HALLOWEEN.

I hope you and your little ones had 

a wonderful HALLOWEEN.

Thank you for sending in your pictures.

i love these sweet little faces!!

a new sparrow.

a local little "sweet-heart" has just 

become a SPARROW.

Congratulations to Addison and 

her family.

To learn more about Spparow Club's and how you can help, 

CLICK HERE.

Baby Dylan

This story, written by Dylan's Mother ... 

was actually written while she 

was pregnant with Dylan.

Dylan is now 6 months old and 

getting so handsome!

Here is Dylan's story:

We found out that we were pregnant on July 26, 2010. I couldn't believe that I was actually pregnant!  There was a little human being growing inside of me! Wow!  I was going to be a Mom!

I have 4 nieces and nephews, and have seen the love and the bonds between my sister and her 4 kids, so I was supper happy to be able to have the chance to experience that.  I was also quite nervous, because both my mom and my sister do not have a history of having "easy" pregnancies, and I was nervous that I was going to follow in their footsteps.  Turns out that my nervousness was validated at about 8 weeks when I delveloped Hyperemisis, extreme morning sickness. I was admitted to the hospital at one point for severe dehydration, and was pretty much sick 24/7 for the first 4.5 months in which time, I lost about 25 pounds. Although losing the weight was not done the "healthy" way, it turned out to be a good thing for me, because I also have Hip Dysplasia, yeah, you know that thing that dogs get?? Yes, Humans get it too!  :)   So the extra weight loss, means less pressure on my hips, and that allowed me to keep my pain level at a minimum through the last 7 months.

At 15 weeks, we went and had one of those 3D/4D ultrasounds done in hopes of being able to tell the sex of our baby early. We were too excited to wait for the 20 week Ultrasound.  It was amazing...... we found out we were having a little BOY!!!  Yay!!  We named him Dylan James Perry, and went out the very next day and bought him his first little outfit :)  We were so excited!

Next up was the 20 week ultrasound in which I was told by the Sonographer doing Dylan's scan, that everything looked good.  I was so happy... I was nearly over my Hyperemesis, starting to feel a little better, and thought that everything was going to be smooth sailing from then on.  I was wrong.  The next week after our 20 week ultrasound we had an appointment with my OB, nothing was mentioned about the ultrasound, and I didn't think to ask any questions, because the Sonographer told me everything looked good, and I figured that if something had been wrong, that my OB would have said something.  On our way out of the appointment and to the front desk to schedule our next appointment, my OB turns to me and casually says " Oh, by the way, they found a heart arrythmia during your ultrasound last week, so I'm referring you to a Perinatologist and for another more detailed Ultrasound "  and turned around and walked away.  Wait..... What??  You're kidding me right?  He didn't just say that to us, and then turn around and walk away did he?  Yes... Yes he did.  Due to problems with paperwork, and insurance and incompetent office workers, we were not able to get our appointment for the Echo that we had to have on our babies heart until I was 24 weeks....... thats FOUR weeks later... FOUR weeks of not knowing and worrying about what was going on.

Naturally I was worried and freaked out and researched heart arrhythmia's the moment I got home. I was somewhat comforted in the fact that most all the information I looked up said that most heart arrhythmia's are harmless and usually take care of themselves either before birth or shortly after. I kept telling myself, that was all it was, just a little irregular heart beat thats going to correct itself and everything will be ok, I was wrong. My little 1 year old nephew was born with a couple of holes in his heart, he has 2 ASD's and 1 VSD ....... it was very scary for awhile, not knowing if he was going to need surgery or if the holes would close on their own, the doctors kept an eye on him for a year and gave him medicine and luckily we were just told a few months ago that the holes have closed enough to where it is not effecting his little heart and it won't effect him at all. So you see, I do have a little experience of the heart ache and the worry that comes with having or knowing a child and loved one with a heart condition, but I was NOT prepared for the news that I got from the cardiologist. On December 6th, I went into the echo being prepared for it to be nothing or maybe something "minor" that could be fixed.......... and I came out with the diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). After the echo, the doctor wiped off my belly and had me sit up, he sat down in front of me and started drawing a picture of a "normal" heart for me...... right away, I knew something was wrong and busted out in tears.......... he continued to draw the normal heart, and then he drew me the heart of my unborn baby boy. I was devastated, in shock, scared, angry, sad, every emotion you could think of was flowing through my head. I didn't ask many questions because i couldn't open my mouth without the tears getting in my way...... but I do remember my first question.... " Was this caused by something I did?" ..... When you're told something is wrong with your baby, you automatically feel like it's your fault...... despite the doctor telling me it was nothing I did or didnt do, and there was nothing that I could have done to prevent this, that it just happens, I still felt guilty. I felt like I have let my little guy down..... I'm supposed to be able to protect him, he's growing inside of me, and i'm supposed to make sure that he's healthy and happy.  I left that appointment hardly being able to walk, I went straight to the bathroom on the way out and shut the door and just cried and cried. As soon as I was able to pull myself together I walked to my car, not knowing how I was going to tell my boyfriend Joe what was going on with our baby boy.  Joe was at work and couldn't attend the ultrasound, so I had to call him at work to let him know what was going on once I got home.

