The speech I attempted to read during Lance's Benefit dinner! Thanks Lisa for finishing it for me!!
Submitted by Christina on Wed, 11/11/2009 - 12:29pm
This is the speech I tried to post on the previous log entry.
Thank you Shelley and I cannot tell you enough how thankful I am to have you in
my family’s life and for all the time, work and dedication that you have put into
making this event a success... You are such a blessing...
and before I share with you all a little bit about Lance’s journey, I would like to
thank everyone for being here tonight. I have been talking with many of you prior
to and during this event ..
...and I am truly touched by your support.
As you can imagine this has been a life changing journey.
When Lance was born & we heard the word heart defect we had no idea how
much these words would impact all of our lives.
We made it through the heart caths and the ballooning of the valves all in the
hopes that something miraculous would happen...that he would be able to avoid
surgery and live a normal life.
However at 6 months, Lance had his first of 4 open heart surgeries. I
remember the day our beloved cardiologist informed us that a heart transplant
was inevitable.
Heart Transplant....We tried to forget those words and prayed that it would
never come to that. We imagined that we would have at least twenty years
before that day would come, so we relied on future medical advances and lots of
prayers. After the first surgery and almost 5 normal years..that day sadly came.
In December of 2008 Lance started getting really sick. We took him to see his
cardiologist and he confirmed our fear that it was now time to have his 2nd open
heart surgery. This one was the one we wanted to put off because once he had
this surgery the clock starts ticking to needing a new heart.
I can’t describe our fear and sadness. He had his 2nd surgery in April and we
should have gone home 7-9 days later, however 33 days later we were still in the
hospital. His heart function was not good. But we tried to think positively and
believed with time and medicine he would become stronger. Within two weeks of
Lance’s return home his kidney’s shut down and we found ourselves back in
CICU for the next 2 months. They tried everything they could, but he still coded in
the Cath lab and while he pulled through...it was obvious...his heart just wasn’t
strong enough.
He would need a transplant.
We cried for a long time but we knew this was the only option.
Staying strong for Lance has been one of the hardest things my husband
and I have ever done. Even my first born, Emory, who is 9, has stayed strong
for Lance, having his own childhood affected, having to grow up a bit quicker and
have his time with his parents shortened because of Lance’s illness. Emory has
stayed strong too and I am so proud of him.
So this really was such a hard time for us all...we had already been through so
much. After Doug and I faced the facts that our child, at only 5 years old, needed
a new heart to survive...we then had to see if he would even be eligible to receive
a new heart. After a couple of days...Lance was placed on the Unos list as A1
which means he was at the top of the list for the state of Georgia.
He waited only 5 days for his miracle.
Of course the 10 hour surgery to give him his new heart was not easy on any of
us. They called every hour to let us know how it was going and that ring will stay
with us forever. We were so relieved when it was over and we could go see him.
What a blessing!
But...then, the next day, his aorta started constricting and he had to have his 4th
surgery to repair it. He came through this and everything was looking good until a
series of many painful and scary setbacks kept us in the hospital for another 30
days. One of the setbacks was a terrifying seizure that basically stopped his
breathing.
Our hearts sank.
I remember the doctors trying to tell me to not stimulate him after his seizure but i
couldn’t just sit there..Like any mother...I broke the rules and we rubbed his hand
and asked him to squeeze our hand if he heard us. He finally gave us an
indication that he was OK and that was one of my happiest moments.... So I
finally let him rest! He had a few more seizures after that until he was finally put
on the right mixture of medicine to stop them and we haven't had anymore since.
Thank you Lord!!
And the THE BIG DAY CAME...Lance’s Homecoming! . We were all so excited.
We went through training classes, learned about medicines and his feeding tube
and then off we went. One thing we learned is nurses make it look really
easy...and nurses we are not. The first night of administering his medicine took
well over an hour. You should have seen us..we had all the medicine spread out
on the table and Doug and I looked at each other like ..”where do we start?” We
now have it down to a science. Doug and I can give him his 15 medicines in 9
and 1/2 seconds flat..that is if Lance is in a good mood.
Lance is now doing great and has gained 7 pounds and is now weighing in at 43
pounds. But as we have learned...day by day, moment by moment.
That really is the biggest lesson in all of this...to live each moment in that moment
and make the very best of each day. Our family now focuses on the present
which was something I never did before. I always lived in the future and that is no
way to live.
Again, as I look out at all of you...I cannot express enough how thankful we all
are for the support and love we have received from so many. I am truly moved
and amazed at how people you haven't even met can be so understanding,
caring and giving. My faith in the power of community, the strength of friendship
and the pure graciousness of strangers has forever changed me. It is through all
of you and your support that we can celebrate with Lance second chances and
renewed hope.
I plan on instilling these values in both my sons and making sure they are
inspired to give in return.
So this is our journey and quite the rollercoaster it has been but in the end it has
taught our whole family what really matters in this life.
Thank you so much...thanks for listening....Thank you for everything.
Now back to the party!!
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