Sarah's Story

by Lesley of My Morning Glory

Sarah is my third child. The icing on my cake- as they say. After two boys it was exciting to be having a girl. The boys were 7 and 11 when Sarah was born. I had all available prenatal testing and she passed with flying colors. I was a single parent and wanted to be prepared in case there were to be issues. But it appeared all was well.

Sarah arrived one week early at 8 pounds 8 ounces. Very easy delivery after an uneventful pregnancy. She appeared healthy and I took her home 2 days later. No immediate signs of the troubles ahead.

The first warning sign was at her 2 week checkup. She had not gained the appropriate amount of weight, in my opinion. The pediatrician thought she was fine. I was breastfeeding and thought maybe with the 2 boys and running around my supply was low. Or maybe whe was having trouble nursing as she would frequently pull off to catch her breath. It was like she couldn't coordinate the sucking/swallowing thing. At any rate, whatever the reason, I went cold turkey to formula bottles. And then she gained like a champ. She still pulled off a lot but got much more nourishment through the bottles.

The next sign was at 3 months when I took her for her first portrait session at the photographer's. She could barely hold her head up to prop on her elbows, like the boys did at that age. Then she didn't roll over till 6 months, then she couldn't babble unless the bottle nipple was in her mouth, then she didn't sit independently until 10 months, she could not crawl on all fours or pull to stand or use a pincer grasp. Basically, her gross and fine motor skills stalled at about a 7 month's old level. Which is where they remain today. She is almost 15 years old now.

And where was the medical community in this? They were not quite sure what was going on with Sarah. The neurologists had no answer. She was given the diagnosis of CP "for insurance purposes" but we knew that wasn't it. She continues to hold that diagnosis today purely for the insurance.

Some of Sarah's issues seemed to get worse gradually over time. She lost the ability to hold a cup and drink out of it, the ability to pull herself along on her belly, the ability to babble, the ability to finger feed. She lost them so slowly I almost didn't notice it.

At the age of 4, I remember discussing with her physiatrist the possible diagnosis of a cognitive disability. Her physiatrist disagreed with me and said Sarah more closely resembled a child with autism. So she was seen by an expert in the field, who said Sarah only had features of the condition, not enough for a diagnosis.



At this point I had a darling little girl with atypical cerebral palsy and features of autism. And it remains official to this day.

Every few years I take Sarah to a geneticist to review any new discoveries in the chromosomal world. She is tested for this or that but nothing has been found abnormal in any of Sarah's testing.

Sarah's situation most closely resembles Rett Syndrome. I had stumbled upon a support group on the internet 10 years ago. This group was for the parents of undiagnosed children that appeared to be a mix of Rett and Angelman Syndromes. Sarah fit right in. Even though she tested negative for both. As the years went by, she swayed more to the Rett side where she still sits today. She cannot walk, talk, feed herself or change her position. She is legally blind. She is full care in every possible conceivable way and then some :)

I think of her as affected by Rett Syndrome. I belong to Rett Syndrome support groups. She is followed by the RS department at Children's Hospital in Boston. She continues to test negative for it and she is retested every few years as the science improves. It is through other Rett parents that I learn how to manage issues with Sarah. They are an invaluable resource, offering encouragment, ideas and support. I have gained confidence in her care, learned to think outside the box for her schooling, and discovered how smart Sarah is.

So that's the medical side of things, which really is not Sarah's story, in my opinion. Those are just the facts. THIS is Sarah's Story:

Sarah is a gift. I know it sounds cliche, but there is no other way to say it---she is a jewel, the best thing that could have happened to our family. I cannot imagine how we could possibly have landed such a wonderful child. I felt this from the very beginning. I just knew from early pregnancy that there was going to be something glorious about this little person. And, eventually, no matter what I was told about the severity of her limitations, I just didnt care. It didn't matter. She was awesome just the way she was and I was so grateful to have her.



I feel privilged to be her mother. I am thrilled to be able, in this lifetime, to have the chance to experience raising both 'normal' children AND a special needs child. Not everyone gets that opportunity. I have no desire to change her or 'fix' her. I'll take her just as I got her.

My sweet girl.



The funny thing is, it is exactly the opposite of what most people think. I have found that the general public looks at Sarah as a hardship, a burden, that I must have extraordinary strength and endurance to take care of her, that I need a God's blessing to get through it and to cope with the calamity in my life. I see pity. I hear: 'I dont know how you do it'.