I couldn't tell him much, because I wasn't told much, or maybe I was, but I wasn't able to take it all in at the time.  All I heard were the words " abnormal, worst heart defect you can have, not fixable, fatal, open heart surgeries, heart transplant, etc"  and I just shut down, everything else went in one ear, out the other.

For those of you who don't know what HLHS is :

The problem develops before birth when there is not enough growth of the left ventricle and other structures, including the:

   * Aorta -- the blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the left ventricle to the entire body

*  Entrance and exit of the ventricle

   * Mitral and aortic valves

This causes the left ventricle and aorta to be incompletely developed, or hypoplastic. In most cases, the left ventricle and aorta are much smaller than normal.

In patients with this condition, the left side of the heart is unable to send enough blood to the body. As a result, the right side of the heart must maintain the circulation for both the lungs and the body. The right ventricle can support the circulation to both the lungs and the body for a while, but this extra workload eventually causes the right side of the heart to fail.

There are a series of 3 open heart surgeries that basically re-route the plumbing and allow Dylan to be able to function with half of his heart.  It is not a fix, but a band-aid for his heart. The surgeries have only been around since the 1980's, so the oldest known survivors of HLHS are in their mid to late 20's at this time.  The long term outlook is unknown, but with the many advances in the surgeries and medical technology, Dylan has a good chance of surviving these surgeries, and living a long and healthy life.  Dylan will need to have his first open heart surgery within the first week of his life, the second one between 3 and 4 months, and then the third one by the time he's 3.

It has only only been 2 months since we found out about our babies heart condition, so we are still adjusting and taking things in and preparing ourselves for what is to come.  We have an appointment with his Surgeon's and Cardiologist next week to go over everything that is going to happen once he is born, and what we can and can't expect to happen.  It's been really hard on us and our families.  For about the first month, I went through so many different emotions, I was grieving the "loss" of my "healthy" baby........... I tried to prepare myself for the worst, I tried to disconnect myself from the little miracle that I have growing inside of me, thinking that it would be easier to deal with when he's born if he doesn't make it. The smile and the happy feeling I used to get from feeling him move and kick inside of me, turned into tears and sadness.  To make matters worse, I started having pre-term labor contractions 2 days after the diagnosis and was admitted into the hospital for conractions and a short cervix with funneling.  So for the last two months since his diagnosis, I have been on strict bed rest, and admitted to the hospital another two times.

Why was this happening?  Why was my son only given half of his heart, and why was he trying to come NOW?  I was only 24 weeks when the contractions started...... if Dylan was born at that time, he would have no chance at surviving.  I was depressed, I felt defeated, I was giving up. I spent the next couple of weeks in bed with nothing to do except to lay there feeling him move around inside and cry and cry and cry.  I'm not really sure when, or why, or what happened to make me snap out of it, but I did!  I have come a long way in the last month, and I am ready to fight.  I guess I just needed that time to be sad, and angry, and to be selfish and to feel sorry for myself.  I finally realized that I can't expect my son to fight for his life, if I've already given up. He's feeling what I'm feeling right now, and I need to teach him how to be strong so that he's able to fight when he's born. He needs to know how much I love him and how I'll be by his side the entire time fighting right along with him.  I am currently 32 weeks, and still at home on bed rest, so I've managed to keep him safe inside for this long, only 8 more weeks to go.

I couldn't have made it this far and this long without all of the support I have from Joe, and my family and friends, and from all of the Heart Mom's that I have met along the way during this journey so far.  I have no idea what is going to happen, or where this journey is going to take us, but I do know that we are having a precious little miracle baby boy, and I already love him with all my heart. Every second, minute, hour, and day that we have him with us will be cherished.

