The Day You Were Born

The day you were born left an imprint on my soul.  It was a day mixed with excitement and fear, anticipation and unreadiness.  You would think being a fourth child it would have felt routine or familiar, but your delivery was like nothing I had experienced before.  With a room full of spectators you made your appearance into this fallen world.  You were not placed on my chest or in my arms...it was 15 minutes before I ever saw your face.  Before the first of many hard goodbyes I held you a mere moment, daddy said a prayer and we gave you a kiss.  It was not enough time to soak you in.

The day you were born I found myself alone in a delivery room trying to recall your features, wishing I could be with you.  I did my best to stay strong, to pray and to trust in God, but I was scared and broken and clinging to Jesus.
The day you were born my life was changed.  My perspective, my priorities, my desires, my prayers...they were all reshaped that day.  Your life taught me what matters most, and where ultimate healing comes from.
The day you were born I had to live out my faith through pain and suffering for the first time.  I had to cling to what I knew, not what I felt.  At just 9 days old we handed you over to a surgeon knowing that the pain you would endure was necessary for the joy you have today.  It was heart-wrenching saying goodbye and giving up all control.
The day you were born I understood your life was a gift bestowed upon your daddy and me and I clung to that knowledge and our hope in Christ.  The love we have for you runs deep, yet your heavenly father loves you more.
The day you were born my life became fuller and the world was made brighter.
Today, with a plethora of emotions, I celebrate that day.  I celebrate your life.  Stephen, you have touched more people in 2 years then some touch in a lifetime.  God has used your story and your heart to make an eternal imprint on this world...my life is just one of them.  You are strong, brave and ever-joyful.  Your smile brightens my darkest days and your joy brings peace to my soul.  I pray that joy will never leave you and that the Lord continues to bless you and protect you and strengthen your heart.
Your life has made me a better woman, a better wife and a better mom.  I love you Bubba and I am grateful for the day you born!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!!

Many thanks to all of you who have continued to pray these past 2 years!!!  We know how powerful your prayers are and we are so grateful for you!
Much Love in Christ,
The Russells

Prayers For Naya

Will you please join me in praying for Naya.  You can read a little more about her story and her wonderful Mom Sarah at  My Winding Road.

Naya had her Fontan surgery at Rady's on February 24th and the road to recovery has been very long with some major hurdles along the way including a second and now 3rd open heart surgery needed.

Her latest update broke my heart...

"So she wasn't stabilizing, they decided they need to take down the current surgery and go back a step. But she's not strong enough for the surgery so they've put her on the ECMO so that she will hopefully get her stats stabilized, then take her to surgery tonight hopefully. So we're all a little devastated but trusting that God's plan is to bring her through this. Thank you guys in advance, I know you will praying hard and sending your support"

Please stop and pray for Naya now and in the days to come.  We know your payers made such a difference in Stephen's recovery and ask that you now cover Naya in prayer.  

Thank You!!!!
~Kim  

Easter Baskets

By now I am sure you all know how much our family loves and appreciates the Ronald McDonald House.  They provide a "home away from home" for families like ours with children being treated for serious, often life-threatening conditions at Rady Children's Hospital.  It is hard describe all that the Ronald McDonald House does for families.  It goes beyond just supplying lodging and food.  They care and comfort families in their time of need.

Joe and I have been so blessed to be able to take our youth group down a few times a year and give back to an organization that truly gives so much to this community.  This year we will be going down the day before Easter to provide a meal and bless the families who will be spending the holiday away from home.  Along with the meal we will be putting on a mini carnival with a bounce house, games and an Easter Egg hunt for the siblings of the hospitalized children who are staying at the RMH.  We hope to provide a day of smiles, laughter and hope as we bless these families and make their day a little brighter.  

And this is where you come in!

We are hoping to provide every child, or at least every family, with a filled Easter basket.  So whether you can proved a filled basket, items for a basket or a basket itself we could use your help!  

This is a great way to get your family or friends involved!  Your kids or grandkids can help you purchase items or make a basket or you can even throw a basket filling party!  If you are looking for a way to touch some hearts this Easter Season this is a great way to get involved. Joe and I can both share many stories of how simple acts like this warmed our hearts during our stays at the RMH.  Watching our kids faces light up when groups came in and offered even simple crafts helped us find joy even during the hardest part of our stay.   