Well, if I could shout this from the rooftops, I would:

I have already been blessed... WITH THIS CHILD. She is delightful! We cannot do enough for her! She brings happiness! She brings joy! She brings laughter! She brings lessons! She brings contentment! She brings peace! She brings simplicity! She enriches our lives! We do not cope, we savor! She is a positive in our lives! We are lucky! We are grateful! It matters not a bit the things she cannot do! We learn from her!... Surprise, everybody!

The thing is, we are not teaching Sarah, she is teaching us. And I share her with whomever shows any interest. People need to know these children are not tragedies, they are amazing, wonderful, inspiring people, just the way they were born. There is nothing 'wrong' with them. They are perfectly themselves. These kiddos give more to us than we will ever be able to give to them. I want everyone to know. I want Sarah to have the opportunity to give to them, to show them another way, to challenge their view.

Because that's what she's on this earth to do. Teach.



And that is Sarah's Story.

Enjoying a Journey

Today's post is from Jennie, the newest member of the kidz krew! You can follow Jennie's story on her blog Enjoying a Journey. And here is her son's story....

First of all, I’m so happy to be a part of KIDZ. Raising a child with a disability can be overwhelming at times. I’ve only recently joined your community and already have felt a strong sense of strength and support. It is nice to know there are other moms and dads out there who share our family’s hopes and fears and also on occasion, our frustrations.

Hi, my name is Jennie. I’m a mother to four fabulous children, one of which has special needs. My beautiful boy, Jackson, is now ten years old. His name was chosen before birth. I always loved the movie, Steel Magnolia’s – a little cheesy, I know. But, it spoke to me. The movie conveyed a sense of sisterhood, family, trials, and endurance. It taught me that with a support system and sometimes a good cry, you can do anything. Now, over twenty years later, it seems a little more than the name of Shelby’s fiancé has carried over into my life.

Five months into my second pregnancy and through various ultra sounds, we were told Jackson had brain structure anomalies. Our fears were calmed when the prognosis was slight developmental delay. Our baby may just be slow to learn to walk. Oh, if that would have only been true, life would have been a lot simpler; less adventurous, but certainly more simple.

Instead we started our specialist appointments on day two after our hospital release. Doctor visits and therapy have continued ever since. As we searched for answers and solutions, delayed development, therapy, blood work, every type of specialist available, communication disorder, apraxia, failure to thrive, surgeries, pervasive development disorder, autism spectrum, and genetic testing became regular parts of our vocabulary, schedule and life. However patience, diligence, hard work, lots of faith, prayer and hope, seemed to have been the key for some relief, although, answers still would not be ours for another seven years.

In 2006, a new genetic test was developed. CGH Microarray changed our lives. This new technology was able to identify deletions or duplications that had taken place in DNA during development. Prior to this technology, only certain known syndromes could be tested for through blood work; thus, the reason for our unanswered diagnosis. Who would have thought to test for a small piece of DNA on the long arm of chromosome seven? No one.

The spring of 2007 set us on a new course when a correct diagnosis was finally made. Even though it was hard to hear that yes, a problem had been identified, it was also such a blessing and a relief to finally have a name for Jackson’s delays. It wasn’t a matter of bad parenting or a stubborn child. There was a reason why our child was unable to speak, was consistently fussy and hard to handle, a reason he struggled to develop relationships with others, and had difficulty learning to run, play and progress like his older sister. The name for our struggle was 7q11.23 Duplication. We would learn Jackson was one of only about 11 in the world known to have this disorder. I immediately tried to find others who knew what we were going through and who could identify with the challenges in our life.

Although we have a large family who loves and cares for us, we felt somewhat isolated. We weren’t sure where we fit into the world of special needs and we were often teaching doctors and therapists about the disorder. After learning all we could about 7q Dupe through our geneticist and through the limited information available online, a friend of mine pointed us to an organization in the UK called, UNIQUE. They specialize in providing support and information for individuals and families who have rare chromosome disabilities. Through the UNIQUE organization, I found two other mothers in the United States whose children share the 7q Duplication. I immediately searched them out.

Three years later, our efforts of supporting one another have led to the formation of a new non-profit organization called, Duplication Cares. Not only do we support the families and individuals with 7q Dupe, but steps are being taken to educate the medical community about the differences between the duplication and Autism. As with so many other syndromes, 7q Duplication mirrors autism and a large percentage of the children diagnosed with the duplication have also received an autism spectrum diagnosis. We now know there is treatment to help our children with the duplication. There is hope. Through hard work, progress can be made.

Our numbers have grown. Our small band of warriors is approaching 50 individuals in the United States. Our kids struggle with speech, social interactions, anxiety, behavior, and are developmentally delayed. Jackson also has a thin corpus callosum and enlarged brain ventricles which contribute to his delay.

