life forever and the moment I found my tiny little boy with his face blue and non-responsive...I can easily think now he needed CPR. But in that very moment as I pushed the fence off of his little body and picked his limp tiny figure up into my arms the ONLY thing I could do was yell for help. I couldn't think rationally. I know CPR but the thought to perform it on him never even crossed my mind. All I could think was I needed help. I needed someone to come and fix whatever happened to my little boy and fix it NOW!!!

I haven't talked a lot about the angel that came to the rescue that day although I think about her very often. There were a lot of people outside at my parents that day helping set up for the reception but our sweet angel Carla Lindbloom is the one who dropped everything and came running as fast as she could.

I have known Carla since I was just a little girl. She was in our ward probably until I was about 12 when our ward was split. She was was neighbors to 2 of my best friends growing up so we played at her home often since their were only 3 homes in their little area surrounded by fields. I never could have imagined at that young age the role that she would play in my life.

That tragic day Carla wasn't even supposed to be at my parent's house. She hadn't told my mom she was coming to help and my mom already had several friends there helping out. But as she describes it she just kept feeling this sense of urgency that she needed to stop by and see if my mom needed help. She hadn't been there very long when the true reason our Heavenly Father prompted her to come came unfolded.

Carla is a dental hygienist and has had training in CPR. She was the first person that came into my view as I knelt on that dirt with Dakota in my arms. She immediately took him from my arms, laid him on the ground and performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. She never once stopped despite the fact that she was getting tired or that nothing at all was happening or changing with Dakota.

We didn't see a miraculous change in Dakota during those minutes she performed CPR like you see in the movies (all the sudden they start breathing or cough up the water in a drowning) but those several minutes of CPR could have been what allowed him to live. We will never know for sure how much it physically changed for Dakota but the fact that our Heavenly Father sent her there to help I'm sure it did enough!

To this day Carla will say it wasn't her that did it that day. That it was Heavenly Father using her body to perform that CPR. She is the sweetest, most spiritual, most loving person! We haven't seen her since the hospital stay but while we were in AZ these past 11 days I felt it so important for her to come see Dakota.

It was such a sweet little reunion. Her love for Dakota radiates so strongly out of her! In my mom's words as she describes her sweet friend Carla, "She is one of the most spiritual people I know. She always does what matters most."

Words can't describe the love and gratitude I have for Carla. For her courage to fight for Dakota when his mom couldn't think straight to do it herself. For her being so in tune to listen AND follow the prompting that our Heavenly Father gave her to be where he needed her to be...to do what he needed her to do. She will forever hold a special place in our families heart!

Thank you Angel Carla!!! We love you!!!!!!!

That same night Dakota also got a visit from these cute brothers that have been praying for Dakota since the accident. They were so sweet to him...gave him hugs and talked to him. They said they used to call him "baby Dakota" in their prayers because he was little when it happened but now they will call him, "big Dakota since he is a big boy now! ;)

Aren't they the cutest boys?! I think Dakota wants 4 brothers. ;)