The Inner Views of Shyla Brown

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:37-39

(KJV)

Most of you dear readers will remember the precious lady I am interviewing today.

Many of you have faithfully and earnestly prayed for her and her family.

Her story is one of untold heartache, yet, incredible strength.

She has faced the absolute worst, and, yet, she has proven to be more than a conqueror through her love for God and faith in His ability to sustain even in the worst of circumstances.

The original prayer request posted for her and her family in this post still continues to be 

one of the most popular posts ever published here on Homespun Devotions,

having been viewed over 264,000 times.

I know you are going to enjoy getting to know her better and reading an update on her

and her family.

Shyla, Quinton, Steven, Makeya, Neveya, and Max Brown

The

of
Wife, Mother of 4, and Someone who will never give up on hope, 

Shyla Brown.

Cheryl:  Please tell us about yourself.

Shyla:  I came into this world July 16, 1990, to the best mother any girl could ask for. I was the little girl she always wanted, but thought she could never have. I believe God gave my mother a baby when she would need one the most. You see, while my mom was in the operating room having me, my dad was on another floor fighting for his life. My dad made one promise to my mother - he would not leave this world until he heard me say, "Daddy". He was able to keep that promise, but shortly after I said my first word, "daddy", he went home to be with the Lord. My daddy passed away on Feb. 15, 1991, due to cancer. When I was 4 years old, my mom married my stepdad, and we moved into his house with his 2 daughters. I lived there until I was kicked out by my stepfather because I became pregnant at 17 years old. My mom and I rented out a trailer, and we stayed there until I decided to move in with the baby's father, when the baby was just a couple months old. MaKeya La-Shay Brown was born Feb 16, 2008, just one hour and fifty minutes from the day that my daddy had passed away 17 years before. Makeya was not only a gift from God, but she is also a gift from my daddy, as well. On May 3, 2009, I married that little girl's father, the boy who had been my best friend since I was 4 years old and my high school sweetheart.  On June 8, 2009, at just 36 weeks, we welcomed a handsome little boy into this world, Quinton Xaiver Brown. I had a lot of difficulties while pregnant with him and almost lost him several times. After having him, I got an IUD put in. I wanted more kids in the future, just not right then. The IUD ended up cutting into my cervix, and I had to get it removed. The IUD caused so much damage that the doctor told me I would not be able to carry any more children. That news devastated me. I always wanted a big family, and now they were telling me that I couldn't have that. I left it in Gods hands, and on Feb. 20, 2012, he gave me another handsome little boy. While in labor with him, though, I had a lot of complications. I lost a lot of blood. The baby was not doing so well either. He was having trouble breathing on his own, and he was transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. We were not sure if he was going to survive. My husband had to go home to our other two children, but my mom and I never left Max's side. The doctors told us if he survived, he would be on a vent for at least a month. That month turned into five days. The doctors told us that after the vent was removed, he would probably be put on the cannula for another month. That month turned into just one day. The doctors also told me that it would take at least a week for him to even start sucking from a bottle. That week turned into 0 days because he drank half of the first bottle they gave him. He would have finished the bottle but the doctors did not him to over do it. What was estimated to be at least a 3 month stay turned into just 9 days. On Feb. 29, 2012, we brought Max Rian Brown home for the first time. God wasn't done yet. He not only gave me one child after the doctors told me I could not have anymore, but He gave me two. Neveya Ranaye Brown was born Feb. 22, 2013.

Cheryl:  How old were you when you became a Christian? Were you raised in a Christian home? What drew you to Christ?

Shyla:  I grew up in church. My mom took me to a church just about everyday. I became closer to God, though, when Max was first born, and even closer after our car accident in 2014.

Cheryl:  How did you meet Steven? When did you realize that he was “the one” for you? How long have you been married?

