Homeless mother finds shelter from the storm

Baby Orizon Sutton will likely be sleeping at an inn this Christmas, showered with gifts from good Samaritans and providing a glimmer of hopeful light into her mother’s life on this Christmas Day.

Two weeks ago Orizon’s mother, Summer Dawn Sutton, was pregnant in Washington state in a homeless shelter with her common-law husband and their two young children, ages 4 and 5. 

Sutton had been dealing with the controlling behavior of her children’s father for five years, but something in their relationship snapped that week. 

The father took the children, their van, their phone and everything Sutton had.

She did not know anyone at all in the town she was left in and had no resources to get out. She was destitute and found she could not even get a bus ticket without a photo I.D. (her husband made off with that, too). 

But she remembered a kind woman in Montana who had encouraged her to leave her husband because he was hateful and controlling. Sutton tracked down the woman’s phone number. 

May Simmons picked up the phone in Polson and found out about Sutton’s desperate situation. She immediately offered assistance. Simmons went to the Polson branch of Walgreens to try to purchase a phone in the store and somehow get that credit transferred to Sutton. Walgreens personnel said there was no way to do that, but the store manager was from the area where Sutton was stranded and was able to arrange for Sutton to get a phone so she could contact her mother and get money wired for a bus ticket.

She arrived in Polson on Dec. 13. She was 37 weeks pregnant. 

“Summer arrived with [the] clothes on her back,” Simmons said. “That’s all he left her. He took everything else from her. That’s what happens in these domestic violence situation.” 

Sutton was at Simmons’ home on Dec. 18 when she started to feel contractions around 7 a.m. She called the hospital, but a nurse said it was likely false labor. Sutton was advised to call back when the contractions became regular, five to seven minutes apart. By noon the contractions were rolling in on schedule and Sutton decided to go to the hospital. 

She was hooked up to a monitor at 1 p.m. for a half hour and the contractions couldn’t be detected.

“They sent me home even though I could still feel contractions,” Sutton said. “It was extremely painful.” 

Before she could draw a bath to try to relieve her pain, Sutton felt a strong contraction and realized the baby was crowning. 

She yelled for help and Simmons took off out of the house, shouting for her neighbor to immediately call 911. When she returned a few seconds later, Sutton was on her knees in the bathroom, giving birth. 

A few minutes later emergency personnel arrived, cut the umbilical cord and transported mom and baby to the hospital where staff found both to be healthy. Tiny Orizon weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces. The two were released from the hospital, but did not really have anywhere to go.

Simmons did not have the pair listed on her rental lease, so an extended stay would create landlord problems. Simmons was able to connect Sutton with local charitable organizations that got her a hotel room. 

Simmons posted on Facebook, asking for help to get some clothing for the two, and the community responded in force. Sutton was able to get four changes of clothing and baby Orizon was able to get more than enough newborn clothing. Simmons said the outpouring shows that there is a good side to the Polson community, despite the fact that crime statistics indicate the community is one of the most drug-riddled in the state. 

“Polson might be top on the list for a lot of bad things, but they are also on the top of the list for caring,” Simmons said.

Though Sutton is getting by, she has a long road ahead of her. 

On Monday she applied for food stamps and other aid. She faced a setback as one organization she hoped would help her get set up with temporary housing denied her application. She was told she was denied assistance because she checked “yes” when one of the forms asked if she had anyone she could call for help. 

“I could call my mom,” Sutton said. “It probably wouldn’t be more than $100. That’s not enough for rent or a deposit.” 

There is an appeal process for assistance and Simmons is helping Sutton sign up for other resources that will help her get back on her feet. 

Sutton used to volunteer for the Salvation Army and Simmons said she is very skilled at putting together displays and working in sales. Sutton said she remembers setting aside winter boots and coats for mothers with kids without resources when she worked with the charitable organization. 

“I never thought I would be one of them,” she said. 

A family member suggested Sutton should give her baby up for adoption, but she said she couldn’t bear to do it. At age 13 Sutton was told by doctors that she likely would not be able to have children, and she considers each one of her babies to be a blessing and a miracle. She loves all four of them dearly. 

The oldest, a 16-year-old, lives with family in Wyoming. 

As Christmas approached, Sutton had little indication of where her husband and two youngest children might be. She believed they were in Idaho based on a ping from a cellphone location, and that her husband might take them to his family’s land in Tennessee. She was worried about how that might turn out because the father of the children is mentally unstable and there is not a home on the family’s barren land. Since there is no parenting plan in place, authorities would not issue an Amber Alert for the youngsters. Authorities also would not grant an order of protection against the man because he never physically struck Sutton, but instead tried to control her and cut her off from the world. 

“They say they acknowledge it as domestic violence, but they don’t,” Sutton said tearfully. “Just because I don’t have scars on the outside don’t mean that I don’t have scars on the inside, and it doesn’t mean my children aren’t afraid of this man.” 

Though she has piles of problems this holiday season, Sutton is looking forward to better tidings in 2016. She decided on her daughter’s name one day, looking out over the Polson sunset. 

“It’s a new year and I have a new Orizon to look forward to,” Sutton said. “I’m extremely grateful for that.” 

If you would like to help Sutton may reach her at 406-493-7647.