I hear and see the sirens, ambulances and fire trucks are rolling down my street. I flag them down so they know where to go. I rush in the house they are right behind me I get out of their way. You are probably sitting there wondering what’s going on lets rewind a little less than 3 months. Its Christmas the whole family is over at my grandma’s house for presents and dinner. My mom is about 8 or 9 months pregnant she is in pain having contractions a lot, she is really upset. Christmas 2009 I was a happy young boy but I was not yet ready for the road to come. December 26 my mom goes into labor. At 12:33 out pops out a ray of sunshine and happiness. My grandma takes me to my mom’s hospital room to see my newly born brother Deondre. He was so fragile at the time, I was so scared to hold him, I didn’t even know how to hold him I was scared I would brake him. I finally got him in my arms as looked at him he looked back at me and I could see that he loved me and that he and I were going to have a great time together.
Time goes on I start to get more and more comfortable with Deondre. The more I get comfortable with Deondre the more I do for him I started by helping my mom feed him than I start helping her changing him and help giving him baths. After basketball practice after school I would always be so ecstatic when my mom finally picked me, while she was on maternity leave. I was also so happy to see him and to be able to play with him. My mom was on maternity leave for 2 weeks. While she was on leave I got in trouble so she had to bring Deondre into the school to talk to my principle. Even during this meeting I couldn’t focus on what they were say because I was messing around with my brother, and the principle and my mom where talking about Deondre. When my mom was done with maternity leave, she enrolled him at Debra T Thomas Learning Center.  My mom and I started a routine, my mom would wake me up in the morning around 6 a.m. I would get up, help my mom wake him. Once we woke him it was time for bath then we dried him and put his diaper and clothes on and he was pretty much ready to go then my mom and I went to go get ready my mom would drop me off at daycare after we dropped Deondre of at his daycare and I didn’t see either one of them till about 4 p.m. that night. My mom and I would go get Deondre from daycare. Boy, was I mad if my mom picked Deondre up before she picked me up. When my mom and I would go pick Deondre up she would usually tell me to get his diaper bag ready. I would usually ignore her and start to get Deondre ready putting him in his car seat and putting is blankets on him to stay warm. Our routine stayed pretty consistent till one night March 15th 2010.
  My mom and I were so tired. We stopped at McDonalds to pick up some food since my mom was too tired to cook. I went to bed real, real early around 5 or 6 I was so tired from what I have no  clue. I woke up early that next morning earlier than usual around 5 a.m. all by myself my mom was still asleep. I went and checked on Deondre who was next to my mom in his bassinet. He looked perfectly content he was still sleeping. So I went to take a shower it was a pretty long shower because when I got out it was around 5:30 a.m. I got ready and went to check on my brother again he was still asleep. I went back to my room and started to build this little green Lego truck my mom had bought me earlier in the week because whenever she bought my brother something she always bought me something around the same price. I got done building that around 5:55 a.m. I thought it was time I went and woke up my brother and my mom. I went to my mom’s bed side and started to wake her up I look over at Deondre and see that he has a bloody nose, I instantly got worried I reached down to grab him as soon as I laid my hands on him I felt his cold body. I picked him up, I look over at my mom, I say to her “mom I think Deondre is dead”. Her eyes shoot open she looks at me “give me your brother” she replies. I hand her my brother my mom freaks out she starts crying, I’m worried and scared. I think maybe he is just cold so I say to my mom “why don’t we just give him a bath it should warm him up”. My mom completely ignores me, she then tells me later that a bath wasn’t going to help. My mom yells at me “where is my phone”. I run to get my mom phone from her purse. As soon as I hand my mom her phone she calls 911 the operator is walking my mom through the steps of C.P.R. My mom laid my brother on the floor and followed the directions the operator gave to her. She told me to go outside and look for the ambulance and throw our dog shadow in her cage, I ran outside to look, I saw the lights off in the distance, when I saw them pull down our street I waved my hand franticly in the air. I see the ambulance first and then I see fire trucks and fire engines follow. I run back in the house to tell my mom that they were here. As soon as I get done telling my mom 4 or 5 guys rush in and they tell my mom to leave the living room. So my mom and I go outside our neighbors that are very loyal to Christ come over and pray with us. Marshelle tells my mom “he’s not dead until the put that bag over him”.  My mom and I are pacing backing forth freaking out crying scared for Deondre. You can hear in the house my dog barking because she is in her cage, and the EMT’s working on Deondre “clear”. They bring Deondre out on a stretcher some of his onesie on one arm and around his neck and a tube going down his throat and sticking out his mouth. The EMT’s tell my mom they are taking him to Broman hospital since it was closer. We lock up the house and race to the hospital.
On our way to the hospital we were contacting family. We arrived at the hospital before the ambulance. We waited on the ambulance to get there then we followed the EMT’s into the hospitals. They gave us a waiting room while we waited on the doctors to work on Deondre. Family started to show up my grandma and uncle were the first to arrive at the hospital. Our neighbors also came to the hospital to pray with us and to be with us. We tried to contact Deondre’s dad also my dad but did not pick up the phone. We sat in the waiting room and waited what seemed like forever was only a few short minuets. The doctor was came in at 7:02 a.m. and pronounced him dead my heart sunk, I instantly started crying. Deondre died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. We were also told we could go see him. My mom and I went to see him, my mom lifted the blanket to see his body she was immediately yelled at because the case was under investigation. My mom later told me that there was blue finger prints all over his body. But as soon as I saw him I broke down, not only was I extremely sad, I was pissed. My mom then sent my grandma and I to go wake my dad because she felt he need to know which he did. When we arrived at his house we sat and bagged on the door and the window to try and wake him. He finally opened my grandma broke the news to him at this point he just gets furious he starts yelling and crying and throwing stuff.
We buried Deondre March 19th 2010. To this day I miss Deondre so much I think about him from time to time. I think about where I would be if he were still here, or where wouldn’t be if he were. Where my life may or may not be.