Mommy loves you Dylan, and I'll be waiting right here, ready to fight right by your side when its time, but for now, continue to stay inside where you're safe, and continue to grow and gain your strength. I love you!

Little John

It started when my wife and I had found out we were pregnant in May of 2009, I was excited even though my wife didn’t think I showed it much. It's not that I wasn’t though, I just have never been one to wear my heart on my sleeve or be overly emotional about things. Through the next 10 months that would all change. The Pregnancy went very well Mommy had some times of feeling queasy, and had to get medicine for Vertigo (dizziness) and towards the end it was very hard for her to get comfortable when going to bed, but even she said it was probably the easiest pregnancy she’s had. I remember the first time I heard my sons heart beat during an ultrasound, it was amazing! I remember thinking it sounds like a train... LOL. Not once during any of our visits to the Dr. did anyone ever mention anything about CHD's or any issues with John's heart.  Johnathan James Fowler was due to be born January 16, 2010, but he was comfortable and safe inside mommy, and so he waited an extra three days and was eventually born into this world January 19, 2010. “Our Little Miracle” John was born at 7:26pm, weighed 8lbs. 12oz., and was 20.5 inches long. He was the most amazing thing I had ever seen, a perfect little gift from God. I gave Mitzi (my wife) thumbs up and told her what an awesome job she had done. We stayed in the delivery room for a few hours before they moved us to the room that mommy and baby would stay in until they were discharged (or so we thought).   It wasn’t until the next day that we found out about John’s condition; I did not stay the night at the hospital because at St. Joseph's Hospital, they have an out of pocket fee for parents who want a private room and we did not feel the short stay was worth the extra money. I woke up early and was gathering things to bring for Mitz… Gatorade, breakfast snacks, etc. I was also waiting for John’s Grandma (my mom) to get there so she could follow me down to meet our precious new arrival. I received a text from Mitz that read something along the lines “the doctor said our son had not passed his hearing tests, and the pediatrician had come to look him over and said she heard a significant heart murmur”! She said I needed to hurry down to the hospital, because she was having a hard time hearing all these things and was all alone. I called her right away and she told me the doctor seemed most concerned with the  murmur and that he wanted to have a cardiologist do an echo to get a better look at John’s heart. After I filled my mom in, we jumped in the cars and headed to the hospital. I was having a hard time holding everything together while driving down to the hospital. I called my Dad to tell him what had transpired and nearly broke down telling him about the situation. He reminded me to pray and look to the Lord for strength and peace. I knew I had to be strong for my wife and newborn son, I prayed for peace, strength for my wife, for baby John’s health and that the Lord would work things out for everything to be ok…  When I got there we waited for the echo results and grandma and I took turns holding John, we took pictures and spent quality time getting to know our precious little boy. Mitzi and I ate as best we could considering how bad our nerves were.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity Dr. Weiner came into the room and said the echo showed a “really severe heart defect”. He went on to describe “Tetralogy of Fallot”, the four defects within my sons little heart, and that it would require open-heart surgery to repair it in order for him to survive. We were devastated, I looked at Mitzi who was already crying and I was tearing up too. I wanted to learn as much as I could from the cardiologist so I listened to what he was saying and tried to ask as many questions as I could think of in order to gain at least some understanding about what he was saying my perfect little boy had.  As he was describing his condition he drew a diagram on a napkin of an odd shaped heart with some arteries coming out of it to give us a visual of what he was saying. He then said that nurses from CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) would be coming to take John to CHOC’s NICU for further testing and observation. As soon as we heard they were taking John elsewhere my wife told the staff at Saint Joseph's that she was not going to stay there without our baby, and then we immediately started getting her things together so she could go with John to CHOC.  I remember following as they took my son and wheeled my wife via underground tunnel to CHOC’s NICU. I could not believe what was happening. I started cursing the devil for attacking my innocent son with this disease, and trying to turn this beautiful experience into one of despair and heartbreak. I had a lot of trouble remembering to look first to God's Word, because when things change in a moments notice, and the devil distracts you with all these negative thoughts  and “what ifs”, it’s difficult to do.   