By  Dianne Anderson

Giving back 74 units of blood to the community at a recent Orange County blood drive was more than just restocking the shelves for Star Simmons; it was a good faith gesture.

Her son had used up 49 units when his organs completely shut down in a Sickle Cell crisis. His heart stopped, he drew his last breath.

She said that everything was a miracle that brought him back to life.

“I decided to do a blood drive to replenish what we took, because I believe of the blessing that happened to us,” said Simmons, founder of the Sickle Cell Foundation of Orange County

What seemed like a typical trip to the hospital last August, the same kind of Sickle Cell crisis that she had been through so many times before, turned out to be an experience that leaves even medical professionals impressed. Her son, Charon, 23, went code blue twice; his heart stopped for four minutes; his lungs filled with fluid, and was 13.5 minutes without oxygen to the brain.

Doctors administered hypothermia treatment, a process of bringing the body down to a frozen temperature after a heart attack to preserve the organs. In an induced coma, they operated on his spleen. By then, his blood was contaminated and with the lack of oxygen, they expected to amputate his feet.

Through it all, her faith never wavered.

“I kept telling them that my son would walk out of the hospital with every organ intact, that God wouldn’t take him away, that he has lived a just life,” she said. “They all thought I was crazy.”

About 30 doctors, some from other parts of the country, have reviewed his case, and had estimated six months’ intensive care recovery, with over a year before he’d walk again, if ever.

But despite being so long without oxygen, he didn't lose brain function. These days, he’s walking with crutches, swimming once a week, attending physical therapy, and getting ready to get back to his college studies.

On many levels, his recovery is unexplainable. Physically, he appears fine, like he’s never been to the hospital. His labs look like he was never in Sickle Cell crisis. But then again, his mother believed he would make it.

“When someone tells you in front of 200 people that your son is basically dead and they want to cut off his feet?” she said. “The doctors all thought I was in denial as a mother.”

He had already been accepted at St. Joseph to be on dialysis for the rest of his life. Three days before he walked out, his kidneys were functioning at 100 percent. Her son was released from the hospital on October 8.

“With my son, they said that’s the longest it’s been recorded that someone died the way he died,” she said.

Over the years, Simmons and her program have received proclamations from three different mayors for her work in helping parents get the right resources for their Sickle Cell children. Often, a child can spend weeks, sometimes months, in the hospital racking up enormous medical bills, and missing school.

No matter the level of income, she helps parents work with school districts, and provides transportation for low-income families and gives moms a way to pull together an effective team of doctors.

In the coming months, she sees her son’s story bringing new hope to families, that they too can survive. This year, she said it’s all about building faith and restoring lives.

Simmons has another child, a 9-year-old daughter, who also has Sickle Cell. She has raised both by her motto, “live by design, not by diagnosis.”

“Don’t ever say what you can’t do, I’ve always taught them that,” she said.

She wants everyone to know no matter what the disease, not to give up, that there is hope.

Through it all, she is grateful, but not surprised.

“When it comes to my kids’ healing or other people’s healing, I’m not surprised to see anything God would do for anybody,” she said.

For more information, contact Simmons at info@scdfoc.org or www.scdfoc.org.