Dayson Wayne Foster, the three and a half month old infant son of Lauren Rogers & Gary Foster, left this cruel world Wednesday morning for a much better place. His was a long, hard-fought journey in which he gave his all. He was surrounded by his deeply grieving family who is still trying to make sense of it all. The long fight that he put up, the pain & suffering he endured from the day he was born on July 8th, and the weeks that followed at the Northport Medical Center, only then to have to be flown to the Children's Hospital in Birmingham, where his journey continued for over two more months. On multiple occasions he would take a turn for the worse, requiring more extensive intervention and medicines, such to the point they couldn't go any higher, and they had no more treatments to try, and it was questionable whether he would make it thru the night, but he held on. With such a strong will-power to live and had so many prayers being lifted up on his behalf that the good Lord let us keep him a little longer. He would pull thru those agonizing nights and would start showing signs of improvement, much to the Medical Staff's surprise. The nurses couldn't explain it. The doctors couldn't explain it. Not one of them had seen a baby that premature, that small, with the complications that he had, with the lab work that low, for that long, make it long enough to be able to make a turn around. The doctors used the words: surprised, not medically explainable, no known medical reason for his still being alive in that state. We're not even speaking about a full term baby with this hard journey but of a baby boy that had to be taken at just 25 weeks of the normal 40 weeks that most babies get to grow to. Dayson was not equipped as well as babies who get to grow the entire 40 weeks. Some of his organs were still in the process of forming and growing, and some had yet to begin. To top that, all of this strength, determination, and will power came packaged in just 1 pound 2 ounces. Imagine what we could do if we had it according to our weight. Let's apply what we've learned from Dayson's example as we go forward in our own lives.

Funeral services will be Saturday at 12:00 in the chapel of Chandler Funeral Home with Jason Arends officiating. Burial will be at Vernon City Cemetery.

Survivors include his parents, Lauren Rogers and Gary Foster of Winfield, AL; one brother, Ethan Foster of Fayette, AL; his grandparents, Lisa Foster of Sulligent, AL, Libby Rogers of Vernon, AL, and Wayne Rogers of Sulligent, AL; his great-grandparents, James Ward of Vernon, AL and Joyce Rogers of Vernon, AL; four aunts, Amber White of Paragould, AR, Ashlen Rogers of Atlanta, GA, Leah Rogers of Vernon, AL, and Stacey Glasgow of Vernon, AL; one uncle, Curry Foster of Wynne, AR; and one great-aunt, Patty Mitchell of Vernon, AL.

Dayson was preseded in death by Layne Rogers; his grandfather, Charlie "Chuck" Foster; his great-grandparents, Leatrice Ward and Bruce Rogers; and his great-aunt, Dayne Lawrence.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Children's of Alabama Hospital, 1600 7th Avenue S., Birmingham, AL 35233.