Arrangments for Ava will be held at Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles.
Family visitation will begin at 5pm Sunday January 6, with open visitation
from 6pm - 8pm.
The funeral will be Monday January 7 at 2pm with a luncheon to follow. Details of where and when the luncheon will be will be posted as soon as possible.
Again, thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. Please continue to do so.
God bless you.
Weaver-Zimmerman Family
Thursday, January 3, 2008
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Ava with Mommy & Daddy
Isn't she beautiful!
It's A Girl!
Hello everyone and welcome to Ava Christine's Blog.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
Before surgery
The Next Step
The next step in repairing Ava's heart was to fix what is known as Truncus Arteriosus. Truncus arteriosus is "characterized by a large ventricular septal defect over which a large, single great vessel (truncus) arises. This single great vessel carries blood both to the body and to the lungs". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073) Below is a picture of what Ava's heart was like before surgery.
Before Surgery
After Surgery
The above picture shows what the surgeon did to repair Ava's heart. "Surgery is required to close the ventricular septal defect and separate blood flow to the body from blood flow to the lungs. This is generally done early in infancy to prevent high blood pressure from damaging the lungs' arteries. A patch is used to close the ventricular defect. The pulmonary arteries are then disconnected from the single great vessel and a tube (a conduit or tunnel) is placed from the right ventricle to these pulmonary arteries. This is sometimes called a Rastelli repair". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073)
18 comments:
Jamie, Jamie & Braden, We are so sorry to hear about your loss!! She truly was a fighter. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with you at this tough time. Love, Mark, Lisa, Cole and Dawson Clemens
Do you have any idea how many people love you?
And they're all going to say they'll do anything you need, and they'll mean it.
So do we.
We will miss checking on our precious great-granddaughter every day.
LOVE,
Grandpa & Grandma Wegner
Let God be your guild, let Him show you His way. Be strong, be brave, Ava is in His loving arms. She will be with you always. Our hearts are heavy and I feel an added saddness of not knowing what to say to ease you through the next few days, weeks, months and years. We love you all and are grieving with you. God Bless Ava, and all the Weaver-Zimmerman Family, Deepest Sympathy, Tim, Amy, Chris, Zack, Jacob and Emily Archer
Prayers for you and your family 24/7. Peace be with you
Angie Plude
Jamie, Jamie and Brayden, We are so very sorry for your loss. Words can not express how deeply sadden our family is feeling. Just know that we are your family and we will stick together. Maybe one of the reasons she was sent her by God was to bring our WHOLE family together again. Thank you for sharing that one special day we got to spend with your beautiful little angel. Let us know if you need anything.
Love, Brian, Chelie, Caiden, Sean, Aunt Kathy & the entire Thomas family.
Jamie & Jamie -
My heart goes out to you and your family. I can not express how truley sorry we are for your loss. Ava was a beautiful little girl. I would like to share this poem Nevaeh with you by Herb Dunn~
Never have I seen a place, Anything like this. Everywhere that I look Leaves my soul in bliss
Vast amounts of sunshine, Everything is green
All around the sound is clear, I hear the birds that sing.
Emerald is the pool, Neath the waterfall I sit.
Heaven is the closest thing To this I'll ever get.
We will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.
Heather Miller & Girls (Nevaeh & Legna)
Just wanted to let you know if you go to www.heartsofhopemi.org you can make a donation in honor of Ava. Very easy to do, just did it and you can use your paypal account.
Angie Hartsell-Plude
Dear Zimmerman Family,
We are so sorry for the loss of your sweet baby Ava. I have been at a loss for words and still am. Please know that you are in our thoughts & our prayers.
Our deepest sympathy~
Love,
The Bilpo Family
Sandy, Chris, Ethan,
Carleigh & Carson
Jamie, Jamie and Brayden...
I am extremely sorry about your loss. We will continue to pray for your family each and every day. She is a beautiful Angel!! Take care, Love the Barkmans
Little Angels
When God calls little children to dwell with Him above,
We mortals sometime question the wisdom of His love.
For no heartache compares with the death of one small child
Who does so much to make our world seem wonderful and mild.