At various times in our life, we’ve felt Jackson’s syndrome has been invisible to the outside world. This can be a blessing or a curse. Yes, at first glance, Jackson may seem like a shy, typical, ten year old boy. People have even commented about how lucky we are and that things could obviously be more severe. While that is certainly true, and we are immensely grateful for Jackson’s cognitive and physical abilities, we also have passed through the stages of grief and frustration every parent of a special needs child experiences.

Upon further interaction with Jackson, one would notice his lack of interest in carrying on a conversation. When “hard” questions like “What do you like to do?” are asked, Jackson becomes easily agitated. You may think it odd to find such a physically mature boy still clinging to his mom when he crosses a street, anxiety ridden that a car might approach. It will be concerning to see him have a meltdown when he didn’t get the first shower of the night or secure the middle bar stool at meal times. It will be easy to identify when medication in no longer effective and when ADHD, anxiety, and ODD take over. Yes, on the outside, our boy is not the typical, special needs child, but then again…. What is typical?

Our journey may be different from many of yours. However, I know a few things to be true. We all love our children and want desperately for them to be happy. We want them to be able to grow and mature and develop to their full capacity. We each have different struggles but I also know we each need support. Being a parent of a special needs child is often daunting; the therapy, the appointments, the procedures, the melt downs, the setbacks, and of course, the red tape. However, we also know the joys. We’ve met kindred souls who might not have otherwise crossed our paths. We are giddy with joy when our child speaks after years of therapy and silence. We celebrate each milestone and every acquired ability. And, we truly do know what it means to enjoy the journey.

Born of My Heart

by Brandi from the blog Born of My Heart.

Brandon and I (Brandi) tried to conceive for five years. Years of doctor appointments, infertility drugs, and negative preganancy tests were just too much to handle. We started praying about adoption. We began to look into agencies, and we became foster parents. The next two years flew by. We had two failed adoptions that were both heartbreaking, so we decided to put adoption on hold for a while.

That's when I read my email. A wonderful woman, whom we had worked with in adoption before, asked us to view the profile of a special needs little boy. We did. We saw his picture and fell in love in what we knew was our son. ~~~There is defiantly more to this story but that is another story in and of itself~~~

Joshua Matthew Lee became our son on September 17, 2009. He had a tragic little life and needed lots of love. Matthew (as we call him) was born on time, perfectly healthy! He went home to his first adoptive parents at two days old (my birthday) and was their miracle boy. At three months of age Matthew was not meeting his milestones. He was not making eye contact, had very little head control, and did not smile. An MRI then showed what would become the beginning of his diagnoses. Matthew has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, Agenesis of the Septum Pellucidum, Septo Optic Displaysia, Cortical Visual Impairment, Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Epilepsy, Cerbral Palsy, Low Tone, Photophobia, Bilalteral Schizencephaly, and global developmental delays.



Matthew's first adoptive family did not feel they could parent a special needs child. After seven weeks in private foster care, we brought Matthew home. Our sweet boy is a miracle. We were told he would not smile socially~he laughs. We were told he would never make eye contact~~he tries. We were informed he would never be mobile~~we have video of him attempting to crawl. Matthew is now seventeen months old. He still has little head control. He has 100+ seizures daily even with two anti seizure meds and the Ketogenic diet. Developmentally he is still an infant. But labels have never been our "thing." We choose to see him for the beautiful, sweet, kind hearted boy who enjoys laughing while his sister cries. He will hold your hand and in doing so grab hold of your heart.

Little did we know, but eleven days after we brought Matthew home, his sister was born. Lillian Autumn Grace was born anywhere between 28-32 weeks gestation and addicted to cocaine. Her birthmom relinquished rights and Autumn (as we call her) was available for adoption. We knew about her, but were not in a position to adopt so soon. We prayed for her. She was a rockstar. She stayed just over six months in the NICU before finally being discharged in March. Autumn was born addicted to drugs and had failure to thrive. She was a measly 3 lbs 4 oz at birth. She had suffered a stroke to her spine in utero that has left her paraplegic. Her legs are "deformed" and her feet are clubbed. She has undergone three surgeries to correct the strictures that were in her intestines, and has sailed through them all.



In March our prayers were answered, and we knew Autumn was our daughter. We became a family of four in April 2010. Autumn is cognitively intact and is blossoming. She is still quite small for her age, but is crawling everywhere. She will not be able to correct the deformity in her legs or her clubbed feet and will never walk. She will not let that hold her back. Next week she turns a year old. We are constantly reminded at just how beautiful and fragile life is when looking at our blessed babies.



