The Six Pack

Many of you have been following the story of Baby Aiya , an HLHS baby from Wichita who had heart surgery this past Friday.  My heart aches to inform that she passed away on Saturday. I don't know the details regarding her complications, but our experience tells it is quite common for babies to develop a blood clot in their shunt or suffer a stroke after surgery.  We know that she was under specialized care post-op and are hopeful she did not suffer.  However, her parents suffer greatly. On Sunday our entire family attended her funeral.  It was quite a unique experience for the boys and us, as we had never before attended a Muslim service.  But grief knows not the boundaries of race or religion, so we were glad we could attend and offer her parents our condolences and prayers.  Please continue to keep this family in your thoughts and prayers. We take for granted how blessed we are.  Hug your babies, and enjoy the company of your loved ones this Thanksgi...

It has been a week of tears. On Veteran's Day last week, just two days after his 93rd birthday, the Greatest Veteran passed away.  My beloved Grandpa Frank , who served courageously in World War II, went suddenly and unexpectedly, but peacefully in his sleep.  It came as a shock to us all.  Grandpa was old, but he was ever strong and such an integral part of our family.  He left an amazing legacy to his five children, thirteen grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren, and we were blessed to have known him for so many years. It has been a tough week for my boys, especially the oldest three.  They remember so many visits with Gramps--the stories he told, the treats he offered, the love he gave us--and to see him finally resting in peace hit them hard.  But we all took comfort in the fact that he went peacefully, and that the extended family spent time with him on his birthday just last Wednesday.  During his services we reminisced about his incred...

THANK YOU ALL for your prayers, success stories, and words of support for the family of Baby Aiya. It was your help I'm sure that gave her parents the hope and strength to opt for life-saving surgery. Last Friday, November 11 Aiya was taken by jet to Kansas City Children's Mercy where she will undergo the Norwood procedure tomorrow. Zachy makes a new heart friend Please continue to pray for this beautiful child and her worried parents.  This is an exceptionally risky surgery for Aiya and she will need your intercessions!!!  Updates to follow.

Yesterday was indeed a day of miracles, from the good news we got in our sonogram, to Joseph's idea to clean the house after school, to the beautiful snowfall we received so early in the season.  But most miraculous of all was the beautiful child we met last night. We learned of Baby Aiya's situation only yesterday.  She is firstborn to a young couple who are far from home, from a country far away and a culture very different from our own.  Only weeks ago was she diagnosed prenatally with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a condition very similar to Zachary's in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.  Like Zachy, unless she undergoes at least three open-heart surgeries, this sweet baby will not survive.  Most HLHS babies have to be put on some sort of life support such as a ventilator and medication within hours of birth.  Only after they stabilize to life outside the womb are they taken to surgery, which is typically a few days later. Ai...

Dear Friends, this was the day we have been long awaiting. The day we looked to with dread, but also with a great deal of hope. The day we got a first glimpse at our new baby's heart. The day we found out that our newest little blessing has a STRONG heart that is beating with FOUR BEAUTIFUL CHAMBERS!!! The four dark spots above are baby's four pumping chambers! We are not completely out of the woods yet...  in a few weeks we will go for a complete fetal echocardiogram, but even some smaller cardiac defects cannot be detected before birth.  Still, we are rejoicing today at the news that more serious defects such as single ventricle and transposition of the great arteries can be ruled out!  What's more, the rest of baby looks healthy, too!  The only place we didn't look was between the legs... that will be a surprise we keep for later :-) You formed my inmost being; You knit me in my mother's womb.  I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; Wonderful are your w...

Little Zachary, you have always been my hero, but now you are my superhero !!! One day a couple weeks ago I was talking to Zachary about the upcoming holiday.  I asked him what he was going to say as he walked up to each house, and he replied: "Give me something good to eat!   I pull down you unnerwear !" Shocked, I asked him, "Zachy, did your crazy brothers teach you that?" "No," he told me.  "Gamma tell me that."  Alas, it was true.  My mother admitted later that afternoon. Why do the older ones always prefer the dark and creepy costumes? Who are those masked men? And finally, in honor of today's All Soul's Day and yesterday's Feast of All Saints, let us remember in a special way all those brave children, men, and women who have lost their courageous battle with congenital heart defects.  May they look down on us with their now-perfect hearts and give us strength to face our challenges.