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Burpo, Todd, and Lynn Vincent. Heaven Is for Real. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010.

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In July of 1976, Todd's grandpa died. He was called Pop and he died when Todd was six. He crashed into a power pole late at night. Later in the story after Colton goes to heaven he talks about the things he saw. One of those things is a younger version of Pop.

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When Todd was thirteen he attended a camp for kids in the summer. It was at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. During his stay a Reverend had lector for the kids about ministry work. After camp Todd decided he wanted to become a pastor. This is brought up by Colton after he died and came back.

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Todd marries a women named Sonja on December 29, 1990. After six years they have a daughter named Cassie on August 16th. In June of 1998 Sonja gets pregant again. However this time its a miscarrage. This comes up later in book when Colton talks about his expierences in heaven.

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On May 19th 1999 Colton is born. He is born four years after his older sister, Cassie. Colton in another four years will have many troubles and hardships. He will go to heaven and come back with my experiences.

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This is the start of all the familie's problems. Todd and his wife Sonja play for a coed softball team. The team is called The Doc's Dodgers. During a game after Todd hit the ball to outfield he was sliding into third base. He colided with the baseman and broke his leg and his ankle.

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#6 - Todd has Kidney stones (October 2002)

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#6 - Todd has Kidney stones (October 2002)

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About two months after Todd breaks his legs, he developed Kidney stones. He first relized he had them when he developed throbbing in his lower back. When Todd went to the doctors, they thought they were small enough to pass. They passed for three days.

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#7 - Todd has hyperplasia (November 2002)

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#7 - Todd has hyperplasia (November 2002)

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Three months after he broke his leg and a month after kidney stones Todd has another hardship. Todd had developed a knot in his breast tissue. When he went to a surgeon it was diognosed as hyperplasia. Todd gets a surgery to fix it.

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#8 - Colton gets sick (Febuary 27, 2003)

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#8 - Colton gets sick (Febuary 27, 2003)

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After all of the hardships Todd and the family went through they decide to go on vacation. Two days before they go Colton gets sick. Both Todd and Sonja had been at work so Norma, an aunt, came and watched Colton. Although Colton got so sick that Sonja came back and took him to the doctor. The doctor said it was just a stomach flu.

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#9 - Colton gets better (Febuary 28, 2003)

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#9 - Colton gets better (Febuary 28, 2003)

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The day after Colton get really sick, he gets better. His fever had broken by dinner the day before. By the afternoon of today Colton was feeling just fine. So the family decides to continue on with their vacation.

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#10 - Denver Butterfly Pavilion and more sickness (March 1, 2003)

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#10 - Denver Butterfly Pavilion and more sickness (March 1, 2003)

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After Colton gets better the family goes to the Butterfly Pavilion. There they all go see the incects, specificly a tarantula people can hold called Rosie. Both Colton and Cassie hold her. Later that night at a restraunt the kids complain about stomach pain and throw up. Cassie gets better but Colton continues to throw up.

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#11 - Colton goes to the doctor (March 3, 2003)

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#11 - Colton goes to the doctor (March 3, 2003)

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Todd and Sonja end up taking Colton to their doctor office in Imperial. When they get to the hospital the doctor says its not appendix. The doctor does not know what it is so he just gives Colton fluids. Colton doesn't get any better so Sonja and Todd decide to take him to the Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte.

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After coming to the Medical Center the Burpos end up finding out that it was a ruptured appendix. Colton needs surgery which he ends up getting on March 5th. It takes another week for Colton to stop throwing up and start to get better. Seven days after surgery the family packs up to go home.

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Before the Burpos could go home the doctor gives them some grave news. The doctor found more abcesses in Colton's stomach. Colton goes through another surgery. The doctors who operated found three more abcesses in his stomach.

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#14 - Colton is still in pain (March 17, 2003)

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#14 - Colton is still in pain (March 17, 2003)

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After the surgery Colton is still in pain. He is in pain for another four days. The doctor tells the family that there is nothing they can do for Colton. During this time the Burpo's church starts to pray for Colton.

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Colton immediatly feels better the day after the church starts praying. The doctors and nurses say its a miracle because Colton wasn't doing well. Everyone was astonished. The Burpos stay for another day and a half before they go home.

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#16 - Family returns home (March 19, 2003)

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#16 - Family returns home (March 19, 2003)

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A week after the Burpos returen home Todd and Sonja talk about bills. Todd owns a garage-door business so there are household bills, business payables, and tenth bills to pay. On top of that they have to pay the large hospital bills. The family was low on money because Todd, the money maker, hadn't been working. Although soon their friends and family start sending money.