Throughout this ordeal, relying on the Lord really made things easier, and I cannot imagine facing something like this without having God in my life.  I don’t know that I would have been able to handle it. Just before they took John to CHOC I made it a point to reach out to our Pastor (Pastor Mike Webb) and ask him to pray for John’s healing and so the next Sunday he asked the church to be in agreement with us for our son's healing! It's funny how even with all these people praying and offering support we still felt so very alone, at least I did at the time.  John ended up staying in the NICU for 5 days because they wanted to monitor John and watch his Oxygen levels to make sure he did not need a BT (Blalock-Taussig) shunt. My wife said all they were doing was "babysitting him" and that we could watch him at home. The nurses at CHOC’s NICU were nice and almost all of them would look at John and ask,  “Why is he here again?”. Probably because he was one of the bigger babies in the NICU.    John had never had a Tet spell “turned blue” or had less than 98-100% oxygen level (not even when they gave him shots or ran tests, which made him cry so hard no sound even came out). I have never been a fan of hospitals and I was groing tired of hearing some of the negative scientific/ medical stuff the people were saying (as if they couldn’t imagine spiritual intervention at all). One nurse even had the audacity to say “he will never play sports at a high level”.  I was dumbfounded and could not believe she had the nerve to say that. I told my wife “John will play or do whatever he wants to do, all things are possible thru Jesus” and I meant it. The next day my wife put a onsie on John that read “Future Quarter Back” and I loved it!  John was discharged from the hospital on the 5th day of his stay in the NICU soon after the Dr. Gandy, another cardiologist, read the results of his echo that showed the PDA closed  and he was still sustaining 100% oxygen levels.  We got the call from the Dr. while attending a mandatory Infant CPR class at CHOC.  A class we almost didn't make it to since my wife didn't want to leave his bedside until she got the results of the echo (a class that scared me so much and made me doubt my ability to care for my son).  With Joy in our hearts we finally got to take John home to meet his brothers, who were so excited to do so.  Soon after I called our Pastor and made arrangements to have John dedicated at our church the Sunday after he was released from the hospital.  Throughout the next 3 months he grew so fast (we were lucky if we could get him in an outfit more than  once…LOL!). The emotional roller coaster was going full steam ahead not to mention all the doctors appointments he had. At his 3-month appointment, he was 14lbs. 14oz. and 25in long. Up to this point, he had been gaining an ounce a day and maintaining a 100% oxygen level. My wife and I thought he was doing great, then they performed an echo and said it showed that the hole in between the chambers of John's heart along with the rest of his body had grown. This was causing more strain on the pulmonary valve and made it more restricted.  Dr. Chun, his Cardiologist, advised us that he may start to develop symptoms of turning blue (cyanosis) and could even end up in the emergency room needing emergency surgery. John’s doctors wanted us to be proactive and wanted to schedule him for surgery within the next few weeks. We were in shock, we had been thinking that it was such a blessing that  John was doing so well and now they are saying he will have to have surgery 2-8mths sooner than they had originally planned. Though we did not want John to have to endure any type of surgery at all, we still had to do what was in his best interest so we scheduled an appointment with the surgeon. We had a meeting with Dr. Gates (John’s surgeon) and he advised that the prognosis for him was excellent especially since he had never had a Tet spell, trouble putting on weight, fatigue, or tiring very fast, or any other signs. Though looking back on it, it does seem he never had the level of energy he has today.  They repair would take place on Wednesday May 5, 2010 (Cinco De Mayo will never be the same for me). The surgeon told us the surgery itself would take about 3hrs or so and that John would probably be in the hospital for 5-7 days. I confessed to my wife that John would be home for Mother's Day, because I did not want her in the Hospital on Mother's Day. Plus I just had a feeling God would see to it John was released by then. Dr. Gates, the surgeon, was very nice, very easy to talk to and very descriptive on what he was going to be doing during the surgery and what we should expect during recovery. I don’t think he expected us to know so much about Tetralogy of Fallot, the surgery, and about him as a surgeon (my wife loves finding out things about people and she used all of her skills to find out as much as she could about the man who would be doing surgery on our little miracle).   