Jennifer Lynne Marchant was our fifth child, born August 23rd, 1984. We moved to Marysville, Washington when Jennifer was three weeks old. Sooner than we anticipated, she met her Grandma Marchant who passed away in 1985. After being first treated for Strep a week before, Jennifer passed away of cardiac arrest at Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington August 6th, 1988.
When Jenny complained of extreme neck pain we took her to the emergency room at General Hospital in Everett, Washington. When they could not determine what was wrong they transferred her to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, Washington the next morning, Thursday, August 4th. Ruth Tomlinson, a nurse in our church drove us down. It was her advice we listened to in taking Jennifer to the emergency the night before.
They diagnosed Jenny with Kawasaki disease, an inflammation of the heart muscle. They began massive doses of gamma globulin. She had seven out of the ten markers. Doctors used up most of her tiny veins to take IV’s. When a doctor approached her room she would say,
“Don’t let the doctor hurt me again.”That night as I lay in the bed next to her, I broke into tears. Jenny heard me. She said,
“Don’t worry Mummy, everything will be alright.”Her adult spirit was consoling me and giving ME comfort instead of the other way around. I was in awe of such a tiny girl with such grown up courage.
By Friday she wasn’t improving and she was put on oxygen to help her labored breathing. I noticed six specialists huddled together in the hallway. Instantly I was given the thought,
“THEY don’t even know what’s WRONG with her!”
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