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During that same time, Ashley, who was
expecting their surprise fourth baby, developed
HELLP Syndrome and had to be
delivered early to preserve her own health.
That meant baby Vivi arrived a bit prematurely
and had a short NICU stay. “At one
point, Sawyer, Vivi, and I were all in the
hospital,” Ashely recounts. Their families
and their church family of First Baptist
Florence proved indispensable during that
time. “It honestly took us three months to
eat all the food,” Sawyer giggles.
Just after Vivi arrived, Sawyer and his
parents agreed with doctors that dialysis was
the best option, and he would need to be on
dialysis for six months before being listed for
a second kidney transplant. Last month, his
six-month waiting period ended and the
family is now gearing up for the process of
being relisted. But, for now, Matt drops
Sawyer off at 7am for dialysis three days a
week. Sawyer is finished before noon and, if
he feels like it, his mother, Ashley, drops him
off for a few hours of school at Florence
Middle where Sawyer is in seventh grade.
“My favorite part is socializing,” Sawyer is
quick to respond when asked what he enjoys
about school. He is all smiles, wiggling on his
couch while he answers questions and listens
to his parents talk about him. He elbows
Matt whenever he mentions sports - which
is a lot. “We bond over our love of them,”
Matt shares. “He’s a good kid - a normal one
- he still fights with his sisters sometimes.
And he’s the life of the party.” Ashley chimes
in. “Everywhere we go in town, people will
yell his name and wave. Some of the time
we’ll ask who it was and Sawyer has no idea.
He’s everyone’s best friend and is always
finding the positive.” She pauses. “Yes, there
are times when he’ll say I wish I could be
out there on the field, too. But he doesn’t
wallow in it. We’ve tried to teach him not to
complain and to think of others.” That
teaching seems to have been effective.
When asked how he is feeling about all
this precariousness with his health, Sawyer
tells me that he is okay with it but has been
praying for his future donor’s family and
health - that they would be all right after the
procedure.”
In the article I referenced regarding grit,
the author points out that the word itself
doesn’t show up in the Bible. However,
scripture is replete with examples of it.
Think of Noah building an enormous boat
nowhere near water while he was jeered at.
Or Abraham imperfectly waiting on God
to give him a child as he turned eighty, then
ninety, without the promised son having
arrived. Paul, in writing to the church at
Corinth, instructs them to “run in such a way
as to get the prize. Everyone who competes
in the games goes into strict training. They
do it to get a crown that will not last; but we
do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
64 • OCTOBER 2023