That day May 5th came quickly…too quickly! Before we knew it, we were at the kissing booth (doorway to the operating room) saying good bye to our baby and watching them carry John away… it broke my heart, it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  His surgery went smoothly, took roughly 2½ hours from start to finish, and was less invasive then they had anticipated.  They did not have to remove any tissue from the exterior of Johns heart, Thank God! We had to wait a little longer to see our son though because they had to get him situated in his room and stable.  Seeing John for the first time after surgery, I was so excited! I didn't care about the wires, the tubes, any of it.  I just wanted to hold him, touch him, and let him know I was there.  I was glad that we could finally put the surgery behind us and move on to healing.  It was difficult at time seeing our sweet boy laying there and I was  helpless to do anything for him.  Especially when the alarms are going off because his blood pressure spiking or dropping, or when he would wake up and try to cry but instead you hear nothing because he has a tube down his throat.  I had to leave the room when they pulled the Trachea tube out because he looked into my eyes as he tried to scream (as if he was saying Dad! Help me!), I couldn't take it... it crushed me to see him like that.  The meds made John zone out, usually to Baby Einstein's on the hospital TV.  He did this for a few days.  Then the day had finally arrived when John was released, Mother's day and what a great Mother's Day gift it was! The Nurses at CHOC were so nice they even made a Mom's Day card with a poem and a picture of John smiling on it for Mitz. Honestly, I cannot say enough about how great everyone was at CHOC; they made us feel like they really and truly cared,  always asking if there was anything we needed and answering questions and helping when we needed it. They really enjoyed John too, nurses would ask other nurses to guess how old John was and they all would say what a cute baby he was and how he was always smiling.  It was a much more inspiring time than before, but we were better prepared this time around. Well as prepared as one could be…  Two weeks after the surgery we had a follow up with the cardiologist for an Echo.  Dr. Gandy said it showed that two of the valves in his heart showed mild backflow, but not to worry since it isn’t abnormal right after surgery due to the misshapen heart starting to heal and go back to a more normal shape. It worried us some at first, but we just confessed the Word, which we knew to be true, and did not look back.   At a month Post-op, we had another appointment with Dr. Chun and he decided not to do an echo, he listened thru the stethoscope and said how awesome John looked! He also commented on the fact that John was always smiling, its something everyone notices about him. He said his heart sounded like it was healing great and seemed surprised to hear that we were able to pick him up by his underarms just three weeks post op. He also said the check-ups could be less frequent since he was recovering so well. Mitz asked him if it was okay to get chlorine on his incision scar if  we take him swimming and he said, “Treat him like the other two boys”, which was such a blessing to our ears! He advised us that he will do an echo in 4 months.  Well recently on October 4, 2010, Dr. Chun did that echo and the results showed that there is still a backflow from the Pulmonary valve, he explained the possibilities of a valve  replacement surgery and said that John's results showed no need for immediate concern. He said they will monitor him and do tests when he is older, but it could be 10, 20, 30 years from now, or even never before he needs another surgery.  He said he will see us in a year for another check-up.  Someone said to me not too long ago that they don’t know how my wife and I got through this ordeal.  I will be the first to say its been a rollercoaster of emotions and been filled with tough times, but it has also been amazing to watch God work things out and to see John's strength and progress through this entire situation. He is by far the strongest person I have ever known and he inspires me in a way nobody else can. Had it not been for the Lord, our Church, Connor & Alexander (his brothers), Grandma and Grandpa, all Mitzi's family in North Carolina, my family in Tennessee, our extended families all over the country, and all of our friends; I don’t know that we would have made it through it all. Thank you all for being there!  Thanks to everyone at CHOC all the Doctors, Nurses, Cardiologists, Surgeons, Anesthesiologist and everyone else who helped keep my son alive and thriving… God Bless all of you!!!

