Brenna Deshawn Dowd
Brenna Deshawn Dowd
Brenna Deshawn
Dowd blessed the lives of her parents, Pamela Dowd of Boise and the late Carrol
Dowd, on January 15, 1983. With her mother’s encouragement for the journey,
Brenna took the hands of Jesus on October 1, 2011, with her mother at her side.
Upon
Brenna’s first Sunday at the Twin Falls Presbyterian Church, Brenna gained the
title of
church baby
from those who
knew and loved her. She later attended the Twin Falls Church of the Nazarene
and the Twin Falls Reformed Church. She loved her Lord and gained a sound
foundation for her faith from her Sunday School teacher, Pat Sorenson.
During her
early years, Brenna was in frequent attendance at city council meetings in Twin
Falls. She loved her time there, as well as her many visits to the Twin Falls
Police Department where staff educated her on personal safety and to the
Engineering Department where she coveted their CAD program. When Brenna began
home schooling in the sixth grade, she enjoyed visiting trials in court,
quickly deciding that attorney Keith Roark was her choice if she ever needed an
attorney. Mom suggested strongly that she never need his services.
Brenna attended
the College of Southern Idaho. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice
Administration in December 2008 from the University of Phoenix. She worked
toward her Master’s in CJA and was four classes from the goal. Her GPA was
96.437 at the time of her sudden illness in May 2010. Her personal integrity
and goal of perfection in assignments gained the respect of her teammates.
Brenna
loved the deer that wintered in the Warm Springs area and many nights her
“MOM!” indicated her desire to drive around looking for deer in the middle of
the night. When she first discovered the Warm Springs elk wintering with the
cattle, Brenna called him Zebedee. She loved the quail that bobbed through the
neighborhood and roosted in the tree outside our window. She was thrilled the
night we saw three wolves chasing after a deer. Another “MOM!” indicated her
wish to make a midnight run to Wal-Mart after she completed her class work.
Upon the
death of her father in 2004, Brenna and Pam traveled over 15,000 miles in a
motorhome. They went to Washington, DC, in 2005 to testify before an FDA panel
and to protest in front of the FDA. In 2009, they drove to Boston to initiate
the process of participating in the cure for Type I diabetes, discovered by
Harvard researcher, Dr. Denise Faustman, with funding initiated by the Iacocca
Foundation. Along the way, Brenna educated many strangers on this non-invasive
cure for Type I diabetes. Her personal goal was to be healthy and cured of her
diabetes so she could help children with no voice in the criminal justice
system.
On May 26,
2010, Brenna suffered a sudden medically unexplained anoxic brain injury,
following a retina repair surgery. With the help of Nick, Stacey, and Tausha of
Life Care-Treasure Valley (Boise), and Christina and Amy at Global Rehab (Ft.
Worth), Brenna fought valiantly for recovery from her brain injury. She loved
her time in the LiteGait because that gave her freedom from the four walls of
her room.
With the
hope of acceptance at a brain injury rehab hospital in Texas, Pam and her
driving crew of Paul Repp and Derold Clifford took Brenna to Texas in June 2011.
While not accepted into a brain rehab center, Pam learned the heart-breaking
news that the brain injury rehab hospitals have a quota of 35% acquired brain
injury patients and were seeking to reduce that quota in Congress. Once again,
Pam called upon Paul and Derold with Mary Davis to bring Brenna home, where her
mother had begged to have her for 16 months.
Just as
Brenna had touched so many people in Idaho, she gained the love of many others
across Texas and beyond. Our good friend, Karen Bunker led her prayer warriors
as they prayed many hours for Brenna and Pam. Brenna’s story inspired poems and
songs. Rev. Jerry Wilkerson and his precious wife Paula and their sons took us
under their wings. Diana Boring gave Brenna’s story the front page of her
monthly newspaper. Nurse Emma put her hands upon Brenna’s chest and prayed
until she reached Heaven. Virginia and Jeff Roylance share this journey with
their son Chris who also suffers from an anoxic brain injury. These are only a
few of the people who made those days in Texas special.
Brenna
enjoyed the eight days she was in her own home, surrounded by familiar sights
and her mother’s love and care. Tippy guarded her bedside and little Gibbs took
up residence under her arm.
Brenna’s
mother will grieve her loss forever. Tippy watches the door for her return and
little Gibbs is looking for his napping partner. Brenna was never a burden to
her mom, caring for her was no sacrifice, and her mother claims no right to the
title of hero. She was and will always be the light of her mother’s heart.
Brenna has many family members and friends who will miss her precious smile and
quiet presence.
Pam would
like to thank Dr. Blumhardt and his dedicated ICU staff at St. Alphonsus for
making her final days ones of caring and comfort and for treating her with
dignity and respect. When Pam knew Brenna’s time on earth was closing, she
asked to bring Brenna home one last time. Dr. Blumhardt and his team made that
possible. St. Alphonsus Home Health made Brenna’s stay at home comfortable. At
the end, Dr. Clifford and his hospice team of Four Rivers Hospice and Timothy
of Norco Medical stood by Brenna’s side with Pam and friends as Brenna crossed
into Heaven. Brenna’s recovery journey ended with a sudden cardiac arrest at
her home.
Services
will be held Sunday, October 9, 2011, at Alden Waggoner Funeral Chapel, 5400
Fairview Ave, Boise, ID at 3:30. In lieu of flowers, Pam would like those who
attend the services to bring potato chips for the Boise Rescue Mission or
children’s books for City Lights. Donations to the Iacocca Foundation in
Brenna’s honor for the cause of Type I diabetes would be an honor to Brenna’s
name.
Always and ever, I will love you.
Always and ever, your Mama loves
you.
Join hands with Jesus, that’s what
you must do.
In the blink of God’s eye, Mom will
be there with you.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Brenna Deshawn Dowd, please visit our flower store.
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