We never intended to adopt special needs children. All we knew was we were meant to be a mommy and a daddy. We now know that our children have taught us more than we ever knew possible.

Meet Hannah

By Jenn of My Little Rays of Sunshine.

Hi! I m Jenn. Thanks for reading our story!

I guess I'll start from the very beginning.
Four years ago I married my high-school sweetheart, Matt. He proposed in November, and we were married in February. We had a total of seventeen people present at our wedding. (Just our immediate family), and that s how we wanted it. Something fast. Something simple. We just wanted it done.

We knew we wanted children, so just a few months later we were expecting our first. Nine months after that Gracie Lynn entered our world. She was a joy. She was perfect. So much fun! We loved every little bit of having a baby around, so we figured we d have more. She needs a playmate!
How about we time it so they ll all be about eighteen months apart? Maybe we could have four, or five?
Our plans had begun!

Almost exactly eighteen months later, I delivered a very healthy, 6lb, 11oz Hanna Marie. Another perfect little girl.

My mom noticed when visiting us at the hospital that Hanna s thumbs appeared crooked. She seemed to hold them in her fists a lot. We asked the nurse what she thought about it, and she laughed and said oh, yeah! Hm...I'm sure they re positional, it's probably because she had them clenched in her fists for the past few weeks before she was born. They'll straighten out with time So, we let it go.
We got to go home, and show her off to everyone, and we were completely thrilled. Gracie was so proud to be a big sister. She couldn't be close enough to her new baby. She stayed by her side always, and didn't stop kissing her.

I had noticed in the hospital that Hanna had involuntary movements of her eyes. We were told that infants don t have complete control of their eye muscles until they re three months old, so we should just give her some time.
She didn't look at me when she nursed, and she didn't seem to notice toys or anything. It really bothered me. But we waited.
She was 10 weeks old when I found a website that had a little girl who's mother found her eye cancer by looking at a photograph of her. Her eye didn't have a red reflex like the other one did, and it appeared to have a white pupil.
Being the paranoid mother I am, I started looking at pictures of Hanna. In almost every picture of her, there was only one red reflex,
and one white pupil. My heart sank. I immediately started thinking the worst. I wasn't waiting any longer.

The next day I made an appointment with an optometrist. We were in his office two very long days later, and he saw a "mass" in one of her eyes. He had us go directly to an ophthalmologist to have her examined immediately.
This doctor was so cold-hearted, and had no bed side manner whatsoever. She made me hold down my screaming 10 week old while she poked and prodded at her. Matt stayed in the hallway with Gracie because she couldn't stand to hear her baby sister screaming so hard.
She then threw this at us:
Hanna had a "mass" in each of her eyes, which may be cancer, and probably some sort of syndrome because she doesn't look like her sister.
What?! She doesn't look like her sister, so she has a syndrome?
We left that office and didn't say a single word to that woman.
We didn't say a single word to each other.
We were devastated.
We were angry.
We didn't know what to think.
The same doctor wanted to examine Hanna again the next day, but this time in the NICU so she could sedate her.
I didn't want any part of that. I didn't want her touching my baby again.
I knew it was the right thing to do, and I knew it would get Hanna a referral to one of the best Children s Hospitals, and we wanted only the best for our little girl.

The next day, in NICU, Hanna had another eye exam. They ruled out cancer.
Thank God!
They said she probably has PHPV, which is commonly found in different syndromes, but they wanted another opinion.
Hanna was referred to SickKids Hospital in Toronto, and we saw another ophthalmologist. She had an ultrasound-type exam done on her eyes and she also told us that Hanna had PHPV.
She also noted that Hanna was microcephalic, which at the time, we had no clue what that was.
She referred us to Genetics to make sure there wasn't any more systematic abnormalities. She also wanted, yet another opinion. I figured the more people that looked at her, the better!
Next we saw a retina surgeon, and hoped he would be able to do something for her.
He looked in her eyes, and almost instantly ruled out what the other doctors were so sure she had! He told us that Hanna probably has a genetic eye condition called FEVR (Familial Exutative Vitreo-Retinopathy).
It is a progressive eye disease, which can lead to total blindness. He told us there was nothing that could be done, surgery wise, but he also said that you never know what the eyes are capable of.
We really liked him.
He also told us that he wasn't concerned for Hanna's health. She was small, but FEVR isn't usually associated with other abnormalities. He referred us to Ocular Genetics, and we left there feeling really good.
We were so relieved that it was only her eyes!