addison.jesa

Addison Jesa, born June 26, was diagnosed with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (grade 2) following a very traumatic birth. The umbilibal cord was wrapped around Addison's neck (twice), cutting off both oxygen and blood flow. After a placental abruption, Addison lost what was estimated to be about half of her blood. A 43-minute resuscitation was required before her heart began beating and she started to breath on her own.

During Addison's 3-week stay in the NICU, her parents were told that she probably would not survive. Major organ failures are extremely common in HIE babies, and Addison was showing signs of several system failures. Addison was needing daily tansfusions of platelets or blood, sometimes both. Her kidneys had begun to shut down, and she was requiring oxygen constantly. Addison was kept on a hypothermic cooling blanket for the first three days of her life to try to preserve brain and organ functions. On the fourth day, Addison was returned to a normal body temperature and her parents and doctors waited to see whether she would live or die.

Slowly, doubt began to lift as Addison began doing better. Soon, doctors were telling her mom and dad that even though Addison would survive, she would likely have a major disability. It was possible that she would not ever learn how to walk, talk or even eat on her own. But she was alive.

After about a week in the NICU, doctors and nurses began uttering words like "amazing" and "miraculous". "Optimism" about Addison's long-term prognosis began to surface. Everyone seemed excited, and nurses from different wings of the hospital came in to see the "Miracle Baby". All of her systems were working; brain scans were coming back completely normal; she had even learned to breastfeed!

But there was a murmur in her heart...

After everything was going so well, her ECG results came back with bad news. Scans showed several holes in Addison's heart and an open vein that should have closed at birth, called a PDA. Some of the holes were of moderate size, and the PDA was large. There was enough blood flow through these holes that doctors felt that heart surgery was the best option.

In an attempt to allow Addison to gain as much weight as possible before surgery, doctors discharged her and let her go home for the first time after nearly 3 weeks in the NICU.

The following two months were filled with pediatricians, cardiologists, neurologists, developmental therapists, MRIs, EEGs, EKGs, blood tests, weight checks and countless phone followups. And slowly Addison's progress began to stop. She stopped gaining weight, she slept more and more, and it became very apparent that her heart was giving her problems.

At the next cardiologist appointment, doctors discovered another hole in her heart. They found out that the holes were actually getting bigger. The added blood flow had caused pulmonary hypertension. Her spleen and her liver were enlarged. Addison was going into congestive heart failure at 3 months old. Doctors scheduled her surgery immediately.

Two weeks later, Addison arrived at Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital in Portland. Surgeons planned to repair the valve and the two largest holes in her heart. At 7:30 am, Addison's mom and dad handed her off to the team of doctors for what was supposed to be a four to five hour surgery. Approximately an hour and a half later, Mom got a call. Surgeons wanted to meet with them.

The plan had changed after doctors found that the holes were beginning to repair themselves. Somehow, her body was finding the strength to do it on its own. They now felt that repairing the valve and leaving the rest to heal itself was the best course of action. The surgery would take less time, be less invasive, less risky, and would require a shorter post-op stay.

Three days after heart surgery, Addison was discharged again. Since then, she has continually been gaining weight and doing miraculously well. She loves to laugh and smile, will coo at whoever will listen to her and continues to meet normal physical milestones for her age group.

Addison was recently accepted by the Sparrow Clubs, and will officially be adopted as North Valley High School's sparrow on October 26th.

let me introduce myself.

some of you may know me. some of you may not.

for those that haven't met me.

let me introduce myself.

it has been a wonderful journey. let me tell you.

if you want to start from the very beginning, you can read
"my mom's view" written by my mom, of course

CLICK HERE to read it and then come back for the rest.

So now, I am guessing you read the post from my mom?
The post is from November 2010.

As you read, last November I was told I would be having surgery for a Pulmonary Valve replacement.

It's now October 2011. and in February of this year, I did have my surgery.
I again, had my surgery at Doernbecher in Portland, Oregon.

That experience was one I will always remember.
it was emotional. scary. exciting. transforming. and all of the above.

but most of all, life changing.

i believe we are handed these experiences in life for many reasons.
not only has my recent surgery opened my eyes to what life is really all about, 
but it has opened my heart to what i want to do.


with that being said, last year i held a fundraiser for Doernbecher.
I was able to raise enough money to buy 50 Scentsy Buddies (little stuffed animals).
i donated those scentsy buddies to the sick children at Doernbecher ...
 i did that the day before my surgery.


as you can imagine, it was emotional.
but it has stuck in my head every single day.

even though it was a small, and very simple fundraiser.
it was awesome to see people come together ... wanting to help the children.
it puts tears in my eyes, just thinking about it.

i believe that fundraiser was the first step to some big things in my future.

if i could donate and help children with conditions every single day, I WOULD. absolutely, no doubt about it.
THAT IS WHAT I WOULD DO ... and it is what I WANT TO DO.


my dream is to have a non profit organization dedicated to those with CHD.
i want to help CHD patients as much as i can ... especially children.
as i know that having an organization is years down the road ...
i also know there are things in the mean time that i can do to make a difference.

so here is my blog. dedicated to CHD and those with CHD.
i will have real patient stories. pictures. videos. facts. history.
you name it.
it will be here. and i invite you to be a part of it.

i will also be holding fundraisers and events soon.
all profits and donations to be given to Doernbecher Children's Hospital and those with CHD.

WHY DOERNBECHER?
because, honestly, without them and those amazing doctors and surgeons ... i don't know if i would be here today. and for that i am thankful ... more than thankful.

your love and support means everything to me.
this is just the beginning of some wonderful, amazing things.

please follow this blog and pass it onto your friends.