Published: April 01, 2008 01:30 pm         

A child shall lead the way

Friendships can develop anywhere, anytime or when people might least expect it. Friendships, however, normally require a special bond to survive. So what’s the bond between their friendship? A child.

Greenville Police Officer David Nunn and his wife, Dawn, are the godparents of two-year-old Bryz’uan “Bry” Williams. Although Dawn is 17 years older than Bry’s mother, Bre Tezra “Tez” Williams, the women share a remarkable friendship. A friendship that came about in an unusual way and a friendship that will last forever.

Because Tez suffers from a lifelong illness — sickle cell — painful “sickle cell crisis” would constantly send her to the emergency room at Presbyterian Hospital of Greenville. Dawn, who worked at the ER’s front desk at the time, was one of the people who was responsible for registering Tez for ER treatments. Dawn, however, didn’t sit back and forget about Tez.

Since Tez was in an out of the ER so many times, Dawn went beyond the call of duty as a registration clerk. She took the time to check on Tez, and in the process, she become Tez’s friend.

“There was something about Tez,” Dawn said. “She’s very well-mannered and very polite. We became friends through the hospital, but we never socialized outside of the hospital setting. It’s hard to explain, but we just clicked.”

“The first time I met Dawn, I just fell in love with her,” Tez added.

One day, however, something changed, and that one, small change gave the two women an opportunity to bring their friendship to a higher level. That change was in the form of a child, and the child led the way to a stronger friendship.

“Tez came to the hospital one day and told me that she was pregnant,” Dawn said. “She was considered a high-risk pregnancy. Because of her (illness) and being pregnant, that made her pain worse.”

The fact that Tez was in the ER so many times, Dawn would naturally go home and talk with her husband about the girl with sickle cell, and now that was compounded with her pregnancy.

When Tez had a baby shower, she invited both of the Nunns to the special event. Several unexpected things happened that night, however.

“That was our first social meeting outside of hospital,” Tez said

And much to Tez and David’s surprise, however, the two realized that they already knew each other.

“I’ve known Officer Nunn since I was about 12 years old,” Tez said.

Even though the two families are now a part of each others’ lives, Tez still won’t call David anything but Officer Nunn.

When asked why she doesn’t refer to David as Pa Paw like her son does (Dawn is called Na No Da), Tez didn’t have a clue.

“He’ll just always be Officer Nunn to me,” she said.

Then comes another unexpected surprise for the Nunns.

“This was something I had thought about for a long time,” Tez said. “So I looked at Dawn, and asked her to be Bry’s godmother.

“It just made my day,” Dawn said. “At that moment, however, I didn’t realize that Bry would be so much a part of our family.

Nunn said that becoming Bry’s godfather was a natural course of action since he was married to Bry’s godmother. Both overjoyed and thrilled about becoming godparents, the Nunns were more than willing to take on such the privilege and to welcome Tez and her new baby into their family.

However, by the end of that night, one more thing happened that soon changed all of their lives for the better.”

“Tez thought she was having another sickle cell crisis and was taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas,” Dawn said. “Five days later, she had to have a cesarean.”

And that’s when it was love at first sight for everyone, because Bry entered their world. The Nunns made at least three trip to Parkland to see Tez, and the new baby. And Dawn’s motherly instinct came in handy one day, and David’s police investigation knowledge came in handy.

“When Bry was born, though, he had pneumonia, and they wouldn’t let me hold my baby,” Tez said.

“So I told the nurses if they weren’t going to get a wheelchair and take her to see her baby, then I’d get one,” Dawn said.

After Dawn got a wheelchair to “kidnap” Tez, the nurses finally gave in.

“If it weren’t for Dawn, I wouldn’t have got to seem him,” Tez said.

“After Tez had the baby, she was starving,” Daivd said after talking about the hospital’s food. “So I smuggled some McDonald French fries to her.”

Once Bry was born, Dawn and Tez became inseparable, and each of their families became a part of the other family. Since the Nunns have no grandchildren, they not only became Bry’s godparents, they started acting like typical grandparents. Every other weekend, or whenever they get a chance, the Nunns take Bry with them wherever they go, which in turn, gives Tez a break.

“I love it,” Dawn said. “Watching him grow and mature (is great):

On the weekend that the Nunns take Bry, they also care for Dawn’s nieces.

“So when I get all of them here, it’s like having kids of my own,” Dawn said.

At Bry’s first birthday party, David said he rented out the civic center and all their families attended the event — an estimated 500 family members and friends.

“We have all just blended together as one big family,” he said.

“We all get along real good, and I love their family,” Tez said. “The Nunns are the best thing that ever happened to me. When I was growing up, kids would pick on me, and that hurt.

“I never had any friends. Dawn is my first good friend I ever had, and she’s been a god friend to me. We’re inseparable and the best of friends.”

“They’re friendship is natural,” David said. “And they act like sisters.”

Which explains why the two women can finished each others’ sentences and each others’ thoughts.

The Nunns agreed that their both in this for the longhaul.

“I plan to be there for his first day of school, his graduation and the day he goes off to college,” Dawn said.

David said that he can’t imagine live without Bry

“When you have a child, that child become a part of your life, and Bry is so much a part of our lives.”

On Easter Day, the Nunns had Tez and Bry over their house for an Easter Egg Hunt.

“As Bry gets older, I still want them to be a part of his life,” Tez said. “I would love for them to be a part of his life forever. We’re forever friends.”