Thank you to everyone that sponsored us in the Walk For Kids fundraiser in Ann Arbor. We raised $2,300! WOW! When I checked the website it looks like there were only about six teams that raised more than we did. The whole event raised $80,000 that will be shared by U of M Cardiac Surgery Unit, U of M Cancer Center, Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor and Make A Wish Foundation of MI. Think of the number of children and families that will be positively effected!
The day was of course bitter-sweet. It felt great to be a part of the event and to know that we were helping other children and families. However, Ava would have been 6 months old if she were still here with us. Walking past the hospital where Ava spent her life and Ronald McDonald House where we lived for over three months was also very emotional. Now when Brayden talks about U of M he says "You know, Michigan, where Ava lived..." It breaks my heart.
In September we will be involved in another walk to raise money for the hospital's cardiac unit. We are hoping to get a group of people together to walk with us. We will have T-shirts made for everyone too. Maybe we can even have a picnic lunch afterwards. The date is close to what would have been Ava's one year old birthday. Please let Jamie or I know if you are interested in joining us for the event.
I am going back to school on Monday, April 7th. Just praying I have the energy and enthusiasm to face those second graders. I keep telling myself that it's only for eight weeks and then I'll be off for the summer.
Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. We are taking one day at a time and praying that eventually life will seem more hopeful.
Hugs and kisses to my sweet baby Ava in heaven.
"With love we remember you
With hope we face each day
With faith we will be reunited for eternity!"
Monday, March 31, 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)
29 comments:
Im so happy the walk did well!!!! But I can imagine that alot of pain was felt there also. What little Bray said breaks my heart also. But Ava is our beautiful angel, dancing and twirling in the lovely clouds. Smiling at all of us Jamie. I love the saying you wrote. I would love to go on the walk for Ava. I will never be able to do the entire walk, for Im getting old, but Ill give it my best shot and help with sandwiches!
God Bless all of you
Sweet Dreams baby girl
granny and poppy
Jamie, Jamie and Brayden,
Ava has given this world more than any single person I've met and continues to give through each one of you.
We would be honored to be a part of the walk in September, please keep us in mind.
My thoughts and prayers are still with you - I will add extra on the day you return to work.
Your family continues to amaze and inspire. Lots of love and prayers - Emily W.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you everyday.
Angie Plude
What a great fundraiser! Keep us in mind for the September walk. You all continue to be in my prayers.
I will be thinking about you as you go back to work. I wanted to share with you what some of the students did during the bake sale in Ava's honor. We set a limit on what the kids could spend to make sure everyone had the opportunity to buy something. I was touched that some of the students wanted to donate their extra money in Ava's memory. We have the best students!
Take care,
April
Jamie,
I just checked the blog and was so happy to see you posting again. We think about you guys all of the time and pray for you every night. I am happy to hear that you are going back to work...I am sure that your school has missed you terribly. Please keep the Hondorp's on the list for September's walk...we would be honored to be a part of it. Know that so many of us are still thinking of all of you, even if you haven't heard from us or seen us. May God continue to give you strength and help you find some peace and happiness in life again.
All of our love,
Charisa
Jamie ~
Congratulations on having such a successful walk! I know the bake sale was a huge success at school and my son (all on his own) wanted to donate extra money for the walk in addition to getting the goodies! April is right, the students (staff and families too) are so wonderful at Howard. Your "family" has grown by leaps and bounds, even if it has been through tragedy. So many people are closer, more aware of others, more grateful for what they have and a little more willing to step up to the plate to help out. It has been amazing to see, read and feel what others have felt for you and your family. I know the kids at school are so anxious and excited for you to come back. Just take it hour by hour if you have to, day by day. Everyone is here to help and support you in this new transition! Keep our family in mind for September also. Good luck on your return to school, it will be so nice to see you!
Ginger
Ava is such a beautiful Angel! She'd be proud of what her mommy and daddy for keeping her memory alive!
Our thoughts and prayers go out to you today!
Angie
We hope you had a good first day back, you were on our mind the whole day!
Angie, livi and belzie
Jamie -
I thought of you often yesterday, just didn't have a chance to write. My thoughts and prayers continue to stay with you.
I'm sure you were greeted with smiling faces, I know you were missed! I miss you - I went to Four Winds this Friday and you were in my thoughts :)
Emily
Greetings from rainy Florida! Just wanted to check in and say hi. We have been getting so many compliments on our Ava Jibbitz. We just wanted to let you know that we are sharing her story with everyone we meet. The girls took Ava's spirit to the park with them yesterday, they had a great time! It is really neat to look down and see that little heart, it always puts a smile on our faces. Anyway we just wanted to let you know that we think of you guys everyday and send warm thoughts your way.
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Monitor de LCD, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://monitor-de-lcd.blogspot.com. A hug.
Thinking of you guys! Hope to get together soon.
Emily W.
We hope you guys had a good weekend. Love to all!
Angie
I came across this website about a mother who lost her baby girl (audreycaroline.blogspot.com) that is very inspiring and thought I would pass it on to you. I read this song that this mother and her husband wrote, and it brought me to tears. I'm sure you can relate! Still keeping you guys in our thoughts and prayers!
Holly Kalling
I Will Carry You (by Angie and Todd Smith, Selah)
There were photographs I wanted to take
Things I wanted to show you
Sing sweet lullabies, wipe your teary eyes
Who could love you like this?
People say that I am brave but I'm not
Truth is I'm barely hanging on
But there's a greater story
Written long before me
Because He loves you like this
So I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All my life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen me
To carry you
Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says...
I've shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?
I will carry you
While your heart beats here
Long beyond the empty cradle
Through the coming years
I will carry you
All your life
And I will praise the One Who's chosen Me
To carry you
Just wanted to say good morning and let you know we are thinking of you and Ava.
Angie
Happy Mothers Day!
Angie
I thought of you often on Mother's Day - I hope you found a special way to celebrate. Your sweet angel Ava has made every day more special for me.
Love & Prayers,
Emily
Just wanted to let you know we are still checking the blog and thinking of you guys daily.
Enjoy your last week of school!
Ang
I'm thinking of you, knowing this Memorial Day will be especially painful for you and I'm sending my love and prayers.
Dear Sweet Ava,
Your never far from my thoughts and always in my heart. Your missed by all. xox
We send our love and hope you have a wonderful start to your summer vacation. If it is not too much trouble, when I come to visit Michigan this summer I would really like to come and bring flowers to Ava and sit with her a bit. If you could e-mail me directions I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much
Ang
Hope all is well, we hope to get together with you guys when we come to visit in a few weeks.
Ang
Thinking of you daily! Lots of love and prayers.
Emily W.
Love to our sweet Ava.
Angie
Hey Jaime
I saw a great little sleeping baby angel at cracker barrel this morning. If it sounds like something you want for the garden please let me know and I will send to you guys.
Ang
Good morning, hugs and kisses to sweet Ava!
Livi and Bella
Jamie & Jamie,
Always know that Ava is not forgotten. She touched so many lives and is in everyones hearts.
Good morning our sweet angel. We love you so much!
Liv and Bella
hugs and kisses, hugges and kisses
Ang
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