July 28

On July 28, 1975, a baby boy was born, weighing in at a whopping 9lbs, 7oz.  He was given the name Jason Henry Mayes. (I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for putting his middle name on here)  He was the second son to Chip and Carol Mayes and baby brother to Jimmie Mayes.  He later became a big brother to me.

Growing up with Jason was interesting to say the least.  He was always the life of the party, being voted Wittiest all four years of high school.  He was a member of the Kinder High School band, where he was the first chair trumpet player.  He made everyone laugh and always had a lot of friends.  And although he and I didn't always see eye to eye, I learned early on that when push came to shove, he would have my back. 

Happy Birthday, big brother. I hope your day has been special.

On July 28, 2005, my two month old baby boy went into surgery to get a tracheotomy.  We found out only the day before that it was necessary so we didn't have much time to prepare ourselves.  I remember being devastated when I found out.  The nurse in the NICU put a partition up around me so I could just hold my baby and cry. 

The next day, my parents came into town to be with us.  We all were able to kiss him goodbye as the nurses took him back to surgery.  He was crying because he hadn't been able to eat all day and it broke my heart.  I don't know how long the surgery lasted, but it felt like a very long time.  Finally we received word that the surgery was over and he had done well.  It would be a while before we were allowed to go in and see him.  I was not prepared for what I saw.  Because the new airway was fresh, it would take a little while before the track would be formed enough to change the trach.  So for the next week, they had to keep John completely still.  In order to do so, he was given a paralytic drug so he was unable to make any involuntary movements.  It was very difficult for me to see him that way and even harder not to be able to hold him or even touch him for the next week.

We were told that the trach was temporary and that he would probably only need it for 6 months to 1 year.  Fast forward 6 years and it's still there, although for a different reason.  It has become a part of our life and our daily routine.  It has made things much more difficult for us, but we know that it is necessary for him.  I don't know if or when he will be able to have the trach removed, but I will never forget that day, 6 years ago, when taking care of our son became a lot more difficult.

In honor of the two events that I will remember every year on this date, I wanted to post a few pictures of Jason and John together.

The first time they met.

Thanksgiving 2005

Christmas 2006