Our Son… Ryker Johnnie Was Born On September 27th, 2020…
Our Lives Changed… We We’re “Officially” Parents…
A Few Hours Later… Our Lives Changed Again…
Our Son Was Taken From Us & Rushed To The NICU…
We Were Able To See Him… One @ A Time… (COVID Protocol…)
Everytime We “Switched” To Be With Him… It Was Heart Breaking…
Obviously… Heart Breaking To See Our Little Man Hooked Up To A Million Tubes…
But Also To Walk Past The Other Babies Attached To God Knows What To Keep Them Alive…
A Couple Hours Later… We Got The News That Ryker Needed To Be Transported To Loma Linda…
A Few Days Later… October 6th, 2020… Our Son Endured His 1st Open Heart Surgery…
Saturday Morning, September 26th, 2020… I Was At RainCross Strength & Conditioning Coaching The Saturday Sweat Sesh… Life Was… “Normal”…
Life Was Never The Same After That…
We Spent Days… Nights… In The Hospital… One Of Us With Ryker… One Of Us In The Cafeteria… Just Waiting…
His Condition Was/Is Very Rare… So There Was Not Just A “Quick Fix”…
Once All The Surgeons/Doctors/Nurses Came Down To A Decision… And Once We Complied…
It Was Time…
I Vividly Remember Danielley & I Walking Down The Halls Of Loma Linda With The Nurses/Doctors/Surgeons…
And Of Course… Ryker Johnnie…
Then… There Came The Point Where We Had To Say… “Good Bye”…
I Didn’t Know What To Do… Danielley Didn’t Know What To Do…
We Knew If We Stayed In The Hospital Cafeteria For Another Day/Night… We’d Go Crazy…
So We Went Home…
Silent Ride Home… There Was Music Playing… But Couldn’t Tell You What Was On…
Just Us… Just Us Holding Hands… Trying To Hide The Tears Rolling Down Our Cheeks From One Another…
We Do This Thing… When We Hold Hands… We Squeeze 3 Times… “I… Love… You…”
That Happened Alot…
Once We Got Home…
Food… Don’t Remember…
Sleep… Don’t Remember…
Being The Most Scared I’ve Ever Been In My Life… I’ll Never Forget…
I Always Say This… I Never Talk About Being A Marine… But… I’ve Seen Some Shit & I’ve Been Through Some Shit… And Some Shit Will Never Leave My Mind/Heart…
But That Night… Nothing Will Top That Night As Far As Me Being The Most Terrified I’ve Ever Been…
In The End… We Finally Got The Phone Call…
Our Son Was OK & We Could Come See Him…
I Thought Stepping Foot On American Soil After 2 Tours To Iraq Was A Weight Lifted Off My Shoulders…
No…
I Couldn’t Hold Him Yet… But Just Seeing Him… Breathing… “Healthy”…
That Was The Biggest Weight Lifted Off My Shoulders…
And Now…
Sleepless Nights… Poopy Diapers Upon Poopy Diapers… Toys All Over The Floor… Food All Over The Table & Floor…
But That Smile… Everytime I Come Home From The Gym… He Hears The Jeep Pull Up… He Hears The “Ring” Chime… He Hears The Door Start To Open… And That Big Ol’ Smile… And Now That He Can Walk… He Runs To Me… Priceless…
But…
His Mom…
I’m The “Fun” One… But Danielley… There Is No Way That I/We Could Do This With You My Love…
Ryker Loves You More Than You Know… I Know It… I Feel It… I Love The Patience & Understanding That You Put Forth Day In & Day Out It’s Amazing…
I Love The LOVE YOu Put Forth Day In & Day Out…
But I Think We Both Know… Any Kind Of “Frustrations” That We Feel Now…
Nothing Compared To That Day That We Had To Walk Those Halls Of Loma Linda… Leaving Our Son In The Hands Of “Strangers”…
Strangers Who Were Actually Angels With Doctor Gowns On…
And To Those Angels… We Will Forever Be Grateful…
Happy Heartiversary Rykes…
I Love You Ryker Johnnie Macias…
RainCrossStrengthandConditioning 