Claire Calhoun

Not every family who was in crisis that summer experienced trial as a result of a single catastrophic incident. Mike and Debbie Calhoun faced a trial that started long before Alexa's accident and continued after Chris and Chandler were released from the hospital.

Their daughter Claire was born in 2005 with bone marrow failure. The Calhouns were not aware of her condition; none of the tests before or after Claire's birth had suggested any problems. But when Claire was about six weeks old, she went into respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. When doctors tested her blood level, it was one-seventh of what it should have been.

For the next year, Claire received blood transfusions every three weeks. The ward consistently visited the Calhouns at the hospital and at home, sending notes, bringing meals, completing household tasks, and taking their sons to Scout activities. Claire's medical needs continued; she received frequent transfusions during the four-month period that the Jensen, Balkman, and Callans families' experiences took place.

"When Alexa drowned, Claire was in the hospital. When Chandler had his accident, Claire was in the hospital. When Chris Callans had her heart failure, Claire was in the hospital," Debbie says. Yet the Calhouns were still eager to serve. For instance, Debbie had taken a meal to the Balkmans in the first few days after Chandler's accident. It was then that she learned that Susan would appreciate a visit from her. "I was so happy to be able to serve," she remembers. "All these things had been done for us; this was one thing I could do for somebody else."