Let me know if you would like to donate in any way! I can even do on Orange County pick up if anyone is interested up there =0)

kdrussell04@aol.com

Ideas for baskets

Crayons

Coloring books

Stuffed animals

Toys

Candy

Books

You know basically anything fun that you think kids would enjoy and would fit in a basket! The only thing we are asking is NO BUBBLES!

We can also use donations of empty plastic Easter Eggs and bags of candy!

Much Love to you all and THANK YOU!!!!!

The Russell's

Amazing Advancements

The advancements made in the medical field always amaze me.  If I were born with Stephen's condition I would not be alive, but over the last 30 years they have developed and improved upon a series of three surgeries that has brought some adults into their late twenties...amazing...but not good enough.  Stephen has only one functioning ventricle and his 1/2 of a heart has to work extra hard.  "In the normal heart each ventricle does a separate job. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs, and the left ventricle pumps blood to the body.  In a single ventricle heart, there is only one ventricle large enough to do the normal job of pumping blood. This ultimately requires committing the single ventricle to doing the harder work of the heart, pumping blood to the body while the job of getting blood to the lungs must be done without a pump".  In Stephen's case his single ventricle pumps blood returning from the lungs to the body, and the blood returning from the body travels to the lungs by direct blood vessel connections without ever entering into his heart or a pumping chamber.

The 1st two surgeries began this configuration where all of the oxygenated poor blood from his upper body bypasses his heart and flows passively through the venous system into his lungs. The third surgery will finalize that flow by connecting the lower half of his body ultimately making all oxygenated poor blood flow into his lungs to be oxygenated and will then enter his heart to be pumped out to his body. 
Crazy...right?!  He looks completely normal on the outside...but his entire system is plumbed so differently on the inside.  

I am so grateful that they have made these advancements and have these 3 surgeries.  Without them he wouldn't have survived more than a week.   However these surgeries are only palliative..meaning they only prolong life but do not cure his condition.  They have found that this type of circulation works for about 20 years (if the heart continues to pump strongly and no major complication arise) but the single ventricle tires out and a heart transplant may be necessary.  

Here is where research becomes so exciting.  The advancements being made are incredible.  Here is a short video that describes how some amazing advancements will be put into a clinical trial of 10 patients undergoing the 2nd surgery using stem cels banked from the child's cord blood.  
Stem Cell Use in Congenital Heart Disease
The hope is that these stem cells strengthen the single ventricle to give it greater durability and power to pump blood throughout the body.  This can potentially be amazing as Stephen gets older.  My hope is that this will be able to delay any heart failure or need for transplant for a time...or buy time before they find some amazing "cure".  The key however is funding.  
Funding = Research = Advancements = Life
I am so excited to help support CHD Awareness and research because it will make a difference in the life of my son and of so many other children.  The research brings hope to families like our and patients like Stephen.  Hope that they will one day find a "cure" or better way to make their 1/2 a heart function like a whole one.  
So as part of CHD Awareness Week I would like to show you one place you can donate towards this life saving research.  
You can donate to the Mayo Clinic 's research Center for Regenerative Medicine..the amazing center making this stem cell research possible!  

Here is al little more about the Mayo Clinic

and Here is where you can donate!  Giving to Regenerative Medicine


And while I do hope Stephen will benefit from these advancements and that a better solution to his condition will be available in the future, my ultimate trust and hope comes in the Lord.  For whether Stephen lives 80 years or 10 years...it is my prayer that his death, or any of ours, will not be the end of life but the launching pad into the glory we were made for.  


Thank you for letting me spread awareness...one blog post at a time!!!!

* Quotations were taken from Cincinnati Children's Website

Heart Awareness Month

February is Heart Awareness Month with 

Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week being February 7th-14th.  

So lets get the awareness going!

Here is some information taken from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia...one of the leading hospitals in the US for pediatric Cardiology and Heart Surgery.  

What are Congenital Heart Defects?

Congenital heart defects occur in the early stages of pregnancy, when the heart is forming. Congenital heart defects include abnormalities in the heart’s structure, electrical system and other abnormalities that affect the function of a baby’s heart.

What are the most complex types of congenital heart defects?

Single ventricle heart defects, (what Stephen has) are among the most complex and challenging forms of congenital heart defects to treat.

Are Heart defects in children more prevalent than cancer?