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#17 - Colton acts weird (March - July 2003)

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#17 - Colton acts weird (March - July 2003)

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A while after Colton gets home he starts acting weird. He kept asking if dead people at funerals had accepted God. Colton kept insisting that those people had to have accepted God. Colton also started talking about being in Heaven when he was in surgery.

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#18 - First accounts of Heaven (July 3, 2003)

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#18 - First accounts of Heaven (July 3, 2003)

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On July 3rd Colton was in the car with his family. They passed the hospital were Colton stayed and started talking about it. Colton then tells his parents that he had been in Heaven. Throughout the years after this Colton talks a lot about his different experiences in Heaven.

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Five years after Colton is born, Colby is born. He is the youngest child of Sonja and Todd Burpo. Colby is the last child they have.

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#20 - Publicly speaking out (Jaunuary 28, 2007)

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#20 - Publicly speaking out (Jaunuary 28, 2007)

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The first time Todd spoke publicly about Colton it was in a service on January 28th. He was at Mountain View Wesleyan Church in Colorado Springs when he talked about it. After the service a women came up and asked about her dead child. Todd was able to help her through Colton's story.

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#21 - Colton is happy and healthy (August 25, 2011)

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#21 - Colton is happy and healthy (August 25, 2011)

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About seven years after Colton's two surgery's he is like every other kid. He is turning eleven and will be starting sixth grade. Colton wrestles, plays baseball, the trumpet, and the piano. He occasionally talks about heaven but not as much. He has good relationships with his family and is living his best life.

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A blog about Colton's illness.

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Why did Colton visit Heaven? What is the beginning of the Colton Burpo story? What was Colton's death-experience?

In Pastor Todd Burpo's book Heaven Is for Real, he shares the events that happened to his son, Colton, that led to his visit to Heaven. Colton wasn't even four-years-old when he fell seriously ill. The doctors didn't think he was going to survive. This is Colton Burpo's story of misdiagnosed appendicitis.

Keep reading for the Colton Burpo story.

The Colton Burpo Story

You may have heard of the story Heaven Is for Real, where a young child visits heaven. But do you know the full Colton Burpo story? These are the events that led to Colton's divine experience.

The months leading up to February 2003 had been difficult for Nebraskan pastor and father-of-two Todd Burpo. He'd experienced a number of health issues, including a badly broken leg, kidney stones, and a breast cancer scare. While unwell, he'd been unable to continue his work as a garage door installer, leaving the Burpo family's finances precarious.

Todd thought a family trip would be just the thing to lift everyone's spirits. So when, in late February, he was invited to Greeley, Colorado for a church board meeting, he decided to bring his wife, Sonja, and kids, Cassie (aged 6) and Colton (aged 3 years, 10 months), along too. This was the beginning of Colton Burpo's story.

Colton Becomes Sick

Todd left for Colorado first, expecting the rest of his family to join him in a few days. However, on February 27th, just before Sonja and the kids were due to set off, Colton got sick with stomach pains, a fever, and chills. A local doctor diagnosed him with stomach flu. Todd worried that the trip might be off, but, by the next day, Colton had seemingly recovered. Sonja called Todd to let him know that she and the kids were on their way to Colorado.

The beginning of the trip passed without incident. The family visited an insect zoo, and Colton seemed to be his usual rambunctious self. But, on the evening of March 1st, Colton's illness returned. He began to vomit frequently and complained of pain in his abdomen.

At first, the family continued to believe that Colton's illness was something contagious like stomach flu, since Cassie had become unwell too. However, while Cassie quickly recovered from her sickness, Colton steadily got worse. He couldn't stop vomiting and was clearly in considerable pain. A family friend of the Burpos suggested that Colton may be suffering from appendicitis.

A Mystery Illness?

On March 3rd, the Burpos decided to return to their hometown of Imperial, Nebraska, to check Colton into the local hospital. Once they arrived, it quickly became apparent that Colton was very unwell: An X-ray revealed masses in his abdomen. The doctor wasn't sure what was causing the masses, but, based on evidence from Colton's blood tests, he didn't believe it was appendicitis.

Over the next 24 hours, doctors ran test after test on Colton, but couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Meanwhile, Colton's condition declined further and further as he failed to respond to any treatment.

Eventually, the Burpos became frustrated with the doctors' lack of progress. On March 5th, they decided to transfer Colton to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in North Platte, Nebraska, hoping to receive better treatment there.