Shyla:  I first met Steven when I was just four years old. We became best friends quickly. We lost contact though for awhile, until we reached middle school. We became best friends again when we entered High School. I always had a crush on him, but I was afraid that if I admitted that to him, it would ruin our friendship. It was just a crush, right? It would go away. As time went on, I realized that what I was feeling was more then just a crush, and I had to tell him how I felt. Junior prom was coming up, and I decided to ask him to go with me. His response, "I thought you would never ask." We have been together ever since. We have been together for 9 years and married for 7.

Cheryl:  For those who are not familiar with your story, in your words, can you please tell us what happened on Saturday, August 2, 2014?

Shyla:  On August 2, 2014, my husband was driving our children and me to his mom's where we would drop him off to spend time with his mom, and I was going to take the kids to a back- to-school event at the church. We never made it to his mother's. My husband lost control of the vehicle, and we went off the side of the road into a tree. My big boy, Quinton, was called Home, instantly. My son, Max, was taken to a local hospital, where they airlifted him from there to Nationwide Children's Hospital. Steven and Makeya were airlifted from the scene to Cabell Huntington Hospital. That is where Makeya stayed until August 13, 2014, when we had her transferred to Nationwide. Neveya and I were transferred to a local hospital, where they took her by ambulance to Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Cheryl:  How did you and Steven cope with the loss of your precious 5 year old son, Quinton? How did your faith in God see you through such unthinkable pain?

Shyla:  There are 4 things that God gives you to help you get through life; love, patience, belief, and strength. God sent me 4 Angels to teach me each one of these things. My first Angel He sent me, named Makeya, taught me love. She showed me how to love greater then I knew was possible. My second Angel, named Quinton, taught me patience. He was a sweetheart, but he was also rotten. Not only did I have to have patience in those 5 years of having him but also while I was pregnant with him. My third Angel, named Max, taught me to have belief. If I didn't believe in God and didn't pray to Him, I would have lost that little boy when he was first born. My fourth Angel, named Neveya, taught me strength. I have never been good with pain, but when I had her, I was unable to get any kind of pain medication. I found out that day that I was stronger then I ever knew I was. Love, Patience, Belief, and Strength...that is the 4 things that help me daily. On the day they put my son's body in the ground, God sent me a fifth Angel that day. I got down on that ground, and I was ready to give up. I just wanted to be buried with him. I looked up at my cousin's tombstone, who had passed away in 2009, and I saw him standing there. As plain as day, my cousin was standing there looking right at me. He said to me, "Get up Shyla. Quinton is ok, but those other babies need you, so just get up, and go to them." So that is what I did. I got off that ground and went back to the hospital, hearing my cousin's words in my head every day and keeping in my mind those 4 things that all 4 of those Angels taught me; love, patience, belief, and strength.

Cheryl:  Along with the loss of your firstborn son, both your daughter, Makeya, and your son, Max, were left permanently paralyzed. How did you feel when you first received such devastating news? Can you tell us about the extent of their injuries?

Shyla:  I first learned about Makeya. They said she was a quadriplegic. The doctor told me she would never be able to color, write, brush her own teeth, or even push her own wheelchair. Her neck was broken, she damaged her spinal chord, she had spinal fluid leakage, and she had bleeding on the brain. All of this news was difficult to hear, but I think for me, the most difficult was to hear that she could never color or write again. If you knew Makeya, you knew how much she loved to color and draw. She loved being just like her daddy - an artist, she would say.

Max had a broken pelvis, his spinal chord was completely torn in half, he had bleeding on the brain, injuries to his chest, lungs, heart, and spleen. It took them almost 2 weeks to find out what was wrong with him, because even on a ventilator his O2 would drop every time they would try and get an X-Ray or MRI. When they finally did, I was told that he would be a paraplegic, vent-dependent.

I don't know how to explain in words what it was like to hear that two of your children would never be able to walk again, but I haven't given up hope and I never will. God's not done yet.

Cheryl:  How long did Makeya and Max have to be hospitalized? What most sustained you during those difficult days?