Yes. In fact, congenital heart defects are approximately 60 times more prevalent than childhood cancer.

"In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD".

Cancer SUCKS!!!!  But so do CHD's.  The fact is if I was born with Stephen's heart condition I would not be alive.  Research and funding are so important and they have made some amazing life-saving progress over the last 30 years.  

So this coming week, and this month I hope to spread some light on CHD's, the INCREDIBLE research taking place, how you can help, and of course on an adorable 22 month old (yes he is almost 2)!

What can you do?  Share this post and help spread awareness!!!!!

Happy Heart Month!!!

Cold & Flu Season

This is the worst time of year for me.  Any heart family or mama with an "at risk" child understands exactly what I mean while the rest of the world gets to be a little more "carefree".  You see I hear the word "flu" and want to board up my house and keep my kids far far from you.  The flu terrifies me.  It can knock down a healthy adult for days and will without a doubt land Stephen in the hospital.  Last year when Stephen had a fever he was sent to the ER to make sure it wasn't the dreaded flu...not the common protocol for most children.  I hated every minute of it.  He had to be held down screaming as they took blood, x-rays, urine, ect.  It broke my heart watching him go through it and I want to do everything within my power to keep him from having to go through it again.  And that was just when they thought he might have the flu...having it would be a whole other story.  While the flu can be serious even in people who are otherwise healthy, it can be especially dangerous for Stephen as he falls into the category that is at "high risk for serious flu complications".

So in an effort to protect our little guy and others like him I thought I would help educate readers   =0)
Here is a little information from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention...

How does the flu spread?

"People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts think that flu viruses are spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth or nose."
(I found it interesting that it can spread by just talking.  So many people think they are fine if they just don't cough on people and stand back...not true!)

How long can a sick person spread the virus to others?

"Most healthy adults may be able to infect other people beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than 7 days.  Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. Some people can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons may still spread the virus to others."

(Extra sucky...people are contagious for 7 days!  I mean it is hard to get people to stay home when they have a fever let alone once they "feel better")

By no means do I actually expect people to stay home for a week when they are sick (though it would help)...but I wanted to take the time to inform people of just how contagious the flu is and that there are people out there who are at a much higher risk of severe complications.  The standing doctor orders are for our entire family to not to be around anyone who is sick with the flu or even anyone who has been around someone who is sick with the flu as they can be carrying the virus and can be contagious before symptoms arise. While I would prefer to be a little more carefree I am happy to be a germaphobe if it keeps my little guy healthy.   

So please pray that we can avoid flu as they have already said it is going to be a rough season.  I know God is in control and I am grateful that I have my precious man to be protective of =0)  
And say a pray for Pastor Charlie.  We worked with him and his wife Elaine during our short year in Carlsbad.  He is in the ICU on a ventilator from H1N1...something I am sure they never expected.  The flu this year is no joke.  So please pray that Charlie makes a full recovery and pray for peace and strength for Elaine during such a scary time.

And this cold & flu season see what you can do to spread the love...not the germs!

Much Love,

Kim

Cardiology Check Up

Yesterday was Stephen's 6 month check up with the cardiologist.  The doctor said everything sounds wonderful and that he will see us in 6 months for a full evaluation including an echo.  This time around he only had to have a chest X-ray and EKG...no echo.  I am always a little nervous/anxious leading up to these appointments.  On one hand I expect to hear only good results because he doing so well but on the other I know a list of complications that can easily arise.  I am beyond grateful for the good report and pray that Stephen's heart continues to function well.

He is a charmer for sure and he is getting so big!  He is no longer a baby but somehow grew into a little boy.  His adorable squinty eyed smile melts my heart and he asserts his independence more and more each day.   He picks up his bowl and drinks the rest of the milk when he finishes his cereal and helps empty the dishwasher.  He loves building with legos and coloring with markers (I need to get more washable ones) at the table while his sibling do their school work.  He loves to sit in my lap and read the same book over and over and over and leans in to give me kisses any time I ask...well mostly =0)
Life is good and we are very blessed.

As for prayer requests...please continue to pray that Stephen's heart remains strong and healthy and that our family can avoid all these nasty bugs going around.  I go into a minor panic mode when I hear "flu" because I know full well what that word can mean for Stephen.
Thank You!
~Kim

Here are a few recent pictures and even a video of the little guy =0)

Riding the train with his proud Big Brother