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I just had an experience I would like to share with the Hannay/Hannah/Hanna clan.
I went to Hattisburg, MS, this week for a farewell ceremony to send my son [Pvt. Benjamin (Hannah) Bowers] and his Army reserve unit to Iraq. However, Ben aspirated in his sleep early Friday morning after the ceremony and wound up at nearby Wesley Hospital on a ventilation tube with only about 50 percent oxygen saturation. He stayed that way for nearly four hours. His blood sugar was at a nearly fatal level of 400 and his heart rate racing in the mid- to upper 100s.
The doctor said it didn't look good and prepared me for the worst -- death or possible brain damage. He said Ben probably would be in intensive care for a couple of weeks -- if he pulled through at all.
Meanwhile, Ben's commanders looked for a living will, but couldn't find one, so my son remained on the breathing machine, fighting for his life.
The doctor returned later that night, however, saying Ben had made a remarkable turnaround and appeared to be out of immediate danger: he was responsive and had no apparent brain damage. His oxygen level was rising, as was his blood pressure; his heart rate was dropping to near normal, as were his blood sugar levels.
The turnaround continued. Next day, the nurses lowered Ben's breathing machine to 50 percent while he maintained about 80 percent oxygen saturation. They then lowered the machine to 40 percent with 85 percent saturation, and, finally, to 30 percent with an O2 saturation in the 90s, where it's supposed to be.
Ironically, another man with a similar condition was hospitalized in a nearby room, where he had remained for four weeks with little or no improvement.
Ben's ordeal all started early Friday. By Sunday morning, he was removed from the breathing machine and making a speedy recovery. The doctor said Ben would possibly be moved out of ICU on Monday, and returned to his beloved 39th Brigade in two to three days!
While I once was concerned about what lay ahead for my son, I now look forward to him being in Iraq. His recovery surely reenforces my belief in miracles! The doctor [Hyer] refused to take any credit, saying he gave all of his to God. He, too, confirmed we had witnessed a miracle.
I don't want anyone to worry about Ben's immediate future, however: he definitely wants to go to Iraq. He gave up a college deferral and volunteered to ship out with his buddies, each of whom I have full confidence. While tied to the machine Friday night, Ben scrawled a few simple words on a white board: 'Where are my guys? I want to go to Iraq -- now!'
When his buddies showed up to give their support that night, he shed a tear of pride. Told of his response, one man said there would have been a line stretching out the door had the brigade been allowed open visitation.
Ben's sergeant [Bolanius] told me that his unit motto is: Never give up! and that each man believes in those words, that Ben's a fighter. I, too, shed a tear of pride.
I told the sarge about Ben's Scottish grandmother, Ida Hannah: she was once placed in hospice care, where she remained unresponsive for days without food or water. On the 10th day she woke, saying, 'I'm thirsty.' That was nearly two years ago and she's still kicking at 85 years of age. The hospice nurses at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton, AR, where she had stayed, said she was the first they'd ever seen leaving sittig up.
Ben, too, has a little Hannah in him.
Interestingly, the Hannay/Hannah/Hanna family badge is designed to signify a relative's military achievements in the second crusade of the late 1100s. Nearly a millenium later, another Hannah descendant/warrior is returning to the Middle East. May the war soon be over!
"Never give up!" -- Ben's father, Rodney [Hannah] Bowers. 3-10-08.
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