Abrielle Neff Foundation: God Sent Us An Angel

Thursday, February 12, 2009

God Sent Us An Angel

God sent us an angel, but he didnʼt give her wings

I never saw a harp, and I rarely heard her sing

He tucked away the halo, so we wouldnʼt recognize

But I think I saw it shining, in the light deep in her eyes

God sent us an angel, to live an earthly life

To walk the path before her, in happiness and strife

It wasnʼt his intention that we should ever know

Her purpose was to touch us, and to help our souls to grow

God sent us an angel, with a nature pure and true

She showed unselfish love to everyone she knew

A kind and gentle spirit, her words would never taunt

Such beauty in simplicity, in a life she didn't flaunt

God sent us an angel, with the strength of many men

It wasnʼt in her muscles, but from what she held within

The burdens that she carried, could never break her stride

As she lived the life God gave her, with dignity and pride

God sent us an angel, with a lovely face and mind

Yet it wasnʼt physical assets that he hoped that we would find

I know that she has blessed us with love to make us whole

And the splendor of her essence will live forever in our souls

God sent us an angel; her faith was firm and strong

Through pain and physical torment, she knew where she belonged

Sheʼd close her eyes in silence, and bow her head to pray

To thank God for his blessings and the life he gave each day

God sent us an angel who would never cast a stone

Or speak words to break the heart of anyone sheʼs known

She didnʼt make an enemy, in the present or her past

For she only knew of goodness, and made memories that last

God send us an angel who wore a smile upon her face

Iʼve tucked it in my heart, where it will never be erased

She will linger in my memories, until we meet again

Waiting there in heaven, to greet her family and friends

God sent us an angel so many lives she touched

We all should count our blessings for sheʼs given us so much

The void in our hearts and the sorrow that we feel

Will not hurt us forever, but it will take some time to heal

God sent us an angel but she couldn't stay for long

For he needed her in heaven and he had to call her home

But we were surely blessed, and each of us was loved

By the angel who has left us, but still watches from above

God sent us an angel, her heart devoid of wrath

Now hand in hand with Jesus, she walks a golden path

Sheʼs going to meet her savior; the time is now at hand

For eternal peace awaits her, there in the Promised Land

Leria Hawkins

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Our Story...

Abrielle came into this world in a hurry to get started, which gave us our first glimpse at her personality. Not waiting on Dr Jane to put on gloves, only a towel to catch her with, she weighed in at six pounds fifteen ounces. From the beginning Abby had reflux, but there seemed to more than just that as she failed to gain weight. At four months we were sent to draw all kinds of labs, hoping for a solution, but all was normal. By six months of age, the vomiting became worse, almost nightly. We were keeping records of every calorie she ate, every dirty diaper, and every time she vomited. By this time Abby was refusing to eat supper most nights and would throw up her undigested lunch after bathtime at 8:00. Her food was just sitting in her tummy all day. Dr Watson sent us to Omaha Childrens Hospital to Dr Zapata a pediatric gastroenterologist to help diagnois the problem. There, over the next year and a half of her life, Abby underwent testing, treatments, and outpatient procedures. During every procedure she was given a stuffed animal to hold for comfort, even though she had Blankie with her.
To make a long story short, after the accident we discovered St Francis Hospital did not have a program like this for kids and Abby's Hugs was born.

That Tragic Day...

Thursday, March 29, 2007, began like any other school day in our household with the only exception being that it was Abby's sharing day at preschool. We had a rule that if the sharing item was not picked out the night before (which it usually wasn't), Abby had to be ready for school before she could find something to take. This morning was just like most ... nothing was picked out the night before. She hurried faster than usual that way she would have time to find something. After brushing her teeth, she ran to her room to find some clothes. I always tried to give Abby choices, but she was down to her last clean pair of capris. I gave her the option of wearing those, a pair of Gymboree Fruit Punch capris with a bright yellow shirt or jeans and a purple kitty shirt. She decided on the capri outfit which she had actually rejected every other day that week. After getting dressed, she went into Sissy's room and was playing with her LeapPad when I found her. I asked her how she wanted her hair fixed and she said "little pony". (Not that she was going to leave it in anyway) I helped her onto the sink and she dug through her basket of hair things until she found a yellow one. We went into the living room so I could sit down to brush her hair. Since sitting on my lap was now impossible, Abby stood in front of me as I pulled her hair up with the little yellow hair tie. She ran to her room and began looking for something to bring for sharing. She came out with her Little People's Noah's Ark set stuffed full of extra toys. Being a mean Mommy, I said, You can only bring one toy. Aww, was the response as she took the ark back to her room to look for something else. I went on about my routine of making my lunch and everything else to be ready to leave for work. Mady and I headed out to the Expedition and Abby was not following behind. I went back inside to find her and Marc on their way from her room with her big "bobbycat" (bobcat skidloader) for sharing. They had been looking for the scoop that attaches to the front but ran out of time. They decided that just the bobbycat would work. Marc helped buckle Abby in her car seat. Because she was so small we still used the 5-point harness and not just the seatbelt so she required some help. As we left the house, Marc pulled out ahead of the girls and I onto the gravel road. Just around the first set of curves past our house, I slowed down so we could watch the turkeys fly across the road. I am not sure if Abby saw them or not, but she said she did. We continued on, oblivious to our fate that lie ahead.

last added to 10/29 ...this I will add to as I am able ...thanks for understanding.

The Sentence

On June 25, 2008, Ryan C Sundermann was sentenced to 6 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Sundermann wrecklessly caused the death of Abrielle Neff in a motor vehicle collision on March 29, 2007. Sundermann was charged with failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle, failure to drive on the right half of the roadway and operated a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol.
Sundermann was previously convicted of Driving While Intoxicated and Failure to Drive on the Right Half of the Roadway on April 25, 2006 and sentenced to 2 years probation, 12 days in jail, and a $300 fine. On December 19, 2006, Sundermann was again convicted of Excessive Blood Alcohol Content-Prior Offender which he received a Suspended Execution of Sentence of 180 days, was continued on 2 years probation and received a fine.