Meet Brisan & Parker Stults
Brisan & Parker are my two oldest sons who were full of joy, brotherly love, and gritty personality! They were cheeto eatin' ornery little dudes. We all have a story and sometimes that story can captivate the heart that pulls all the right emotions. It can bring unfathomable sadness but also the vast opposite to endless joy. Brisan & Parker's story never fell short of the sorrow that a family could ever bare.
The 3 amigos....
Brisan was born on August 27, 2004. Parker joined us on January 8, 2006 and Duncan was born January 28, 2008.
Brisan & Parker were typical little boys but with a small hitch... we knew they were progressing slowly on their learning abilities. As time went on we spent many moments (4 years) trying to figure out what may be missing.
Looking back, there was much to be thankful for that included the people that God inserted into our life during this time.
...there is so much that I could write.
The Turning Point in May 2008
Brisan is about a little over 3.5 years old. His tonsillectomy surgery went successfully but they were concerned with these white foamy macrophages on his tonsils and adenoids.
They named 3 different diseases they were going to test for.
One of them being Niemann-Pick Type C.
"Don't go home and google it!"...they said.
So, what does one do when told of this potential devastating news? Well, you go google it!
The news was horrific to hear and read but there was a long waiting period for the test results.
The Phone Rang
Nearly 3 months passed. On August 8, 2008... the phone rang and it was Dr. Smith. "Could you come down today at 1 pm to discuss the lab results?".
Sitting in that room at Children's Mercy Hospital felt like a movie. Very slow and surreal because what came out was a positive confirmation for Brisan on NPC and then looking at Brisan & Parker bouncing around the room like innocent children do... the news didn't make sense but provided a starting point to work with.
The diagnosis was confirmed for Brisan. Parker's official confirmation came on September 24, 2008.
"We are very for sure Parker has it too".
Brisan would turn 4 years old a few weeks later that August making both of their birthdays even more special knowing the limit their life would experience.
"For the follower of Jesus Christ, death as painful and final as it feels it is not the end of the book. It's the beginning of a brand new chapter."
Merle Mees | Lead Pastor | Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die,[a] this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory." | 1 Corinthians 15:54 (NLT)
Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC)
NPC is a rare neurological disease that has had roughly 500 cases worldwide ever diagnosed. This number has continued to go up with better testing in these later years. Most children don't live past their teenage years at best if nuerological symptoms manifest before the age of 6.
No cure.
No specific treatment.
Pretty much a death sentence to put it bluntly.
NPC Patients are not able to metabolize cholesterol and other lipids properly within the cell. Consequently, excessive amounts of cholesterol accumulate within the liver and spleen and excessive amounts of other lipids accumulate in the brain. over time this creates a domino effect of neurological issues until it eventually claims their life.
There was no way to know when their time would be up and what timeframe we had to work with. Nothing but love and care expressed in the deepest way for them.
Celebration of Life
They Went Home
They truly only had a childhood to live a lifetime.
On March 4, 2014 at 1:55 am Brisan (9.5 yrs old) went Home to meet Jesus. Parker’s homecoming followed a quick 10 months afterward and a few weeks after his 9th birthday (1/8/15)... he also had the homecoming of his life on the afternoon of January 23, 2015 at approximately 1:55 pm.
It was finished.
It didn't feel real.
It felt empty...
There was a sense of knowing...they were with our heavenly Father and together once again! A promise we all can look forward to.
God knows what it is like to lose a son but He didn't just ask for one of mine but two. He can relate to my pain as a Father but the King always has one more move!
Brisan & Parker leave behind their youngest brother Duncan (born 1/28/08). Their sister Rubee came into our home on August 1, 2014.