Considerations

I have been also debating if any of these posts about children in need and building awareness should be moved to my jewelry blog as well. Maybe I could modify them to somehow relate more to my jewelry. I know I already have a section for awareness jewelry, maybe I can center the content around that. It's a continuous work in progress, so we'll see how it goes.

Housekeeping

I have recently decided to make this my less personal blog and keep the personal posts for my other blog: Deems Family Album. I had a few posts there that Michael thought were irrelevant to our family, so I am doing a little bit of rearranging.

Another Angel Child

I don't know if it my new re-found relationship with God, or angels who are guiding me, but I have been touched by another story of a little boy who is fighting to regain his health. On November 19, 2008, the Hope-and-Support page on MySpace.com featured the Decarlis as their current family in need. Blake Levi Decarli was born on March 30, 2008. At 6 months old, Blake went to the pediatrician for a routine checkup. "At this checkup Blake had slight bruising on his legs and abdominal swelling. The doctor had given him a routine shot. The site of the shot bled profusely. The doctor then decided to send Blake to a larger hospital for some blood tests. Blake and his parents were sent home to await the test results. Approximately two hours after they arrived home they got the phone call that would change their lives forever." The Decarlis learned that their baby boy had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Apparently Blake is recovering well and is only on "maitenance" chemo, which is a less harsh treatment.

You can read more about Blake's story here.

Little Miracles

Despite the struggles we may face with Gabriel, I would never trade any of it. And I am eternally grateful for our healthy and strong Baby Boy. I am aware that some Families are not as lucky.

About 2 years ago I "met" Kaleb through a friend's profile on MySpace. At 5 months old, Kaleb fell victim to Shaken Baby Syndrome. I was appalled by his tragedy, and inspired by his strength. You can read Kaleb's Story
here and here.

Through the HelpKaleb page on Myspace, I "met" Candace, a girl born with a very rare skin disorder called Giant Congenital Nevus. Her Nana Mimi started Candalyse Publishing to help generate revenue for the Candace Battiste Surgery Fund. You can read Candace's Story here.

This past week, I learned of a little boy named Eliot. Eliot was born with Trisomy-18, a condition similar to, but more severe than Down's Syndrome. While most babies with Trisomy-18 die before birth, Eliot was born in July 2006 and fought to live an impossible 99 days! Through Eliot's Blog, I "met" Claire, another baby with Trisomy-18. Claire fought, but was not as strong as Eliot and became an Angel a mere 8 weeks after her birth. I had never even heard of this genetic disorder before, and without the internet, may still be ignorant. You can read more about Eliot, Claire, and Trisomy-18 here, here, and here.

As a new mother with an infant son, I cannot imagine having to go through what any of these families have endured. I will continue to Pray for these Parents, Families and their Angel Children.