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Single dad forges ahead [UPDATED]
Published 11:09am Friday, September 21, 2012 Updated 6:45pm Saturday, September 22, 2012In one day, Trent Pederson of Fergus Falls unexpectedly went from having a wife and no children to being a single dad.
Everything seemed just fine when Trent Pederson and his pregnant wife Tami went to bed Saturday, June 15, but early the next morning Trent woke up to his Tami yelling his name.
“I came out, and she was laying in the hallway,” he said. “I asked what’s going on, and she said, ‘I don’t know.’ Then I asked if she was in labor, but she didn’t answer.”
Tami began coughing, so Trent laid her on her side and called 911. She was taken by ambulance to Lake Region Healthcare and airlifted to Fargo.
“They told me she had a massive brain aneurysm and they needed to do an emergency C-section,” he said.
A lot happened in a short period of time, and Trent said he will never remember exactly what happened that day.
Tami didn’t make it, but the caesarean section was a success, and Jace Jo Pederson was born two months early on June 16. Jace’s middle name was originally going to be Owen, but Trent decided to honor his wife by giving Jace her middle name, Jo.
Jace was transported to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis for reservoir placement to remove fluid from his brain. Doctors have told Trent that Jace likely suffered brain damage, but it is still unknown what effects it will have on him. It’s a wait and see game, Trent said.
Jace spent two months in the hospital, but on Aug. 16, Trent was finally able to take his baby home.
“It’s nice to have him home, but this is where the work begins,” Trent said. “This really rocks your world, that’s for sure. I don’t know how single parents do it.”
Trent plans to return to work on Monday, and he will have to leave his child at day care.
“I don’t know how work is going to go,” he said. “Taking care of Jace is a full time job in itself, but you just have to roll with it. Time isn’t stopping.”
Trent said even after three months he still doesn’t think the reality of the situation has set in all the way.
“Most of the time I still can’t believe it all happened,” he said. “That’s why I still haven’t bought a headstone for Tami yet. I think it would make it all too real.”
Trent said he is living one day at a time. He doesn’t know what the future holds for Jace, and he will know more about possible health concerns as Jace gets a little older.
The community has rallied around Trent, and a benefit will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 22 in the Underwood Fire Hall. There will be a pork chop feed, silent auction and dance featuring Alter Ego.
