"They work to carve out the best life they can with the hand they have been dealt."
The Sheyas both grew up in Utah. They met while earning their degrees at Utah State University and married after dating for a year. They waited until their careers had traction before deciding to start a family two years later. It was a responsible and thoughtful pathway that is likely similar to most couples.
Their lives took a hard turn when their son Perrin was born. It was an easy pregnancy with no issues, the labor went as planned, but Perrin was born not breathing. He was rushed out of the labor room while CPR was applied, and ½ hour later, he was stabilized. His first six months were spent in hospitals in the Critical Care Units. At four years old, Perrin would experience 20-30 seizures a day and required supervision around the clock, so Mellissa was unable to go back to work. Perrin was also under the care of 15 different specialists. His poor health and required medical care placed extreme financial and emotional hardship on the couple.
This is a story about a family that, through no fault of their own, found themselves spiraling down from their middle-class background into the low-income demographic. Their number one priority was to keep their son alive and reduce his suffering.
Charles learned about Habitat for Humanity through a co-worker at Delta Airlines, which had sponsored a home. In June of 2015, after each putting in 225 sweat equity hours, the Sheyas moved into their new home in Kearns, Utah, built by Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area. Shortly thereafter, they had a new, healthy baby boy named Emris. Sadly, in 2017 Perrin died. The Sheyas are an amazing family living each day with grace.
