No words can describe the way that the world silently crashes around you when you learn that your child is sick, and if you know exactly what feeling I am talking about, then I am so, so sorry.
When I tell you that nothing else mattered, I mean it with every fiber of my being. The flowers lost their color. Food lost its flavor. My mind oscillated violently between feeling absolutely nothing and complete panic. Desperate prayers of barely formed thoughts ran constantly in the back of my mind.
“He has to get better – you have to make him better – Please…I’ll do anything – just let him be okay.”
And then the waiting. The pretending. The canned response when asked how he’s doing. The acting like it was normal to just pick up where we left off. To ignore that our world was shattered and that we had no idea what would come next.
We created some absolutely stunning florals that summer. Our pumpkin crop and fall farmstand was top notch. We grew our largest pumpkin ever, one of the heaviest in the whole state. But the real accomplishment is that we survived – and we couldn’t have if it weren’t for the incredible members of our community. Those customers who sold us out of flowers at the Farmstand week after week. Who supported us at other local businesses. Our wedding couples who trusted us to bring their vision to life. The pumpkin patrons who came to see us at the farm.
Someday I’ll get to tell that little boy how I held him all night for a week straight, lit only by the glow of the hospital monitors and dozing in small spurts only to be awakened by nurse checks as soon as my eyes finally shut. I’ll tell him how a lightning storm looks in the middle of the night from the window of a 12th story hospital room – frightening and beautiful and full of turmoil, like the inside of my mind that whole week. I’ll get to show him photos of his golden, nearly radioactive looking little body – the intake nurse told me I would someday, but I didn’t believe her. There’s a lot I won’t ever tell him about, but I’ll never forget to tell you him much of a miracle he is.
I am forever in awe of that little boy, his doctors and care team at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and of the grace of God. I am in awe of his dad, his sister, and the extended family that he will get to grow up in. The friends and neighbors who reached out to check in. The supporters all around our community.
Most of all, I am in awe that it’s all over now. That we never have to go back. The outcome that we never expected but prayed so hard for: That we really do get to keep him, forever.
And now, 2 years later…we are so incredibly proud to announce our Blooms for Babes fundraiser benefitting Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. At our annual Dahlia Days event on August 15th, 16th, 29th and 30th, 100% of proceeds from the sale of craft brews and wines from 3 Sheeps Brewing Co and SoLu Winery will be donated.
With your help, we hope to raise critical funds to provide technology, research, resources, and the highest level of care for patients at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. It is only through the generous support of our community and people like you that Children’s Wisconsin can continue to provide the best pediatric care and support programs available. Thousands of children are treated each year for all types of illnesses, injuries, birth defects and other disorders. Care is provided for all throughout the state regardless of race, creed, or ability to pay for services.
To learn more about Dahlia Days, or the Blooms for Babes fundraiser, please head to our website www.airypointfarms.com or reach out directly at airypointfarms@gmail.com
And, again, I can never say it enough: Thank you.
Nicole Sippel is a Certified Veterinary Nurse turned Dairy Farmer’s Wife turned Small Business Owner and Lead Floral Designer of Airy Point Farms. Located just south of Saint Cloud in eastern Fond du Lac County, Nicole and her husband Derek grow gorgeous flowers and heirloom pumpkins for sale at their Farmstand, and host on-farm events where you can pick your own. By caring for the land through sustainable farming practices, they provide Locally and Lovingly Grown products to showcase the Art of Agriculture.
