A Mother's Wish

Kristin Edwards

Once upon a time a mother waited for news of her two year old daughter. She wasn’t sure if she’d make it through the night.

And three years later, Mother’s Day “is a privilege” for the Bennett family, because it also marks their twin daughters’ birthdays, who have come “so far” since they were born three years ago today.

“The girls were born on May 13, 2004, and everything seemed fine at first,” said Cynthia Bennett, the twins’ mother. “But as twins, they were more high-risk, and it was definitely possible that one wouldn’t get everything it needed. That’s what must have happened with Ashley.”

Two days after Ashley and her sister, Morgan, were born, Ashley was diagnosed with Necrotizing Entercolitis (NEC), which meant that due to a lack of oxygen, Ashley’s small intestines were injured.

“If oxygen is cut off for any length of time, the brain and the other vital organs are protected first,” Bennett said. “Her intestines were perforated, and because food got out of her intestinal tract, she got an E-coli infection.”

The child was rushed to Texas Children’s Hospital, where she was given antibiotics and carefully observed for the following 24 hours, which according to Mrs. Bennett, “should have been enough, but wasn’t.”

“They said at the hospital that they had never had (a child) as sick as her,” said Walter Bennett, the twins’ father. “It really says a lot that she survived at all.”

When the doctors at the hospital told the Bennetts that Ashley would probably have to have a transplant if she survived at all, they were “crying, in shock and dumbfounded.”

“My father-in-law asked what they would do if it was their child,” Mrs. Bennett said. “The leading surgeon told him, ‘I would quit right now,’ which we knew meant to take her off of life support.”

The Bennetts struggled with the decision, especially since the doctors told them that even if Ashley were kept alive, it was very unlikely that she “would ever have a normal life.”

“We were devastated,” Mrs. Bennett said. “There was no way we wanted to (take her off of life support), but then you feel guilty because you think you’re putting your child through misery.”

What ended up making the decision for the Bennetts was the private advice of one of the doctors.

“He said, ‘It’s not anything you need to worry about at this point. If Ashley’s going to make it through the next day, that’s her decision,’” Mrs. Bennett said.

The Bennetts took the advice, and while they were waiting on Ashley to make her decision, they invited the Rev. Mark Pickett, associate minister of First United Methodist Church, to baptize her.

“She made it, and two months later when we used the same surgeon, he came out smiling,” Mrs. Bennett said. “He said there was a healthy third of her intestine there.”

The Long Road Ahead

There was still a lot of waiting for the family; Ashley didn’t leave Texas Children’s until Dec. 28.

But when she did come home, she was connected to an IV, and her road to a healthy life began.

“We had a couple of hospital visits after that, but she got better, and then she started eating,” Mrs. Bennett said. “She didn’t even have to have a transplant. It’s amazing that her mind was not affected by this at all, just other physical things.”

During the time the Bennetts struggled with their daughter’s health, the community organized several benefits to raise money for the medical expenses, and even set up The Ashley Bennett Fund at First National Bank for donations.

“On September 16, 2005, they formed a group called ‘Ashley’s Angels,’ and had a golf tournament, a raffle for a quilt, had hats and made all kinds of stuff,” Mr. Bennett said.

The family wished to stress how thankful they “were then and still are” for all of the assistance they have received during Ashley’s sickness.

“We want to thank the community for putting on the benefit,” Mr. Bennett said. “We also want to thank our families, our employers, Sam Houston State University and First National Bank for being so supportive and understanding, Huntsville Rotary and Amber Fuentes with Affordable Home Care for her care for Ashley.”

Fuentes picked up care for Ashley after the first period she was home, during which Mr. and Mrs. Bennett’s mothers were taking care of the child while her parents were working.

“Our mothers came over and split the week taking care of her,” Mrs. Bennett said. “It got to the point that we knew it was hard on them, and then we found Amber, and she was just amazing.”

When the Bennetts hired Fuentes, the goal was “for Ashley to be able to go to day care.”

“She started taking care of Ashley in January of last year,” Mrs. Bennett said. “By August, just eight months later, she was ready for day care.”

Mrs. Bennett thanks Ashley’s day care, the Weekday Ministries for Children at First United Methodist Church.

“The teachers have had to work harder, but they welcomed her,” she said. “It was huge for her to go around day care and be with other kids. It was positive peer pressure.”

After everything that happened to the family, Mr. Bennett considers the journey “one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences” of his life, and gives his wife credit for much of Ashley’s recovery.

“I have so much admiration for her. She just stepped up and took it on herself to take care of Ashley,” he said.

Mrs. Bennett, however, said that the challenge was divided between her and her husband.

“He has to do 50 percent of everything. He’s been amazing, and it has been a team effort,” she said. “It really helped us that the community was caring so much for her, too, because we never felt like we were alone in this. It’s amazing how wonderful the people in Huntsville are.”

The Difference of Three Years

Three years later, Cynthia and Walter Bennett will celebrate Mother’s Day and the twins’ birthday with their now 6-year-old son, Brad.

“It was amazing that he went from being three and a half to being a very well-adjusted little boy,” Mrs. Bennett said. “He’s been amazing.”

After three years, Mr. Bennett appreciates even the smallest details about the celebration, down to the fact that Ashley “will get to eat birthday cake.”

“It’s great that her birthday falls on Mother’s Day, because she got a lot of care from her mother. She’s a miracle,” he said. “(Cynthia) is like a doctor without the certification.”

As for her current interpretation of Mother’s Day, Mrs. Bennett feels that the day’s best gift is “how wonderful things are three years later.”

“It’s better now than we ever could have imagined. I feel like being a parent is the best job ever, and the most important thing I can do is be a good mom,” she said. “Mother’s Day reminds me of that.”