Shyla:  Makeya was released from the hospital on October 23, 2014. Max was released on December 19, 2014. When Makeya was released, we had my mom, who had been watching Neveya for me while the kids were in the hospital, bring her up there to us. Steven and I would take turns. One night, he would stay at the McDonald House with the girls while I stayed with Max, and the next night, we would switch. We even enrolled Makeya into a school while we were up there. All together, we spent 4 and a half months in that hospital.  It became our 2nd home. The workers became our 2nd family, and they sure helped us out a lot during our stay and even, to this day.

Cheryl:  How is Makeya doing now? How has her condition improved since the days immediately following the accident?

Shyla:  Makeya is the strongest little girl I have ever known. She has never once given up. She tells me everyday that God will make her walk again someday. Despite what the doctors told me, Makeya CAN push her own wheelchair, she CAN brush her own teeth. she CAN feed herself, she colors and draws everyday, and while she was attending school, I received a letter stating that she had beautiful handwriting. Makeya is now 8 years old and is homeschooled due to doctor appointments and being a little behind from where she had missed so much school. If you ask her what God has done for her, she responds with, "He moved my arms." Instead of a quadriplegic, she is now a quadriplegic with some hand movement.

Cheryl:  How is Max? Can you please share with us about his progress and how he is doing now?

Shyla:  Max has had a couple setbacks, but with each one he recovered a little more each time. At the beginning, the doctors told me he would be on a ventilator for the rest of his life. They told me that the muscles that he uses to breathe were paralyzed. I am happy to announce that those muscles are now working, and he is only on a BI PAP machine at night, off everything during the day. He is now 4 years old, and instead of a paraplegic vent-dependent, he is a paraplegic working on getting his tracheotomy out in the future. 

Cheryl:  How are YOU? As a mother, how has life changed for you since August 2, 2014?

Shyla:  I still take it day by day. Even after almost 2 years, it still feels like a nightmare that I just want to wake up from. I hold my babies a little bit tighter, and I make sure daily they know just how much I love them.

Cheryl:  I know Steven was injured in the accident.  How is he doing now?  

Shyla:  He still takes it day by day. He still has to take over-the-counter medication because he can't sleep without having nightmares.. He still has trouble with his knee. Last summer, he had to go back to the ER because he went outside to mow the yard and did not wear his brace, so it damaged it a little more. He still needs the surgery, but still refuses to get it done.

Cheryl:  If you were sitting across the table from a parent who is dealing with severe challenges, what advice would you give them?

Shyla:  Trust in God, because through Him, anything is possible.

Cheryl:  What is the most valuable lesson you have learned through all you have suffered?

Shyla:  Something I tell my kids every day; never give up. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do, believe in God. He has the last say, and He can make anything happen.

Cheryl:  The aftermath of such devastating circumstances places an unbelievable level of strain upon a marital relationship. How do you and Steven manage to keep your love alive and your marriage strong? Can you share specific steps you take to insure that you do not grow apart as a couple?

Shyla:  A lot of people have asked me this question. But, in all honesty, we don't do anything different than we did before the accident. We never go to bed mad at each other, we try to spend sometime alone together, whether it be getting a babysitter and going out to eat and watching a movie, or just watching a movie at the house, or sitting on the back porch and talking at night while the kids are in bed. Steven and I need each other more now than we have ever needed each other. Our love has only grown stronger, and I honestly don't know what I would do without him.

Cheryl:  What have you learned about the goodness and kindness in the hearts of others through your heartbreak?

Shyla:  Even in this world of evil, there are still so many good people out there. I could never thank people enough for the love that they have shown my family since our accident. I have learned that no matter what people go through, when something happens, we still pull together to help a person in need.

Cheryl:  You received some very special news on Mothers Day of this year. Can you tell us about it?

