When I say Kelsey and I have lived different lives physically with our hearts- I mean that it breaks my heart to tell you this precious girl has had more physical restrictions than I. The main one being- having children is not an option for her as it is very dangerous for both her and the baby. It is simply not an option. Kelsey and I see the same doctor- so this tells you that we have very different complications. I have cried many times thinking about her and her husband's desire for a baby. To the smallest and most minuscule degree- I can vaguely understand her pain as I was always told how dangerous it would be to become pregnant and that I should prepare to not be allowed to have children. But God changed my fate where He did not allow that for Kelsey. He has a different plan for her to glorify Him and to bless her and Daniel. Because she and I both know God is so big and His will is always perfect- she has accepted this will of God and with an amazing attitude and a heart for adoption- turned bad news into something BEAUTIFUL!!!
Sidenote: She has the most amazing attitude and spirit I have ever seen in a person with such devastating news! You only see God shining through her joyful heart!
And now- I want to share with y'all my precious friend's story. I'll let her do the honors:
"I was born the evening of December 27th 1987, just a couple weeks before my due date. My parents had hoped for a perfect baby since they experienced some complications with their prior pregnancies. After delivery the nurses took me to the newly prepared baby bed to warm and clean me up for my parents to hold. Normally, when babies are born they "pink up" after taking a few good breaths. But not me. After 30 minutes of dedicated stimulation I was still cyanotic or a "blue baby". At that time a cardiac issue was assumed so I went to radiology for some more tests. After an x-ray it was determined that my anatomy was not normal at all. I was born with heterotaxy. By definition, heterotaxy is a condition in which the usual positions of the organs are reversed from left to right as a mirror image, meaning everything that normally would appear on my left is now on my right and major organs like stomach and liver reside more midline. I was also born with asplenia or no spleen at all. My liver was enlarged across my entire abdomen and my heart was, well. . . different. I was born with an atrial septal defect, a ventricle septal defect and only one good ventricle where there typically are two. My CHD is commonly known as a "single ventricle". I was immediately transported by ambulance to the University of New Mexico Hospital were I underwent my first major surgery within 24 hours of being born. Before I was transported, my dad took the liberty of naming me while my mom came in and out of sedation from her C-section. My father named me Kelsey because that was the name HE liked, not because it was the agreed upon name. To this day, my mom still can't believe Dad did that. During my first surgery the doctors placed a shunt in my chest to help non-oxygenated blood from my body get to the lungs to become better oxygenated and redirect it back to my heart. After the procedure, the doctors informed my parents that my life expectancy would be about 17 years. I can't imagine what was going on in my parent's mind at that time but I do know that they were determined to make the most of it. Surprisingly, Mom and I arrived home at about the same time. Six months later it was determined that another surgery was needed to increase my oxygen levels so I returned to the hospital for another major surgery. The doctors added another shunt on the other side of my chest to help increase my oxygen levels. These first two surgeries were all in preparation for my Fontan procedure in 1991. This is a major operation that requires open heart surgery. The Fontan procedure was a more permanent modification that is meant to last longer than a few years. Thankfully, my Fontan has lasted almost 27 years and it is still holding up!
CHD is a lifelong journey that will always be with you. It can dictate your life from the very beginning in a way that maybe others wouldn't understand or think. As a child, I always wanted to be a lot of things when I grew up like a gymnast, a runner, a French horn player, a mother. I feel that my parents did their best to prepare me for life as an adult regardless of my CHD. They never used my diagnosis as an excuse so in turn, I never did either. Sure I had to know my physical limitations but I wasn't excused from all the suicide runs on the basketball court during P. E. just because of my heart defect. Also while growing up, my parents prepared me for the reality of living with CHD. My mom would always tell me that getting pregnant would be very dangerous for me and that I should probably never expect for that to happen. Although I did not know it then, my parents were preparing me for an extremely large and devastating loss. The loss of having children. After understanding and coming to full realization of what this meant, I mourned the loss of the children that my husband and I would never have.
