Colton.

Before you read my post, please read my daughter's. She explains, in touching detail, Colton''s condition .

 I witnessed the most heartwarming thing I've ever seen, yesterday. In our community is a little boy who has some serious medical issues. His name is Colton and he's a bitty one. Colton has something called Biliary atresia, which basically means that his liver is in danger, his body can't absorb nutrients from food and he is at a high risk. Just as we were afraid would happen, baby Colton is now in need of a liver transplant. His friends and family arranged a benefit to help cover the high medical costs. His test results showed that his bilirubin levels had doubled, and he was scheduled for yet another surgery on September 13th. During that surgery they were to look for scar tissue from the last surgeries, to see if that may be causing a blockage. If not, then a liver transplant would be the next step. A liver transplant in a baby so small. It's scary! On September 21st we were told that Colton had been admitted to Texas Children's Hospital with an infection. Another frightening setback. Both his bilirubin and white sell counts were elevated. He was to see a liver specialist that morning, and fully expected him to be put on the transplant list. This is an edited update that we got later that same day:

" From what I understand he is basically not getting any nutrients from his food. His liver is absorbing all the nutrients and they are not going into the intestine to be used properly. His other organs rely on these nutrients to help him grow or become healthy. He is too skinny in his arms and legs which is an indication of being malnourished for lack of a better word. He is fed, he poops and he gains a little weight but his little body is not getting what it needs. His bilirubin count is at 6 which is very high and they will be using IV antibiotics to bring the count down. They are beginning an aggressive health program on him to help him become healthy and gain more weight. The do not want to do a liver transplant until he is deemed healthy. They will let him come home next week BUT they may send him home with a feeding tube. Regardless he will be home for his benefit even if they send him home for the day. The drs. , and there was a team of about 12, say he will have a liver transplant before he turns one. But he has to be healthy first. A lot can happen in 8 months."  Thankfully, Colton was allowed to come to his fundraiser! YAY! 

Yesterday was his fundraiser. It was held at Wild Peach Community Church, which had plenty of room...we thought! No one was expecting the turnout that we got. It was mind blowing! Most of us, around here, are broke folk. My husband and I wracked our brains trying to come up with an idea to help. We didn't have any money to donate, and it would take me too long to make anything fit for either the silent or the live auction. I was at a loss. Then it hit me! I has bunnies! My doe (Mocha) had a litter of kits three months ago. I had three kits at home that could very easily bring in at least a little something. All I had to do was make sure a live animal could be auctioned. As it turned out, there was a tortoise being auctioned too! Well, THAT worked out ;) That turtle went for $125 in the live auction! CRAZY! Anyway, we got there fairly early, and even then it was pretty obvious that parking was going to become a problem. Not that there was a teeny parking lot or anything. There was plenty of room, under normal circumstances. This was anything BUT normal! By one p.m. there were people hopelessly blocked in! It's a good thing there were TWO Officers directing traffic! 

Directing traffic

This was EARLY in the day. One of the 15 rows of cars!

Heavenly smell!

The smell hit me as soon as I got out of the car. Bar-BQue....smoky, delicious, mouthwatering BBQ. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. That smell was unbearable. I was so happy we already had our plate tickets! My daughter and granddaughter went straight for the food, of course! I saw three giant BBQ pits, right off the bat. I think there were actually four of them set up, right up front. That had to have been a strategic move. You know that smell was going to hit people before they ever made it to the building. Talk about a good way to promote food sales. LOL. 

Silent auction items

The hallway in the church made a horseshoe. Along every wall was a line of tables neatly arranged with goods, each good with a paper taped to the table in front of it. This was the silent auction. I was amazed at the number of items that had been donated. I mean, seriously, it took the entire horseshoe to hold them all! Every single item had a bid on it. It was a beautiful sight! All of those donations meant more money to help this precious baby get better! There were so many things that I would have loved to bid on. Especially the Harley Davidson thermos set. But, like I said, I is broke folk! 

I carried my Nilla (bunny) into the sanctuary to add to the other live auction items while everyone else in our group went straight for the food. That was another amazing site. There were still tons of items left to bring in, and yet, the room was already packed. It was so great to see. My little Nilla was added to the piles of hope. I could only imagine how she was going to freak out once the P.A. was turned on and Poppy (the pastor) started the auction. Turns out, I was right about that. Poor girl. 

Wandering around the church, we saw people really enjoying themselves for the sake of this beautiful baby boy. They set up a face painting booth for the little ones. My Sister-In-Law spent her day painting chubby cheeks and loving every minute of it! There was also a game room and craft booth. We took my grand-baby in and let her play the duck pond game and go fishing with a magnetic pole! Of course, the little snot scored big every time. I still think her favorite part of the day was plowing through her plate of food. It was mine too! We watched the people pay to have their friends and family thrown in "jail", then watched the "inmates" beg passersby to "bail" them out. It was AWESOME! There was plenty of good music, laughter, activities, camaraderie and best of all, COLTON! We were all so happy to see his smiling face there, enjoying his day with us. <3 

The Palmer family watch the magic happen from above the crowd.

The day was beginning to wind down. It was AUCTION TIME. Most everyone gathered in the sanctuary, chose a pew and started chatting. We could see Colton and his family watching from the window above us. They had a great view! I have never seen an auction like this one in my entire life. It was insane! Poppy was hilarious as an auctioneer. He kept us cracking up through it all. As for the items, I don't think anyone was thinking about cost at all! These items were all selling for hundreds of dollars! It was amazing! My daughter bought a bicycle for my grand-baby. A pretty one, too! My Nilla bean went for $60. I was right about her being scared. She clawed a deep scratch on my arm while I was carrying her around so that the crowd could see her. I'll miss my pretty baby, but, she did something wonderful and doesn't even know it.  

This was an amazing turn out, and they raised a good deal of money on Colton's behalf. However, if you've ever had so much as a sprained ankle, you know what a single medical bill can look like. Now, imagine what it must look like for the Palmer family. They can use every little bit of help that we can provide. The benefit may be over, but there are still ways of helping. An account has been set up for donations to Colton and his family at Lone Star bank. There are still people out there who are touched by this small life and want to help. If you are one of them, and I really hope you are, donations can be made to: 
Colton Palmer
LONE STAR BANK
P.O. BOX 8
Brazoria, Texas 77422
Just tell the bank that it's for Colton and they'll take care of the rest!  

Here's the thing. This little boy? He's a baby. He's also a survivor. He's strength where there should, by all rights, be weakness. He's hope in a hopeless situation. He's a bright shining light in a dark world. This poor little guy has been through more in his short little life than many of us will EVER go through. His parents and grandparents suffer the fear of "what will happen next?" on a daily basis, and still, they keep their faith. They hold their hope. This family, above all others, deserves the best. Am I surprised at yesterdays results? Yes and no. No, because of who they are, their attitudes, their steadfast belief that things will be just fine and because of that adorable little face that keeps them going. Colton is a lesson to us all. He is a baby and has the strength of a county behind him. We should all learn to be the people who other people want to be there for. Just like him. Before long, his medical issues will have been taken care of, and all that will be left is that brilliant smile that melts your heart and wakes your hope.

In the mean time. Donate. I did.