In less than one week, I am going to be 29!! I can't believe it. It is crazy how time flies. Last year on July 25th, my 28th birthday, we brought Isabella home with her new trach and vent. She was a happy, smiley little bundle of joy. We felt she was given a new lease on life. It was crazy having nurses in our home 24/7 but we needed the help. Then just 4 short day later, I was standing over my sweet baby girl bagging her and praying to God that he did not take her from me. As the ambulance arrived I felt my whole world crashing because I couldn't believe she was crashing on us again. Some of you may know that we couldn't get a flight out to Children's Mercy at the time. There was a bunch of storms and helicopters could not fly in the KC area. So we took a helicopter ride to Joplin. We waited in their ER until we could find a flight. Isabella lay in the ER with fright in her eyes. She was gasping for each breath even though her ventilator was on. She was in severe pulmonary hypertension. Her temp sky rocketed to 106 and her blood sugar bottomed out to 32. When the flight team arrived, Matt and I begged them to let us both ride with her to CMH. I still had hope but I really thought it would be the last time I saw her. When we arrived at CMH she was in DIC (when your blood will no longer coagulate) She was in shock and they assumed she was septic (infection through the entire body). That was July 31st. She cardiac arrested the next day and they did chest compressions. The doctors told us they were concerned about her brain function. They were pretty sure that all that had happened had caused my daughter to suffer brain damage. They told us she would probably live through this ordeal of crashing but they were not very confident that she would live long term. They really felt she would crash again and then not be able to bounce back. Then they did the MRI and confirmed her brain damage. They told us she was blind and deaf and that the Isabella we knew was gone and would never come back. She was never going to be the same.
So you ask, why am I reliving all of this for everyone to read?? Well it has been almost one year since that fateful night. Almost one year since Isabella was thought to have never been able to come back to us. I want everyone to see and understand the significance of the miracle we have witnessed over the last year. My baby can see!! My baby can hear!! My baby now smiles and laughs!! She knows who her mommy and daddy and sisters are!! She now says La and Ma and she rolls over and she does so many more things that they NEVER thought she would. We were told she would probably be in a vegetative state and never make another purposeful movement in her life. We were told she would NEVER regain her sight or hearing. We were told she would probably not make it to her first birthday and that we should just take her home and let her go peacefully. If that is not all a miracle of God then what is?? I praise God everyday for Isabella. She still has a long road and that road is very unknown and scary. Thank you to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray for us. The support we have had is unreal!! So thank you and God Bless you all.
I also want to take the time to remember two of the sweetest angels Heaven will ever know. Sweet Little Gabi Acker and Precious Ava Boeckman. I feel lucky and blessed to have known these precious little girls. They will be forever loved and forever missed.
Amber and I at Margarita's
I don't know what he was laughing about!!
Mike and Amber
My girl Amber and I again. We've known each other since I was 15!!
