Rachel Darrington

DECLO- Rachel Morgan Darrington, age 10, of Declo, returned to her Father in Heaven on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. She died peacefully in her mother's arms after a long illness due to complications associated with metachromatic leukodystrophy.
Rachel was born to Fred and Emy Darrington on Aug. 24, 1999, in Salt Lake City, Utah. A triplet weighing in at just over 3 pounds, Rachel began her life a fighter and continued to defy the odds until the day she decided to go home.
Rachel was a beloved daughter, sister, grand-daughter, niece, cousin and friend. Everyone who knew Rachel was touched by her serenity, but Rachel was better known for her sense of humor. She loved to laugh, and those close to her had no problem making fools of themselves just to see her smile.
Rachel was blessed with much happiness in life. She enjoyed school and Primary and loved her teachers. She took numerous trips to Disneyland and rode all the rides. She enjoyed playing on a T-ball team, floating the Declo canal and much more.
What Rachel most enjoyed, however, was spending time with her family: her mama who rocked her, her daddy who took her for rides, her big brother, Jack, who was the best at making her smile, her brother, Sam, who eased her, and her triplet sister, Rebekah, who rarely left her side.
Rachel is survived by her parents, Fred and Emy Darrington of Declo; her brothers, Jack and Sam Darrington; and sister, Rebekah Darrington, all of Declo; her maternal grand-parents, Mark and Loretta Peterson of Burley; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her paternal grand-parents, Leroy and Minnie Darrington; her sister, Hannah; and her triplet brother, Ryan, all of Declo.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Declo LDS Stake Center, 213 W. Main St., with Bishop Garth L. Searle officiating. Burial will be in the Declo Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, Feb 5, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St. in burley, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Rachel's family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Cassia Regional Medical Center and Primary Children's Medical Center for their excellent care of Rachel and their sensitivity to the needs of Rachel and her family. they would also like to thank Rachel's teachers at Declo Elementary for the priceless friendship they extended to her.

Services for Rachel

The funeral will be Saturday at 11 A.M.
We want to thank you all for being so supportive. I am so grateful Fred and Emy have so many friends and people who love them and their family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Sad for Me....Happy for Rachel 1/2/2010

Our sweet little Rachel has returned home to our Heavenly Father.
Emy said she looked so peaceful and so happy...
Rachel had an episode yesterday, late afternoon that confirmed to Fred and Emy that she was not going to get better. She was so brave and has fought this fight for so long. Fred and Emy made the decision to take her off life support. Her left lung had almost completely collapsed and her right one had started to collapse. Emy said enough is enough. They knew there were people waiting for her on the other side. I know Hannah and Ryan were welcoming her with open arms.
Rachel passed away about 2 o'clock this morning.
The funeral will be Saturday. The viewing will be Friday. They don't have set times yet. I will let you know what times these services will be held.
Rachel has touched the lives of us all. She was beautiful and brave....and now she is free.
Emy said when Jack was little and Hannah passed away Jack said "Mommy, I'm so sad for me, but so happy for Hannah."
As it is with us....we are so sad for us, but so happy for our sweet little Rachie.
Please keep Fred, Emy, and their family in your prayers.

One Step Back 1/1/2010

I talked to Fred and he said they took an X-Ray of Rachel's lung and there is a little pocket of the lung that has collapsed. She has been on 30 settings at about medium to low on the machines. They are having to turn the machines up.
I just spoke to Emy and she said that Rachel hasn't been making any progress the last 4 or 5 hours, but she hasn't gone backwards either.
My heart just goes out to their sweet and faithful family. Every time the machines make a noise, there is panic. Sitting, watching, hoping, praying...they are exhausted both physically and emotionally.
I'm sure Fred and Emy would appreciate any helpful thought or message you could send them.
They do check this blog from time to time. I call and get updates and they send me pictures to post here. If there is anything you want to say to them or send a message to Rachel, you can post a comment here. Just click on the comment link. If you do not have a google account, all you have to do is get a user name and password. Then you can leave a comment.
I have been so impressed and amazed at the support group this family has. Hundreds of people have called family members to see how they are all doing and how they can help or ask what they can do. Others have just gone and done quiet acts of service for them.
I know Fred and Emy greatly appreciate all that has been done for them. At the same time, it is sometimes harder to be the one receiving the service. So we thank Fred and Emy for letting others serve them.
Thank you again for everyone helping them get through this tough time. Continue to pray for our sweet little Rachie.

1/31/2010 Doc Gives a High Five

I spoke to Fred this evening. He said our girl is doing well. He said the doctor came in and gave them a high five. Fred had thought about staying there and sending the kids home with their grandparents, but Rachel is doing so well, he brought the other kids home himself. What great news!! Hopefully they will all get to come home soon.

1/30/2010 More Good News

Rachie asleep in Emy's arms for the first time since she was put on the ventilator.
They have decided to take Rachel off the ventilator this evening. They believe she is strong enough now to do so.
She has had such a good weekend. She was able to spend it with her whole family. Emy made it back down there after Jack's game Friday morning at one o'clock in the morning. Fred and Emy both said it has really been a good weekend. They had Grandma and Grandpa Petersen with them too as well as some other friends.
Thank you again for all of your love and support.

Weekend Update for Rachel 1/29/2010

Emy emailed me the following update:
Rachie's ventilator settings have steadily come down over the last couple of days. If all goes well with lowering the settings tonight they might consider taking her off of the ventilator this weekend. Yay!

The whole thing is frightening. We don't want to go too fast and then have to go backwards. Slow and steady wins the race....right?

I'm very anxious to have my whole family home again.

Rachel and her family received a care package from some friends. Fred said they loved the stuff. There were treats and snacks, blankets for Emy and Rachel, magazines, matching jewelry for Emy, Rebeccah and Rachel, letters from friends and family, a special treat from Beccah...she had made a small house at school and little hearts were inside with a special note on each heart from their friends at school.
I really think the whole community is praying for this little girl and her family. They have so many people who love them and care about them. Your prayers are being heard and Rachel is still fighting.