Holiday Wishes

I wanted to post this letter for those of you who did not get a Christmas card from us. This was done before Owen's appointment with the specialists and it has not been updated.

There are many people who read this blog that we owe a HUGE thank you to...

I’ve never been one to even consider including a summary of my year with a Christmas card. I suppose I never really felt we had anything important enough to say that we needed to mail it out in letter form. But as most of you know…2009 spiraled off into a far different direction than we had initially anticipated. When our second son Owen was born in July….we had no idea what trials and tribulations lie ahead of us. One second we were welcoming our newborn child into our world and the next thing we know he was being whisked away to the NICU at the Meriter hospital in Madison. We had been informed that Owen had suffered a devastating bleed in his brain and not only was his condition critical…it was life threatening. Multiple doctors confirmed that not only was his mortality in question, the chances of him making a true recovery should he survive was very slim. Over the course of the next three weeks we lived in and around the hospital. Our normal everyday life had been turned upside down and the only thing we could do was take it one day at a time and believe that Owen was here to stay. While the initial diagnosis was nothing short of grim…as the days progressed….the most miraculous recovery took place. April and I, as well as the hospital staff watched in amazement as Owen’s condition improved each day. He went from being placed in an incubator, hooked up to every device under the sun and having an oxygen tube placed down his throat to resting comfortably in a crib like your average newborn child. Doctors were much more confident that he would survive. The swelling in his head which almost insured a need for further surgical procedures slowly began to subside on its own. Additional appointments with specialists and doctors continued to substantiate that his progress has been and continues to be nothing short of remarkable. Owen will be 5 months old this month and is doing very well. He is a very happy child and is always smiley and laughing. We continue to work with him on his body tone and he is a very active little man…just on the brink of rolling over regularly on his own. The doctors are optimistic that these continued successes may ultimately prove that Owen will suffer little or no permanent side effects from what was at first a considered impossible odds.

During and after our stay in Madison we have experienced the highest degree of support from our family, friends and hospital staff. These first few months with Owen have been so hectic that we have not had an opportunity to truly express our gratitude for everything you have done. THANK YOU! Words cannot convey how truly appreciative we are for all of the prayers and positive energies, as well as many gifts, each of you have bestowed upon us. We take pride in knowing that it was that outpouring of love and faith that has allowed Owen to thrive and defy the odds the way he has. Your generosity and patience has not gone unnoticed and every time we hold our children close, we realize how incredibly blessed we are and how all of you have made our happiness possible. Owen is a bundle of joy. Brendan is nothing short of remarkable and entertains and inspires us each and every day. We are truly one happy family.

Thank you again for everything you have done and have a safe and terrific holiday season!

Make a Smilebox greeting