In December of 2015 my husband and I decided it was time to grow our family through adoption! We are currently on the list waiting for a referral for a child or a sibling group from the country of Kyrgyzstan. While on this adoption journey, I have learned that like CHD, adoption is also not for the faint of heart. It's tough. The wait is agonizing at times. There are bumps in the road that no one can predict. But when this adoption journey is over, it will all have been worth it to cuddle my little ones close to my strong, joyful and loving broken heart."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest update in the adoption process was posted by Kelsey this morning:
"We have a NEW adoption fundraising website! Many of you have asked where we were financially on our adoption journey so I thought I would take a moment to share that with you. Right now, Daniel and I are waiting on a referral from Kyrgyzstan. Once we receive and decide to accept a referral then we will need to submit $10,000 to our agency. We currently have about $5,000 of that saved right now. This money will help pay for the agency program fee, 3rd and final international program fee, post-adoption administrative fee, and a medical evaluation at time of referral. This amount does not included travel expenses needed to travel to and from Kyrgyzstan and in country travel. Once we receive and accept the official referral we hope to travel to Kyrgyzstan within a month of that date to meet our child or children and begin the bonding process with them. I have been scouting out airline tickets and they are CRAZY! If anyone finds something to Bishkek, KG under $1,800 per person round trip I will be ecstatic. We have a few sky miles that we have saved but I'm sure we could use those types of donations too. According to Kyrgyzstan's adoption procedure, we will need to make 3 separate trips to Kyrgyzstan. (1. 10 day bonding trip 2. Court hearing 3. Pick up at orphanage and complete U. S. Embassy paperwork in Bishkek). We are also looking into partnering up with a Christian travel agent to receive discounted tickets for the airfare.
Our prayer today is that we will continue to trust that God already has a perfect plan for us and that we would watch and wait for His leading on this journey."
https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/rowans-kyrgyzstan-adoption/#.WPAwRdmnEbE.facebook
Thank you dear friends for living your lives selflessly and giving to others in their time of need and for realizing life is not about us or our selfish desires! It has everything to do with loving God by loving His people and putting ourselves last. To do so is to be immensely blessed!
In December of 2015 my husband and I decided it was time to grow our family through adoption! We are currently on the list waiting for a referral for a child or a sibling group from the country of Kyrgyzstan. While on this adoption journey, I have learned that like CHD, adoption is also not for the faint of heart. It's tough. The wait is agonizing at times. There are bumps in the road that no one can predict. But when this adoption journey is over, it will all have been worth it to cuddle my little ones close to my strong, joyful and loving broken heart."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The latest update in the adoption process was posted by Kelsey this morning:
"We have a NEW adoption fundraising website! Many of you have asked where we were financially on our adoption journey so I thought I would take a moment to share that with you. Right now, Daniel and I are waiting on a referral from Kyrgyzstan. Once we receive and decide to accept a referral then we will need to submit $10,000 to our agency. We currently have about $5,000 of that saved right now. This money will help pay for the agency program fee, 3rd and final international program fee, post-adoption administrative fee, and a medical evaluation at time of referral. This amount does not included travel expenses needed to travel to and from Kyrgyzstan and in country travel. Once we receive and accept the official referral we hope to travel to Kyrgyzstan within a month of that date to meet our child or children and begin the bonding process with them. I have been scouting out airline tickets and they are CRAZY! If anyone finds something to Bishkek, KG under $1,800 per person round trip I will be ecstatic. We have a few sky miles that we have saved but I'm sure we could use those types of donations too. According to Kyrgyzstan's adoption procedure, we will need to make 3 separate trips to Kyrgyzstan. (1. 10 day bonding trip 2. Court hearing 3. Pick up at orphanage and complete U. S. Embassy paperwork in Bishkek). We are also looking into partnering up with a Christian travel agent to receive discounted tickets for the airfare.
Our prayer today is that we will continue to trust that God already has a perfect plan for us and that we would watch and wait for His leading on this journey."
Below is the link to their fundraising page. I will also be sharing this on my Facebook page and blogging Facebook page. I encourage you to please give what you can. As I have said before- a little is more than none and goes a long way!! And I cannot imagine a better way to spend that extra change than to help a precious most deserving couple become parents. If you know that desire for parenthood- you cannot deny them of this privilege and honor. They are going to be the best most loving Godly parents. And besides that- a child's life will forever be changed and given the greatest opportunity at life. Thank you for helping my precious friend and her husband on this journey!!
Click on the link below to donate:
https://mystory.lifesongfororphans.org/stories/rowans-kyrgyzstan-adoption/#.WPAwRdmnEbE.facebook
Thank you dear friends for living your lives selflessly and giving to others in their time of need and for realizing life is not about us or our selfish desires! It has everything to do with loving God by loving His people and putting ourselves last. To do so is to be immensely blessed!
No comments:
Post a Comment