Sunday, January 31, 2016

Extraordinary Blessing and Opportunity Made Possible with a Choice of Organ Donation

heart-girl-mothers
Mother Hears Son’s Donated Heart Beating Inside Girl, 4, Who Received Transplant -


Article Credit: KTLA - Posted January 30, 2016 website http://ktla.com/2016/01/30/mother-hears-sons-donated-heart-beating-inside-girl-who-received-transplant/


Heather Clark was given the extraordinary opportunity to listen to her son's heartbeat for the first time in nearly three years -- by placing a stethoscope against the chest of a young transplant recipient. Heather Clark faced an unthinkable tragedy in 2013 when she lost her 7-month-old son, Lukas. She chose to donate his organs and saved the lives of three children, including 4-year-old Jordan Drake.
In November, Clark made contact with Jordan's family. She wrote about it on Facebook:
"I would like to share something with all the amazing Lukas supporters. Today I have been in contact with a beautiful family. This beauty (Jordan) is the girl who has Lukas heart beating in her. One day I will meet her and squeeze her so tightly! Thank you to her mom and dad who allow me to be a part of their lives. This is the best Christmas present I could have asked for."
On Friday, Clark was given the opportunity to meet Jordan at Phoenix Children's Hospital and listen to her son's heartbeat for the first time in three years.
 
Clark wrote"One week from today I will be listening to Lukas' heartbeat once again. I will be holding Jordan in my arms showering her with love and kisses!"
Jordan's mother, Esther Gonzalez, was anxious about meeting Clark for the first time.
"I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to hug her. I think I have run out of words at this point,” Gonzalez said, moments before the encounter. “Hugging ... I don't have anything else to say.”
Heather Clark's son, Lukas, is seen in a photo provided by Donate Life Arizona.
 
Donate Life Arizona shared photos of the emotional meeting on Facebook. The group also captured the reunion on video.
 
"Amid the unthinkable grief of losing her son Lukas, Heather made a decision that saved three lives,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “Jordan received Lukas' precious heart when she was just 18 months old. Yesterday, Heather heard her son's heartbeat for the first time in nearly three years.”
 
Esther Gonzalez's son, Lukas, is seen in a photo provided by Donate Life Arizona.Dr. John Nigro of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, who recovered Lukas’ heart and performed Jordan’s heart transplant, also attended the get-together.

"Blessings to Heather Clark & Family and Jordan Drake & Family"


GOD BLESS

Until Next Time...Make It A Great Day!

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Thursday, January 28, 2016

A Glimpse of Foster Care and Adoption - Today is Thursday, Right?

This is A Reality of Our World of Foster Care and Adoptions -
Post Credit to Alaina Beth Young Haerbig - January 28, 2016 1:28am

"To the person who doesn't understand the significance of today:

You're a lot like me. I mean, it's just a Thursday, right? Except it's not. It's an anniversary.

Six months ago, my world changed completely when the phone rang, then a little one arrived, cute as the dickens. I understood my work was cut out for me when I said, "Come here, cutie, and let me change your diaper," and he replied casually, "Get out my face, MoFo!" as he walked away.
It is a wonderful anniversary of that day- a reminder of how far we've come when he says, "Momma, wanna see? Wookit dat biiig poopie I did inna potty for you!" Yes, I will gladly accept that anniversary present, little one. You have gotten so much more than your mouth under control in these six months. It may be a normal Thursday, but we will celebrate this day of little victories together.

But not all that this day marks is worthy of celebration. Today, a pastor and his wife will kiss their little one just once more, and do their best to smile and wave as a social worker takes her from the only home she has ever known, to be reunified with a near stranger who loves her but is ill equipped to parent.

They will pack a brand new box of Dora band aids- her favorite- because they know that she will literally chew the skin from her fingers in an attempt to control the terror she experiences at the hand of her older brother. (You know, the one who watches her when a John is visiting.) They have pictures. I've seen them- Blood in rivulets running down the little palm to her wrist. Because she is scared, and her one momma won't protect her, and the other momma now can't.

This date will be an anniversary for the rest of their lives, the pastor's and his wife's. They will never forget, and they will never be able to tell this precious one whom they love that they didn't want to let her go. They understand that she will think they abandoned her, and this normal Thursday will forever bear that extra sting for them. And no one will bring them a meal, or a sympathy card. "You knew this was what would happen," they will say, "I told you not to get attached."

But that's nothing compared to what this day is for another mom.

Today is one year since her son's murder. Returned to his first family, he was dead three days later, tortured for those three days at the hands of the woman who birthed him. His foster mom planned and paid for his funeral and the stone to bear witness to his short life, and still had to fight to get his surviving twin back into her care.

I can't understand how she functions, and no one is bringing her a casserole because today will be hard.

It's not a normal Thursday.

Another friend finally gets to post a picture of her son, because after years of fostering him, today he will be adopted and hers forever. She will celebrate today because HE became a part of WE. And she will mourn today because she understands that HE lost part of tHEy- the family to whom he was born and should have never had to leave. She will feel torn for rejoicing because she understands the magnitude of his missing history, and she will celebrate this Thursday with a schizophrenic split between joy and grief for this precious boy she now claims forever. She might get a card, but she didn't get a baby shower. And when he acts out because of his early trauma, even her family will say, "you asked for this. Why are you complaining?"