Shyla:  It was February or March when I got the phone call from the rehab center at Nationwide Children's Hospital asking me if Makeya and Steven would be interested in doing a father/daughter video about their stay in the hospital. Steven was not home, but I told them, yes. Makeya loved attention, and I knew that she would love making a video. It was either the next day or the day after that when Steven got a phone call. Not sure what was said over the phone. The only thing he told me was that I was not allowed to go...that it could only be him and Makeya. Of course I got mad, because I never missed anything Makeya ever did. I thought it was Steven's fault, but then I thought, well, maybe he just wants a daddy/daughter day, so they went without me. About a month later, I found out why I was not allowed to go when I saw a video on Facebook that Lane Bryant, a clothing company, had shared. It is a video of my little girl telling them how much I mean to her. In that video they asked her if she could give me anything at all, what would it be? She answered, "Go to Disney Land." That video was a mothers day surprise to me. Two days before Mothers Day, I received a package with 2 Minnie Mouse dolls, a Mickey Mouse doll, Minnie Mouse ears, $500 gift card, and a letter letting us know that they were making Makeya's wish-to-parent come true, and they are sending us to Disney World at the end of this year. The same day we received this package, we also got the news that my nephew's adoption had been finalized, after 3 years. He was now in Kentucky with my mom, where he belongs to stay. Both of these gifts were wonderful, but the best gift did not come until Mothers Day, when Makeya was able to raise her foot up by herself when told to. This Mother's Day was wonderful, and the only thing that could have made it better was if I had my Quinton here.

If video doesn't load, click here.

Cheryl:  Through your pain and heartbreaking trials, what has most comforted and sustained you? Are there particular Scriptures, books, hymns, or other resources that have helped you to know

that you are not alone?

Shyla:  Knowing that God was working on my children and seeing it daily. Seeing the signs that my guardian Angels that God sent to me really helped, as well. I knew I wasn't alone. There is a picture down below that we now have on a clock that says, "Every minute of the day, our guardian Angel walks beside us." In this picture, I want you to look beside me. That is what helps...knowing that my Quinton still walks with me daily.

 ​Cheryl:  How can we pray for you right now? What specific needs can we share and help to lift to the Father on your behalf?

Shyla:  Pray for more strength. Pray that my children continue to show improvements and continue showing those doctors that they don't have the last say. God does, and He is not done talking yet. 

If video doesn't load, click here.

To read all previous posts on the Brown family, 

click these links.

Original Brown Family Post

1ST UPDATE,

2ND UPDATE,

3RD UPDATE,

4TH UPDATE,

5TH UPDATE,

6TH UPDATE,

7TH UPDATE,

 8TH UPDATE,

 9TH UPDATE.

 10TH UPDATE,

 11TH UPDATE,

 12TH UPDATE,

 13TH UPDATE,

 14TH UPDATE,

 15TH UPDATE,

 16TH UPDATE,

 17TH UPDATE, 

 18TH UPDATE,

 19TH UPDATE,

 20TH UPDATE,

 21ST UPDATE

 22ND UPDATE,

 23RD UPDATE,

 24TH UPDATE,

25TH UPDATE,

 26TH UPDATE,

 27TH UPDATE,

 The Brown Family - One Year Later

Max Brown Video

To read previous

 click the links below.

The Inner Views of Joshua Becker

 The Inner Views of Lisa Newton

The Inner Views of Dr. Alveda King

The Inner Views of Jen Avellaneda

The Inner Views of Tonya Shellnutt

The Inner Views of Karen Del Tatto

The Inner Views of Evelyn Rennich

The Inner Views of Bob Sellers

The Inner Views of Kelly Bowling

The Inner Views of The Benham Brothers
The Inner Views of Beth Willis Miller
The Inner Views of Rodney Griffin
The Inner Views of Joni Eareckson Tada
The Inner Views of Gayle Cox

The Inner Views of Wayne Mobley
The Inner Views of Chris West
The Inner Views of Gail Purath

A BIG thank you to Shyla for sharing her heart with us here.
May God continue to bless and heal and comfort this dear family as only He can.

Thank you for reading, and please feel free to share with others!