My father frequently told my six siblings and I, "There is nothing you
can tell me that would ever surprise me." Since our dad had a great
deal of experiences including living in a boarding school, raising seven
kids and was a highly decorated war veteran, I believed him.
The last few years after
happily passing the half century mark myself, I mistakenly put myself
in his league. I should have known better. I mistakenly thought after
being a street cop for about twenty-five years and in the process of
raising three young boys, I had pretty much seen it all. It just goes
to show you that when you think you know it all, life can slap you right
across the face.
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| Boudine Bakery Employees and lots of Sourdough Bread! |
It is a shame my rude
awakening occurred last Friday morning, on Valentine's Day. I had just
parked our company car in front of our Community Hub In 4S Ranch. The
Prius was loaded down with about 150 loaves of freshly baked, heart
shaped, Boudin Bread. I was excited about our annual tradition of
passing out bread to our amazing clients.
I took the photograph to
the right about ten minutes before my phone started ringing. Phone
calls I was too busy to answer. Looking back, the key should have been
been the multiple calls from different numbers at 9:00 AM in the
morning. I did not recognize any of them. Then I received an
emergency text from a good friend of ours at Del Norte High School that
simply read, "CALL ME ASAP. Ref TROY."
I had only dropped Troy
off at school an hour earlier. I think parents' hearts stop for a moment
when you get an urgent text about your child. When our friend answered
the phone I did not even say, "hello" I just said, "what happened to
Troy?" That is when she told me, "Troy is having some type of allergic
reaction and paramedics are loading him up now. How far away are you?"
I was only a few minutes away from Del Norte High School, but I told
them not to wait. We would meet Troy and the paramedics at the
hospital. We had no idea what caused Troy's allergic reaction. I
knew that anaphylactic shock is serious business and a person's reaction
to an allergen can move quickly and the swelling can cause suffocation.
I
knew Troy would be scared, but I also trusted Rancho Santa Fe Fire
Department Paramedics and wanted Troy in the hospital now. I suspect
they would have never waited for me anyway. I soon learned why parents
with children who are sensitive to certain allergens like peanut butter
and bee venom have sleepless nights worrying about the safety of their
children.
As
Theresa and I raced to meet the ambulance at Pomerado Hospital, time
seemed to slow down. When we walked quickly past the reception area and
into the emergency room, I was to say the least, surprised. Troy looked
like he had just done about fifteen rounds of a professional boxing
match.
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| Wikipedia example of Analphylactic Shock |
Avoiding
the graphic details, let me assure the effects of a person's body
reacting to an allergen can be fast and significant. Troy had already
received two Intravenous doses of ephonefferen, intravenous
steroids, Benadryl and was on his second breathing treatment to improve his ability to breath.
I
tried to fill him (and us) with confidence by assuring him that even
though he could not see his mom and dad, the severe swelling was
stopping and it was important for him to try and relax. In the far
recessed corner of my brain, a little whisper was coming up through my
cortex saying, "holy sh%! what the heck happened."
I
then turned to the person directing the emergency treatment wearing the
white coat and asked if she was the doctor. She replied that she was
the 
Physician Assistant and she works in tandem with the doctor who was
helping several other patients. I love PA's, I really do. But when
their working on your child and things do not seem to be getting any
better, I want the extra schooling and hopefully some gray hair of a
licensed doctor.
I
can't say I fired her, but she left and the doctor came in almost
immediately. After reviewing the steps already taken he said he was
perplexed that despite all the medications they had given Troy, his
breathing was still "diminished." I hated that word the moment it left
the doctor's mouth.
Then
came the X-Rays, more tests and more treatments trying to solve the
puzzle. I don't know if it was his gray hair, his doctor degree or my
little lie saying he was our only son, but within a few minutes he said
he had activated Children's Hospital Emergency Transport Team to
transfer Troy to Children's Hospital.
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| Epi pen |
Theresa
rode with Troy in the ambulance and we spent about the next seventy-two
hours in Children's hospital where he received exceptional care that
ultimately reduced the swelling which finally allowed us to take him
home on Sunday afternoon.
I
can tell you that Theresa and I are very thankful to Julie Leighton and
Mimi Pelio and all the staff at Del Norte High School for their quick
actions, all the paramedics (in both ambulances) and the doctors,
physician assistants and support staff who helped us bring our son
safely home.
Another
aspect of this experience that will always stay with me is the
importance of protecting children who are susceptible to this type of
illness. When a table at school says "Peanut Free" look at the picture
above and realize allergic reactions are serious business and yes even
the slightest exposure can be life threatening.
We
still do not know what caused Troy to have such a significant allergic
reaction. Until we determine the source and how to manage it, we have
all been issued and trained in the use of Epi pens that allow us to
counter the effects of the unknown allergen, in case it returns.
I
would also like to thank our great team of employees who distributed
all the fresh bread and "spread the love" as they say on Valentine's
Day. I'm sorry Theresa and I missed it.
Enjoy your week.
Ray and Theresa Shay
2013 - Shay Realtors - All Rights Reserved
parking, too many stairs, traffic noise, or homes that were over-improved for the neighborhood they are in. These houses must be priced right in order for them to sell.
few miles from where we now sat. Chris who was married and has a son and a daughter was killed onOctober 28, 2010. 