I'm not making this up. This is today, January 28. These are people in my sorority, an unlikely fellowship forged with rabid republicans and doting democrats, straights and gays, Christians and atheists. These are people I might never even have liked in my previously normal world...

Yet they are the ones with whom I will celebrate my poopie present. They are the ones with whom I will cry over a child I have never met as she goes (away from) home. They are those with whom I will grieve for a boy who will never be a man, and the ones with whom I will rejoice over an orphan who became a son.

Today is not a normal Thursday. They understand.

And I hope, if you read this, that maybe you do, too.

If you know a foster family- take them a casserole, or share this with them so they know that today is no longer a normal Thursday for you, either.

It's an anniversary."

GOD BLESS

“I believe the best service to the child is the service closest to the child, and children who are victims of neglect, abuse, or abandonment must not also be victims of bureaucracy. They deserve our devoted attention, not our divided attention.” - Kenny Guinn 

Until Next Time...Make It A Great Day!

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One Decision, Two Decision


We all have it, that feeling in the bottom of our stomach that aches when we know something is not right. Sometimes or some of us can feel it sooner than others. If you get the feeling, do not ever ignore it! Nine out of ten times you will be right, I would say ten out of ten but there is always that margin for error.

Twice now, I have ignored my feeling. The deep aching feeling in the pit of my stomach; thinking maybe it was the margin for error. Twice now, someone in my life has made a decision where in their first decision which did not go so well; feelings and emotions were then experienced by their outcome. Feelings of sadness, anger, heartache, regret and silence. Now fast forward several months later, the same decision is being made again due to their circumstances.

I sit here and think what went wrong. Why did their circumstances not change? Well, as the saying goes you can only lead the horse to water but you cannot make the horse drink. Yes, this is absolutely true but also there are those cases when the horse may need some help when the horse cannot figure out that the water is right in front of him. Also, I have written a couple of time history repeats itself and it does sometimes sooner than later. So on that note, knowing what we all just went through, I am hoping that we will not see the same issues arise but I am not holding my breath. Only because I know why the decision is being made to begin with for that matter both decisions and because of that history will repeat itself. There will be the time to see the past raw emotions again; the watching, listening and hearing of sadness, heartache, anger, regret and silence. I do hope I am wrong because it was not an enjoyable experience the first time around as well a heavy burden to carry.

Why I am writing about it? Two reasons, being human I need to have an outlet, there always comes a point where your need to make sure you are re-grouping. Second maybe if one person reads this and rethinks about making the same decision on something or possible to find another way. It was all worth it. Things are hard in life, things are scary but always remember to communicate with your family, your close friends or someone who you are close too. You may not like what they have to say at times and you do not have to agree but sometimes it is a different perspective on your situation. You may find that it what you needed. In return, not communicating or holding back information always comes back to bit you where it hurts. Being honest upfront is so much easier in the beginning than back peddling in the end. GOD BLESS

"Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come." - Robert H. Schuller 


Until Next Time...Make It A Great Day!

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Saturday, January 23, 2016

Writing With The Little's

Lately, I have been at a loss for words, not really knowing what to write but having so much to say. The wheels in my mind are turning faster than I can process and I cannot make much sense when it comes to putting it into words. So many topics I can write about, many different directions I can go but where to start, what to say, how to say it, has been an issue over the past weeks.

Those questions listed have been the reasons I have been quiet, not posting; wanted to give quality posts not a post for just because reasons. There are topics that I just want to scream from the top of my lungs as there seems to be this lingering in the pit of my stomach of something that is just not right, there are topics that are just a bit of fun and then there are topics I just wanted to say with grace and have someone say I have been there too.

I sit here with my hands on my face, typing every couple of minutes, looking at my computer then getting up from there thinking I will come back and it will come to me. Thinking I have this great notation of a post to write about. Will I get what I truly want to say out? I truly know what I want to say but where are the words, why are they not flowing from my head to my fingertips? Surely it will come eventually, right?

With this all said and written, I find it funny and interesting my little's, all four, never mind you, have been sitting, jumping, crying at times, while laughing, playing, climbing, asking for this and that, playing with anything and everything that is in reach of me, the desk and the computer, so basically overtaking my desk and me for that matter. I am so reminded with much LOVE that this is my life, our life.

In this time of writing, I can say we, together, have fixed many typographical errors made by little hands, we have played tic-tac-toe, we have drawn on scrap paper, doodled a lot and I have read my thoughts out loud; secretly thinking I would get feedback all the while I have played referee amongst everyone who wanted to sit on my lap all at the same time but most importantly somehow we worked together.

The point of my post today is as much as I have a set schedule, a topic I may have really wanted to post, appointments that are set for this or that; things may not always work the way the plan I started but in the end all turned out OKAY! I do have to remind myself this especially when I feel my own level of anxiety kick in, even with being OCD, control is not always an option. Little's or for the matter, children, teenagers, young adults and adults have their own way and at times we are not always on the same path and it too is OKAY!

I cannot count how many times during today's adventure of writing with my little's, I said "let's use our smeller" meaning stop and take a breath! It truly does works, so after all said and done, take a moment, enjoy your family whether big or small, enjoy your day, smile, have a tea party, have a car race, blow some bubbles, take in some fresh air, laugh, enjoy a good book, movie or just some downtime for yourself. Make every minute count, no matter what and have No Regrets!

GOD BLESS

“Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen Hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Appreciate your friends.
Continue to learn.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.”  

- Mary Anne Radmacher

Until Next Time...Make it a Great Day!

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