Perhaps God tires of calling the aged to his fold,
So he picks a rosebud before it can grow old.
God knows how much we need them and so He takes but few.
To make the land of Heaven more beautiful to view.
Believing this is difficult, still somehow we must try.
The saddest word mankind knows will always be "Goodbye".
So when a little child departs, we who are left behind,
Must realize God loves children,
ANGELS ARE HARD TO FIND.
-----------------------------
God saw that she was getting tired
And the cure was nto to be.
So He put His arms around her
And whispered, "Come with me."
With tearful eyes we watched her suffer
And saw her fade away.
Although we loved her dearly,
We could not make her stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Busy little hands and feet to rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us,
He only takes the best.
It's lonesome here without you,
We miss you so each day.
Our lives aren't the same,
Since you went away.
When days are sad and lonely,
And everything goes wrong.
We seem to hear you whisper,
"I love you, please carry on."
Each time we see your picture,
You seem to smile and say
"Don't cry, I'm in God's keeping,
We'll meet again someday."
Deepest sympathies during this time. Thank you for sharing your precious angel with all of us. God bless you all and keep you in his arms to guide you through this time.
Jamie and Jamie,
I am so very sorry for your loss. My prayer group and I have gotten together every Sunday since I heard about Ava, and said special blessings for you and your family. I truly hope our prayers, and knowing so many people are thinking of you, helps to ease your pain.
Peace be with you,
Shannon (Wiggins) Johnson
We continue to pray for the entire family.
Our deepest sympathy,
Fritz, Juli, Fritzel, Mitchell
Oh sweet Ava. I have written to you every day. I would say such silly things sometimes. Yesterday I went to write, and I felt such a tremendous loss that I just turned off the computer and went to bed. Im not sure how your mom and dad can stand this. Im the granny and I cant seem to grasp this situation. I can only hope God has some wonderful plans for you. I hope you are in heaven wearing a pretty spring dress, barefoot, dancing in the clouds with pretty pink flowers all around you. I can see the vision of you so clearly. Ava, you are missed so terribly. You have made such an impact on our lives. Well granny best go. Im starting to cry again. While I have this beautiful vision of a beautiful granddaughter dancing in the clouds, I need to go and just curl up again. I know you are at peace Angel.
we will always love you
granny and poppy
Dearest Ones , There are no words of comfort that we could put together to bring you peace. A prayer by ST FRANCIS may be appropriate. "Lord -Make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred sow thy love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is darkness,light. Where there is sadness,joy. Oh divine master grant us not to be consoled,as to console, not to be loved as to love, not to be forgiven as to forgive. For it is in giving that we receive,it is in loving that we are loved and it is in dying that we born to eternal life" Know that we feel your sorrow and grieve with you. Ava is in heaven. Jamie Jamie & Braden you are continually in our thoughts and prayers as you continue on your journey of life during this difficult time. We love you. Karen & Dave Garvey
Jamie,Jamie and Braden,
I am so so sorry to hear this news. Ava was truly a fighter!! My thoughts and sympathies go out to all of you.
Colleen Morlock
We are so sorry. We checked the blog through the weekend and there was no update. This worried us tremendously. We have spent the time since we received the news trying to come up with words that would offer you comfort. There seems to be none. Just know that in the short time Ava was here, the whole community wrapped it's arms around your family like a blanket. Your precious angel left us with that comfort around her and we all continue to wrap our arms around you. You are not alone and you all continue to be in our thoughts and prayers every second of every day. No parent should have to endure what you have, but Ava was so special that God wanted her back. Keep the faith and know that you are all wrapped in our blanket and are safe and loved. You will find comfort in time.
Darrin, Amy, Grant & Drew Gourlay
P.S. Drew says to tell Jamison how sad he is.
Jamie, Jamie, & Braden
There are no words that can express how deeply saddened we are for your loss!
Please know that you are continuously in our thoughts and prayers!
With Love-
Dave, Melissa, Carson & Sydney Schiele
Jamie, Jamie, & Brayden,
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Ava is in a better place and will be watching over you all and your families everyday. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Jen White
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