It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the first of the season and we had Spring Fever.  The whole family was outside enjoying the day.  We began to clean-up the yard and the house was airing out from a long winter.  What a day, the boys enjoyed the playground my husband built for them last summer and we tossed a ball around.  We were gearing up for Jaden’s 2nd Birthday Party a family, friends and neighborhood barbeque with a Dr. Seuss Theme that would take place in 2 weeks.  We worked and played all day and into the early evening retiring exhausted from all the fresh air.  My husband put the kids to bed that night, as he does every night.  In the morning, I took Jaden out of his crib and brought him down stairs quickly as my other son was still sleeping and I didn’t want to wake him.

I never noticed the one window that was left open.

It was another gorgeous day; the boys wore shorts and t-shirts and couldn’t wait to get back outside.  We were about to have lunch and Steve was fixing our alarm system.  He was working between the basement, the kitchen and his truck in our driveway.  Jaden a quick and curious almost 2 year old was following him to every destination.  I of course was trying to keep him out of the way as best I could; this is a rambunctious little guy we are talking about.   As soon as he finished his lunch, Jake asked if they could go upstairs, something I usually do not let them do but with older cousins over during school vacation last week it was fresh in his head.  I thought of it as a way to keep them out of Steve’s way... and I said okay.  I planned to clear the lunch plates and join them upstairs in a minute.

I had a lot on my mind that day.  My father was very ill; 2 weeks prior and on Easter Sunday he had emergency surgery to remove a portion of his leg after a diabetic ulcer had gone septic.  Now he was gravely ill and faced yet another amputation but on this particular day he was incoherent.  My sisters, Mom and I were extremely concerned.

My dishes never got to the sink.  We came home 3 days later and found them on the counter in the kitchen along with the screen Jake had carried in.  Jaden had pushed it out and fallen 25 feet to the stone dust below.  I never heard a thing… Jake came back downstairs only a few moments after heading up “Mom, come see what Jaden did.”  I think because they were upstairs and I was unaccustomed to that I ran, otherwise I heard that phrase 100 times a day…and still do.

My brain processing as I turned the corner around the banister and seeing Jake now facing me…with nothing in-between us but the window and no Jaden.  I could not believe what that meant.  It was not possible.  Somehow, my feet carried me, I knelt on the window seat and leaned out feeling scared of the height myself as the whole screen was gone and nothing was holding me in.  I looked down, it didn’t even make sense, he was standing there not even crying.  If I hadn’t been in the empty window myself I would have thought he snuck out the side door and went around back.  I knew that was not the case and I yelled to him, “Mommy is coming, I’ll be right down.”

It was the worst day of our lives.  Simple oversights had lead to this terrible accident.  And we have only been brought through it by the grace of God.

Jaden is now absolutely fine and about to celebrate his 3rd Birthday (both his grandfathers will attend).  We did spend a couple of days at Children’s Hospital in Boston (which is the most amazing place).  He had some minor scrapes and bruises, an air pocket in his lung and a laceration on his liver.  All the injuries have healed up perfectly on there own.   

For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.  Psalm 91:11 (NLT)

We are so grateful to all of the family, friends and staff that prayed for us, visited, or helped us in anyway.  As the anniversary of his fall approaches, I have been thinking about his accident non-stop. It is so clear to me that I must do something.  For the past year, I have been reluctant to share my story, afraid that others would judge me.  I am no longer afraid, I feel so blessed to have been given such a wonderful gift twice, The Life of My Son, first in birth and again in survival.

We came so close to losing him.  His head must have landed only millimeters from the cobblestone edging of the putting green he loves to play on.  I used to think, why us, we have safety plugs in every outlet and child locks on all the cabinets… my kids wear helmets to ride their bikes and we always buckle up.  How could this happen to us?   It has taken me a year to find out that “why me” is a waste of time, “why me” is so unfulfilling and so unproductive.  Instead, I began thinking what can I do?  I can do something; I can do some small thing that can make a difference.  I can get the word out.  I can educate others about window safety.  I can encourage people to child proof their homes, I can ask other people to think about what they can do?  What small thing can they do?  They can share my story with their friends and encourage others to do something.  They can give blood or time or money.  They can reach out to an old friend with forgiveness.  They can work today to better themselves.  They can fill a bag of clothing for those in need.  They can do something that matters!

On April 23, 2007, the worst day of my life,I got the best gift I will ever receive.  I got the gift of life.  I got a miracle!  And it is clear to me that I must give something back.   So this Spring Season, and every one here after.  I will be doing something, I will be giving back.Please help me…forward or pass my story on to your own friends and family and please do anything…just do something. It feels so good!!

You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16 (NLT)  

God*in*ci*dence (like coincidence)–noun. a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance: but God leaves nothing to chance. 

