Oliver's Story...
An Abundance of Faith

By Noreen Hyslop

Do you believe in miracles? Phil and Cindy Warren do, along with a host of local folks who witnessed an event recently that would be hard to define in any other way.

In order to fully appreciate this story, a bit of history is in order. Phil Warren is the pastor of Dexter's Second General Baptist Church. His wife, Cindy, who teaches first grade at Southwest Elementary, is involved with the youth of the church, as well. The pastorship brought the couple to Dexter from Bethalto, Illinois about six years ago. The Warren family is a diverse one. Phil Warren's first wife died of breast cancer when their daughter, Abbie, was just a toddler. They had two older children as well, now grown and on their own. Cindy Warren was also married previously and widowed at the age of 24, when her husband was tragically killed in a car accident. Her son, James, was not quite three months old at the time. Years later, the two met and married in Illinois, where Phil pastored a church. They share a strong and enduring faith, in spite of the challenges and tragedies that life has presented.

About six years ago, the Warrens became acquainted with a young girl in the community who eventually gave birth, as a single parent, to a little boy. The mother, just 15 years old, had been diagnosed with cancer at age 11. Reverend Warren, along with a couple within his church, ministered to the young mother, even making a trip to a Memphis hospital to see the newborn. It was during that hospital visit that the young mother handed Phil Warren a note, scribed on a piece of lined notebook paper, stating her wish for the Warrens to take over the care of this infant son, should anything happen to her or the baby's grandmother. When the infant, whom she named Oliver, was three months old, the young mother moved from the area and close contact with the Warrens was not maintained. Little did the Warrens know what a vital role this child would come to play in their lives.

Then last spring came an amazing turn of events for the Warren family. It was learned that Oliver's mother had died of cancer when Oliver was three. Oliver's grandmother had taken the responsibility of raising the child. Now, they learned that the grandmother, who was his sole caretaker, had been diagnosed with cancer herself and would soon be unable to care for Oliver. With the birth mother's wish earlier defined, the Warrens, without hesitation, welcomed Oliver into their home with open arms. Into this diverse family came a bit more diversity. They quickly began adoption proceedings and on December 18th of 2002, Oliver became Oliver Warren. "I felt," Cindy recalls, "like I was given the greatest gift that God could possibly have given me." She added, "I recall holding Oliver close to me in Church and feeling somewhat guilty that no one around me was granted as special a gift."

Oliver, barely five, began his school career in kindergarten in August at Southwest Elementary School before his name change, comfortably adapting to the Warren household. He adjusted well into his new surroundings, relishing in the attention of his extended family and all the members of Second General Baptist Church. Oliver, the Warren's quickly learned, was all boy, a healthy, happy five year old who seemingly was flourishing in his new environment. He anxiously awaited Santa's arrival in December, shortly after the adoption became final, and pled for a bright red pickup truck...the battery-operated kind he could sit in and drive himself. As it turned out, the truck was a bit extravagant for Santa's budget, but Oliver was content with a variety of smaller scale presents.
In January, the older children, James and Abbie, both had bouts with the flu. Cindy Warren recalls, "Nothing was unusual about either case." "Both recovered in a couple of days and returned to school." Oliver attended his kindergarten classes on Thursday, January 30th, but by the conclusion of the school day, it was apparent that he, too, was showing symptoms of the flu...stomach ache, headache, low grade temperature. He missed classes on Friday and did not show much improvement on Saturday, but his condition did not seem to be worsening either. 

Then Sunday morning, Oliver awoke and his parents' concerns elevated. His heart rate was quickened and he was increasingly lethargic. His breathing consisted of deep, rapid breaths. The Warrens took Oliver to the emergency room in Dexter, where his condition was found to be rapidly declining. While in the ER, Oliver began to vomit blood. An alerted ER staff made a call to Children's Hospital in St. Louis relaying Oliver's symptoms and in minutes, a helicopter was in the air headed toward Missouri Health South. Upon arrival, Oliver, with his mother on board, (an unusual circumstance found that there was no co-pilot on board so Oliver's mother occupied that seat) was airlifted to St. Louis in the hands of a skilled doctor and nurse team. While Rev. Phil Warren made the drive to St. Louis, making a series of frantic calls on the way, Oliver's condition was declining in the skies above St. Louis County. 

When his status was evaluated upon reaching Children's Hospital, the Warren family was met with the most devastating news of their parenting years. Oliver's liver was failing. Immediate blood tests revealed dangerously elevated counts regarding his liver enzymes. With a count fewer than 60 considered dangerously low, Oliver's glucose count registered at 13 upon admission. Toxins, as a result of the flu, were apparently invading his tiny system and destroying his vital organs (although this theory may never be confirmed). He was dehydrated and his kidneys were showing signs of weakening, as well. His admission sheet listed "liver and renal failure." On a scale whose normal range registers in the range of 35, Oliver's ALT's (liver enzymes) were off the scale at 14,459! Oliver was in critical condition and was immediately placed in ICU, where a comatose state was induced so that a ventilator could be introduced and a nasal gastric tube using intermittent suction could be inserted in an effort to drain the blood that was filling his abdomen.   (part 1 of 2, to be continued next week)