"Upsetting the "normal" while creating the beautiful." Annette Kruschek |
A WISH was born and granted from this simple yet very powerful photograph.
Almost two years ago Lewis found himself running the shores of the "big water", (as he likes to call it). Those sweet little toes touching the sand for the first time and the pure excitement in his eyes when looking at the beauty of the ocean was a snapshot in my mind that I will never forget. Almost two years ago Lewis ran the shores of the "big water" with the seagulls. At the time those pesky seagulls were only interested in one thing... Lewis's chip. It's a memory our family all watched play out before our very eyes. A seagull swooped down and snatched Lewis's beloved Dorito from his fingertips only to leave Big Lou empty handed. To know Lewis you would know that he is VERY specific about his food. He's like our little food critic. He loves to talk about it, eat it and save it. I am sure you can imagine his response when a pesky bird stole his precious snack without asking. He was M-A-D! Fast forward to this past winter... I found myself entertaining Lewis while he took his evening bath. This particular night Lewis noticed his swimming trunks hanging on the hook behind me. He very assertively said, "Mom, I want to go back to the 'big water' again. I want to go to that place. I want to feed a bird my chip." It took me a bit to really figure out what he was meaning but when I finally pieced it all together I knew he had remembered the moment that is pictured above; running the shores of the ocean with a smile bigger than life. His comment never left my mind. In fact I found it quite funny... the boy who never wants to share even a morsel was willing and even insisting on sharing his beloved chip with a pesky seagull. Well, weeks later Lewis had a doctor appointment with his cardiologist and he mentioned the bird, the "big water" and the chip. With those three words a WISH was formed many months ago and only weeks ago his WISH was GRANTED! Make A Wish... Three words I never envisioned would be a part of our family's story. In order to be eligible certain criteria needs to be met... a critical illness meaning progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that is placing the child's life in jeopardy. It's a club I never thought my children would be in. Years ago when envisioning being a Mother I never imagined my life the way it has played out. This "club" as I call it has a name... heart disease. It's scary, it's dangerous, it's risky and it's full of unknowns. Palliative Care Heart Transplant Single Ventricle These three words one could say describe all three of my heart children. BUT turn those three words inside out and what do you get... Medical Miracles HOPE Faith Over Fear I am an open book when it comes to questions about heart disease and the diagnosis of Clara, Lewis and Evelyn. Yes, it is their story and I am respectful of sharing only the details regarding their treatments, surgeries and hope for the future. Where I put a stop to the conversation is when people approach me in front of my kids and ask me why we willingly "took this on". My children have big beautiful ears and I promise they are listening to those types of questions. In our house we live on HOPE and live life for each day. No one is promised tomorrow. No matter how many kale smoothies and how many vitamins you take in a day I promise you are no more certain of tomorrow than my heart warriors. The only thing that Dan and I can control is how well we love. Lewis was granted his Make A Wish not because he is currently "sick" but rather because there is no "cure" for his heart condition. Clara, Lewis and Evelyn are considered "palliative care". This word almost turned me away from saying yes to Clara when we began our research into her heart condition. THANK GOD I listened to my wise husband years ago. That yes years ago has resulted in SO MANY memories and two additional brave souls into our family. September 8th our entire family will board two different planes enroute to the same destination... sand, ocean and seagulls. We're packing our bathing suits and filling our minds with only one thing FAMILY TIME. It's Lewis's time to SHINE. We will follow him around while he feeds his chip to the seagulls, eats ice cream for breakfast, rides a water slide or two and watches beautiful fireworks light up the sky. It's time that ALL my kids see that HOPE exists and LOVE WINS! To all those brave members who have walked the Make A Wish journey ahead of our family... it is an honor to be in your "club". God sees our journey and has never left us. Putting faith in front of fear is the motto our family will continue to live by. I only have one thing left to say... thank you to that pesky seagull for stealing Lewis's chip years ago. That small moment in time has blossomed into a WISH more grand than anyone in our family could imagine!!
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AuthorI am a proud Mother to eight children and a wife to my very best friend. I work hard, play hard and love until it hurts. Archives
January 2023
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