Colton's Misdiagnosed Appendicitis

Shortly after the Burpos arrived at Great Plains, a CT scan confirmed that Colton did have misdiagnosed appendicitis after all. Even worse, his misdiagnosed appendix had ruptured, leaving toxins leaking into his body. Colton required emergency surgery to remove the toxins and save his life.

Before Colton went into surgery, Todd asked the lead doctor for a prognosis. The doctor didn't give any assurances that Colton would survive, merely saying that the medical team would know more about his condition when they began the surgery. (Later, Todd learned that none of the medical staff had expected Colton to live.)

While the Burpos waited for news on Colton's surgery, Sonja sat in the hospital waiting room, calling friends and family to update them on her son's condition. Meanwhile, Todd found a quiet room in which he could be alone with his feelings. He felt guilty: Was Colton going to die because his parents had been too slow to seek adequate medical care for him? Was the end of the Colton Burpo story? Shouldn't Todd have realized that Colton was suffering from appendicitis sooner?

In addition, Todd felt extremely angry at God. Why was God testing him-a pastor, no less-again, after all of the trials and tribulations of the past few months? Was God really going to allow his son to die?

After an agonizing hours-long wait, the Burpos eventually learned that Colton had made it through the surgery. However, he was still very sick: Infection remained in many of his internal organs. For some days after the surgery, Colton continued to vomit regularly. Twice a day, he had pus pumped from his body.

Colton Burpo Has Another Surgery

As the days passed, Colton's condition improved little by little. On March 13th, it seemed like he was finally well enough to be discharged. Todd and Sonja began to prepare to return home. However, at the last minute, the doctors discovered that Colton had developed new areas of infection in his abdomen. Not only would he have to remain in hospital, but he would have to undergo surgery again.

At first, it appeared that the second surgery had been successful. However, it soon became clear that Colton's bowels had stopped functioning: He couldn't pass any gas or feces.Days dragged on with no change in his condition, and Colton's constipation became increasingly painful.

By March 17th, the doctors at Great Plains believed that there was nothing more they could do for Colton. They suggested transferring him to a specialist children's hospital in Denver. However, before the transfer could take place, a freak snowstorm hit North Platte. This trapped the Burpos in the hospital, with no hope of a transfer taking place that day.

A Miraculous Recovery

Back in Imperial, Todd's congregation came together to pray. They-along with Todd, from afar-asked God to either make the snowstorm pass, thus making the transfer possible, or make Colton's constipation pass, thus making the transfer unnecessary. (Todd couldn't help but wonder if a congregation had ever prayed for a bowel movement before.)

Within an hour, Colton's condition miraculously began to improve. He was suddenly able to pass gas again, and by that evening, his constipation had cleared. The next day, he was practically back to his usual self: He was full of energy and playing with his toys as if nothing was wrong.

The doctors were astounded by Colton's sudden improvement and skeptical of whether it would last. However, after monitoring Colton for another day-and-a-half, they became confident that he had recovered: CT scans revealed no further obstructions in his abdomen. On March 19th, 16 days after Colton was first admitted to hospital, the Burpos were finally able to return home.

This experience was the beginning of the Colton Burpo story, Heaven Is for Real.

Misdiagnosed Appendicitis: The Colton Burpo Story

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Misdiagnosed Appendicitis: The Colton Burpo Story

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What was the Colton Burpo story? How did the Heaven Is for Real child almost die? Colton Burpo had a case of misdiagonsed appendicitis.

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In 2010 this book was written. Four years later they made a movie about the book. The movie was realeased April 3rd and goes through all of Colton's amazing experiences.

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The movie Heaven is For Real is released on 4/3/2014.

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Butterfly Quest-After Hours

Are you interested in learning about the fascinating life of butterflies? Look no further than Butterfly Quest, a community science initiative designed to track the lifespans of butterflies in our conservatory.

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Butterfly Pavilion An Invertebrate Zoo Where Butterflies are Just the Beginning

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World's leading AZA accredited invertebrate zoo featuring over 5,000 invertebrate residents from all around the globe

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The Burpo family talking about their experiences.

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Julesburg Christian Church will be hosting Todd Burpo, wife Sonja and son Colton; author of the best-selling book, "Heaven is for Real" on Friday evening, November 11th at 7:00 p.m.
"Heaven is for Real," is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.
Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.
Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

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Christian Church hosting "Heaven is for Real" author and family

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Julesburg Christian Church will be hosting Todd Burpo, wife Sonja and son Colton; author of the best-selling book, "Heaven is for Real" on Friday evening, November 11th at 7:00 p.m. "Heaven is for Real," is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery [...]

