This Memoir Written By A 12-Year-Old Girl Leaves Us All In Tears

Imagine a peaceful night after coming home from a fun mother’s day at your grandparents, only to find that very soon a life or death situation will occur. I could never imagine anything like what happened that night to ever happen. Have you ever had to just do and not think to save a life? Imagine helping to try and save your own two-year-old sister’s life at the age of twelve on mother’s day night because of a life threatening brain seizure. 

This is how it all began. I was getting out of the shower on mother’s day night when suddenly I heard my mom’s voice yelling “Call 911. Somebody call 911.” I wrapped my towel around me and ran out of the bathroom. The first things I saw was my brother, Hayden running down the stairs to get my dad who was outside before it all happened. Then I saw my six-year-old sister, Fallon crying in the doorway of her room. I ran to my mom’s room and I saw my two-year-old sister, Kinsley laying limp in my mother’s arms as if she was a rag doll, and then I saw my nine-year-old sister, Maeve calling 911.

Kinsley looked like she wasn’t breathing.

Her eyes were rolling inside her head and her legs were twitching. It was the scariest moment of my life. It was even scarier then anything I could ever imagine. I ran downstairs to her room where we keep her medical supplies and her toys and I grabbed the oxygen tank and ran up the stairs still wrapped in my towel. I turned on the oxygen tank and gave the mask to my dad who put it on her tiny, blue face. I went to go get dressed before the paramedics arrived. While getting changed my whole body shook. That was the time when I could finally breathe and take it all in. Then a million different thoughts raced through my head. The dreadful “what ifs?” and how it could could change my life forever.

I ran downstairs where my dad was now holding Kinsley waiting for the paramedics to arrive. I cleared the area furiously throwing shoes left and right so the paramedics could come in. I told my sisters to calm down and go upstairs and that she would be okay even though I wasn’t sure about that myself. My brother called my grandpa to come and and watch us since my parents were going to follow them to the hospital. My mom was running around gathering the information about Kinsley and her list of medicines to give to the medics.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they arrived.

First some cop cars came racing down the street and then the ambulance speeding right behind them. The first cop came in to look at what was happening and told my brother to get our dog Goose out of the way. Some volunteers came in next, one of them was our neighbor from up the street. Before they took Kinsley to the ambulance, I said goodbye hoping she would be okay and that I would see her again. They got her breathing better and out of the seizure when they went to the ambulance. My parents followed them out and told me and my brother to look after our sisters and wait for our grandpa to come. Before they left, they came back in and said, “she is crying,” which means, “she’s breathing fully now.” Then they left for the hospital.

When they left my head was blurred and I didn’t know what to do. My whole world was turned upside down. My world was frozen and all I knew to do is to look after my sisters and keep their minds on something else since I knew that they were thinking the same thing as I did which was, “Will we see our baby sister again?”

We looked out the window to watch everyone leave. The girls started to ask me what was going to happen, “Is Kinsley going to be okay, when will they be back?” they asked. As I stared back at my sisters’ sad, scared, and worried faces, all I could do is think of what to say. I was lost for words. I could only tell them to hope and pray that she will be okay.

Around 2:00 am, my parents came back with Kinsley. I ran to the car to see my sister. She was in her car-seat limp, pale and sleepy. I sat there and cried. I told her that she will be okay and I told her she needed to get better. My parents went back to the hospital for brain tests and scans. The doctors said that it was definitely a seizure but that nothing came back on the tests. After a week, my sister came home. 

They still have no idea what happened that night. My mom said that all we can do is hope that we never have to have the scare of that night again.

I have seen the worst and I am prepared for whatever comes my way. I am not scared of this happening again because now I know what to do. My whole family worked together to help save her. Kinsley is strong enough to go up against anything and she is able to fight away anything that comes her way. No matter what happens, she will always be smiling and not everyone can smile away the pain like she does.

Imagine having to do something and not having time to think at all. One missed step could have changed it all. Imagine seeing a little girl laughing at the sight of her siblings after being in a life or death situation and in the hospital for a week and coming home.

That is Kinsley Erin-Carlin Geurds. She is my hero!

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Articles by Patricia Geurds

Patricia Geurds

My name is Patricia Geurds. I am a mother of five children ages thirteen, eleven, eight, five, and 22 months. The experiences I share with my children inspire my writing. Writing is my hobby, but also a therapeutic process on the challenging days that often accompanies motherhood. The memories we make are very special to me and I am excited to share them. Before becoming a mom, I was a second grade school teacher. I have self published the children’s story, “Bedtime for Percy.” I look forward to writing more children’s books and developing products to make learning more meaningful for young children.