June 11, 1981 - September 12, 1998
This is a very short story about a boy named Daniel Will.
Daniel was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and was a big boy of 9 pounds, 6 ounces. He looked just like a little Indian papoose with dark straight hair sticking up all over. He was a sweet boy all the years growing up. He and his older brother fought a lot but Dan eventually got big enough to fight back and his brother backed off.
Dan always wanted to be like his big brother, Mike, and asked me so many times, "When am I going to grow up, Mom?" Well, he finally did grow to be big and tall in the summer before he died. He worked out all summer long at the high school. He lifted weights every morning at 6 am, went to work at a small town service station, then back to the school to lift weights and run some more
He was so careful with his diet, too. I could hardly keep enough fruits and vegetables in the house to feed him. He tried so hard to be a big, strong kid on his football team in the fall. He wanted to be a super football player, something he hadn't been able to accomplish since he started playing the game in the fifth grade, because of his size and speed. He was named co-captain of his team in his senior year. A dream had come true.
He was playing in only the second game of the season, when he collapsed on the field. He was not having any problems during the game. He was playing quite well. Everything was as perfectly normal as every other game we had watched him play in his life. He made a tackle in the fourth quarter, with only eight minutes and twenty-one seconds left in the game. He got up, shaken, but claimed to be all right. The other kids, however, noticed something wrong, so they called the refs over. Daniel turned to walk off the field, collapsed and never regained consciousness.
It took forever to get him off the field, as he'd had begun vomiting thus making it difficult to stabilize him on his back. Rex and I were called to the field right away. I'm a nurse but NOTHING could prepare you to see your son in such critical condition. I knew that it was bad right away. His pupils were both fixed and dilated. Something inside of you says, 'he'll be OK, he'll come out of this and be so embarrassed by the fuss.'
I rode with him to the local hospital in the ambulance and slowly came to the realization that I might lose my son.
The doctor came to me, after the x-rays had been taken and Dan was paralyzed with drugs, and looked me straight in the eye and informed me that Dan's injury was VERY life-threatening.
"You'd better prepare for the worst."
Daniel was transferred to a larger hospital, about an hour away, to see a neurologist and for surgery to remove a blood clot that had formed in his brain.
Rex and I had no family or friends near us, but Dan's two coaches were there with us all night long as we prayed for his life, never wanting to believe God could really take our son this way.
When the surgeon came out, he gave us no hope. Dan's brain was so very swollen they couldn't even put the skull back on. There was basically no hope, but they would do everything humanly possible to try and save my son.
We were allowed to see him. He was so beautiful, pink and warm, you would have thought he was sleeping. My wonderful boy, who worked so hard to be a big, strong football player, was dying, and there wasn't a thing that I could do about it.
Finally, on the very next day, September 12, 1998, at 3:30pm, Daniel died. He was gone so quickly that we did not even have enough time to get all the family there.
There was no question in my mind as to whether his organs should be donated. That is what he would have wanted.
We were in shock, as was the school and community. There were over a dozen newspaper articles all over Kansas telling Daniel's story. The local television station dispatched a news crew to our home to hear our story.
It has been a very long and hard year. I do not know how I have survived. I once wished that I had died along with Daniel. Sometimes, I still do, but my family and the support of friends and community have kept me going, somehow. When I see the other beautiful angels among our group, I know that Daniel is with some wonderful kids, all taken too soon.
When I hear that other mothers are making it, I keep trying, too.
We have heard form several of Dan's organ recipients. They were wonderful letters of thanks, and I am so appreciative! It is because of Dan that they live today. A part of him lives inside of them.
Thanks to all my new friends for your love and support. A special thanks to Chris for this wonderful tribute to our children and all the work he has done for us. Someday, I hope to give you all a big hug in person!
Love, Mary Caywood
Dan, Mike, Mom and Rex on vacation in Colorado