Our Godincidences: The National Safety Council has selected April 20-26 as Window Safety Week.

One of the Firemen that came to our house that day works with my husband, we had just met for the first time 6 months earlier.

The first Paramedic on the scene was a women I had spoken with randomly in the grocery store just weeks earlier providing her some assistance with ingredients for a meal she was cooking at the firehouse.

The X-ray Technician at our local hospital was my sister-in-law’s childhood best friend.

The Child Life Specialist assigned to us at Children’s Hospital in Boston was my husband’s first cousin.  We had just spent Easter together.  

Window Safety Tips 

1. Windows provide a secondary means of escape from a burning home. Determine your family's emergency escape plan and practice it. Remember that children may have to rely on a window to escape in a fire.  Help them learn to safely use a window under these circumstances. 

2.  When performing spring repairs, take care to make sure that your windows are not painted or nailed shut. You must be able to open them to escape in an emergency. 

3.  Keep your windows closed and locked when children are around. When opening windows for ventilation, open windows that a child cannot reach, or in the case of a double-hung window, open the top sash only. 

4. Set and enforce rules about keeping children's play away from windows or patio doors. Falling through the glass can be fatal or cause serious injury. 

5. Keep furniture or anything children can climb away from windows.  Children may use such objects as a climbing aid. 

6. If you have young children in your home and are considering installing window guards or window fall prevention devices, be aware that the window guards you install must have a release mechanism so that they can be opened for escape in a fire emergency.  Consult your local fire department or building code official to determine proper window guard placement. 

7. Some homes may have window guards, security bars, grilles or grates already covering their windows. Those windows are useless in an emergency if the devices on them do not have a functioning release mechanism.  Time is critical when escaping a fire. 

9. The degree of injury sustained from a window fall can be affected by the surface on which the victim falls.  Shrubs and soft edging like wood chips or grass beneath windows may lessen the impact if a fall does occur.

 *Permission to reprint granted by the National Safety Council, a membership organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. 

Window Safety Checklist 

Fires and falls of all kinds are among the leading causes of injury and death in young children. While some falls occur from windows, it is important to realize that in the event of a fire, a window can also save a child's life. This is why windows play a critical role in home safety. Print out this checklist and use these tips to help keep your family safer around the windows and patio doors in your home.  

Has your family developed an emergency fire escape plan?  Determine your family's emergency escape plan and practice it regularly. In the plan, include two avenues of escape from every room. Remember children may have to rely on a window to escape a fire. Help them learn to safely use a window under these circumstances. Make sure you have identified a safe meeting place outside.   

Do you keep windows shut when children are around?  You should keep your windows closed and locked when children are around. When opening windows for ventilation, open windows that children cannot reach. Also, set and enforce rules about keeping children's play away from windows and/or patio doors. Falling through the glass can be fatal or cause a serious injury.  

Do you leave, or have you left, windows open because you thought the insect screen provided a safeguard from a fall?  Don't rely on insect screens to prevent a fall. Insect screens are designed to provide ventilation while keeping insects out; they are not designed to, nor will they prevent a child's fall from a window.  

Is there furniture placed under or near windows in your home?  Keep furniture - or anything children can climb - away from windows. Children may use such objects as a climbing aid.  

Do any windows in your home have guards, security bars, grilles or grates?  These windows are useless in an emergency if the devices on them do not have a functioning release mechanism. Time is critical when escaping a fire. Consult your local fire department or building code official to determine proper window guard placement.  Inspect your home's windows carefully.

Are any windows in your home painted or nailed shut?  Never paint or nail windows shut. You must be able to open them to escape in an emergency.  

Do you have any window unit air conditioners in bedroom windows or other windows in your home that may be needed for escape or rescue in an emergency?  Do not install window unit air conditioners in windows that may be needed for escape or rescue in an emergency. The air conditioning unit could block or impede escape through the window. Always be sure that you have at least one window in each sleeping and living area that meets escape and rescue requirements.   

Did you know that strategic landscaping may lessen the extent of injury sustained in the event a fall does occur?  Plant shrubs and soft edging like wood chips or grass under windows to cushion potential falls. The surface can greatly affect the degree of injury sustained from a fall.

 *Permission to reprint granted by the National Safety Council, a membership organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. 

Need Help Finding Something to Do??

http://www.volunteermatch.org/ 

http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/ 

http://www.idealist.org/ 

http://www.ap-foundation.org/donations.html    A charity close to my heart, this foundation was founded by our dear friends.  It is a non-profit foundation which raises money for organ awareness and assists families with charitable gifts who are going through a transplant.  

http://www.mybrotherskeeper.org/furniture.htm 

http://giving.childrenshospital.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?&pid=254&srcid=-2 

http://www.specialolympicsma.org/support/index.asp?page=donate