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Colton Burpo now

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People around the world were captivated by the story of a little boy named Colton Burpo who claims to have visited heaven during a near-death experience - a story that was told in the feature film, "Heaven Is For Real."Burpo, who is from Imperial, Nebraska, saw his story spread like wildfire after his dad, Todd Burpo, wrote a bestselling book by the same name. The book told the story behind the family's fascinating spiritual experience.

But where is Colton Burpo now?
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Colton Burpo Today

The Colton Burpo story is one of intrigue and fascination due to the fact that he claims to have visited heaven, interacted with Jesus and spent time with deceased loved ones. It's a set of intriguing claims, especially in an era during which so many people have become increasingly obsessed with the material, oft-times pushing the spiritual realm to the side.

If you're among the millions who have been captivated by the Colton Burpo story, you might be wondering what he's up to now. He and his family moved away from Imperial, Nebraska, and now live in Colorado. After attending Bible college in Oklahoma, Burpo is now studying to be an electrician - when he's not doing ministry.
READ ALSO: JESUS DIED FOR US: 10 POWERFUL BIBLE VERSES ABOUT SALVATION
If you want to know more about Colton Burpo today, check out his recent Pure Flix Insider interview:

Inside the Colton Burpo Story

As stated, Colton Burpo claims to have visited heaven during a near-death experience nearly two decades ago. At the time, the nearly-4-year-old had a burst appendix and almost died as a result of the sudden illness.

That's when he believes he met Jesus and experienced the afterlife. It was after Colton Burpo's recovery that he started telling his parents and friends what he experienced in heaven.

"I would start saying random things," he told Pure Flix. "I was just saying a bunch of off-handed comments. ... I was just very open about it and it took a while for me to ... learn not everybody has this experience because I thought it was normal."

Over time, Burpo said some of his memories of heaven have faded, but the experience has had a profound impact on his faith and personal growth.
READ ALSO: 5 MOVIES ABOUT ANGELS THAT WILL MAKE YOU BELIEVE
"It happened at such a young age that it's kind of helped guide and direct my faith," he said. "My experience has helped change and grow me."

What's Next?

Burpo has been doing ministry work and sharing his experience for more than half his life, and he has no plans to stop, as he believes God has given him a powerful story - one that he has been called to share with the world.
READ ALSO: WHAT IS A GUARDIAN ANGEL? YOUR GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING GUARDIAN ANGELS
"God did something awesome and then He told us to share it - share with people about what heaven is like," he said. "In the end, God's the one who guides my steps."

Burpo believes his heaven experience can help offer hope to so many who desperately need it today.

"There is hope. We get to have a relationship with God," he said. "We don't have to wait until we're off this world to have a relationship with God, but there is something better waiting for us."

If you're interested in diving deeper into the exploration of heaven, stream Lee Strobel's " Case for Heaven" available now on Pure Flix.

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He Claims He Nearly Died & Visited Heaven. Where Is Colton Burpo Now?

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Where is Colton Burpo now? He says he visited heaven during a near-death experience - a story that was told in the feature film, 'Heaven Is For Real.'

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"Two days before, on Thursday, Colton had begun telling Sonja that his stomach hurt" (14).

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"'Are you sure it's not appendicitis?' I asked the doctor. 'There's a family history.' Again he said no. 'Thats not what the blood tests show'" (24).

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"'Colton's appendix has ruptured. He's not in good shape. We're going to go in and try to clean him out'" (38).

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"Dr. O'Holleran told us when he caught up to us at the elevator. 'It's probably another abscess,' he said. 'We may have to operate again'" (48).

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"'I know you've been through a lot, but I think we've done everything for Colton we can do here'" (50).

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"First, my grandmas Ellen, who lives in Ulysses, Kansas, sent us a check to help with the hospital bills...checks for $50, $100, $200, and all with cards and notes..." (55).

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"Where was this sudden concern over whether a stranger was saved, whether he 'had Jesus in his heart,' as Colton put it, coming from?" (59).

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"'Where are there lots of colors, Colton?' 'In heaven, Dad. That's where all the rainbow colors are'" (63).

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"Two days before, on Thursday, Colton had begun telling Sonja that his stomach hurt" (14).

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"The sound of my leg breaking was so loud that I imagined the ball had zinged in from the outfield and smacked it" (8).

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During the night, Colton's fever broke and by afternoon on Friday, he was his old self again" (15).