A couple months went by, and then we got the call from Genetics. We met with them and they examined Hanna looking for any abnormalities.
They noted her crooked thumbs I mentioned earlier, and that she was much too small for her age. She was diagnosed with failure to thrive and microcephaly.
They also heard a heart murmur. They referred her to MRI, for a brain scan, cardiology for her murmur, and X▴Rays of her hand for bone age, and to look at her thumbs.

What we thought was only an eye condition, most definitely wasn't anymore.
Now we were worried about her brain, her size, and her heart!
Her eyes became the least of our worries.

From then on, Hanna has had countless blood tests looking for possible metabolic problems, and chromosome testing looking for anything at all.
They can t find anything.

Her X-Ray came back with a bone-age much younger than her actual age. I m not too sure what that means, but they re not overly concerned.
The scan also showed that her thumbs have an extra digit. Like a finger.
So what!
She ll be a piano player!

Her MRI came back normal. Her brain structure is normal, but very small.

Her heart ECHO showed that she has three holes in her heart. Once again, they re not concerned. They should close up on their own in time.
They are keeping an eye on one in particular because it' s in the wall between the two chambers. It s very, very small, but it is possible it could cause problems.
She hasn't any symptoms yet, so her cardiologist is very optimistic.



At 16 months old, Hanna is not quite 15 pounds, and she is 28 inches long. She's very tiny, but that's about all they know.
We have been so grateful that all this testing came back so well. The doctors, on the other hand, are getting frustrated!
Anything they start to think she might have doesn't quite match up with her because she's hitting milestones.
It s like they want her to be delayed.
They want answers.
She's got them all puzzled.
I'm so proud of her! :)

CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) comes to the house once a month, and they completely thrilled with how great Hanna s doing.
She's not quite walking yet, but we were told that she is actually ahead of most blind children her age.
She doesn't have balance issues, she s just not confident enough to walk and explore on her own.
I think she's going to stick with crawling for a while.

She loves to dance, and sing, and babies, real or not.
She gives the best kisses, and hugs, and has the most contagious smile, and the best laugh ever!



She loves any music, and loves listening to her daddy play the guitar.
She's changed my world.
For the better.
She's definitely one of a kind. She's so special in so many ways, and I feel so blessed that I was chosen to be her mama.
Hanna has brought so much joy to our lives, and I wouldn't want our little mystery baby any other way!



To all the parents of special babies:

"Only special people get special babies."

I don t know about you, but that makes me feel pretty darn good. :)

Child of Love

A compilation of writings by Tammy Hodson at Praying for Parker.

A mom.

A medically fragile little boy with Down syndrome.

A story to tell.

We consider Parker to be an exceptional blessing in our lives. We are constantly amazed at how such a little guy has inspired so many people. But we believe that one of his callings in this life is to touch the hearts of others. Parker still has at least two extensive surgeries in his future.


His health issues include:

1. Pulmonary Hypertension - One of Parker’s doctors describes Parker’s PH as being caused by upper airway obstruction due to severe obstructive sleep apnea, combined with chronic lung disease due to Parker’s underdeveloped pulmonary system. This could cause heart failure, which requires Parker being on supplemental oxygen and medication. If we can keep Parker healthy enough for his lungs to grow, then new tissue will be generated to slowly heal his lungs. This will lead to his PH numbers receding.

2. Tethered Spinal Cord - Parker’s spinal cord was attached to his sacrum, which could cause paralysis as he grows. His cord was de-tethered in May of 2005, but vigilance is required to make sure that the cord does not re-tether.

3. Failure to Thrive - because Parker is constantly so sick, he hasn’t been growing very well. He weighs 23 pounds and is 2.5 years old.

What can I say? The kid is teeny. Really, really teeny.

But he’s HUGE in courage, smiles, spunk and love.

4. Bowel Obstruction - Parker will need two surgeries to create a functional tush, aka, his Teeny Tiny Designer Heiny. As of now has a colostomy until he becomes healthy enough to undergo such extensive surgeries.

5. To help with Parker’s severely obstructive sleep apnea, and his severe pulmonary hypertension, Parker was trached in October of 2007.


6. To help Parker get enough nutrition he received a g-tube in November of 2007.

Because of these issues, Parker is on several expensive medications as well as using several items of durable medical equipment. Parker has already had two surgeries and many stays in the PICU at Primary Children’s Hospital in SLC, Utah.

To help us keep Parker healthy we have him in what we call our “Safe Room” This is a Parker and Mom and/or Dad room only, the kids can only come in one at a time after they have washed, sanitized and masked up.

Parker receives the following therapies and services:

Occupational Therapy
Through Alpine School District Parker receives one hour of OT a month. Parker is working on reaching across his baseline on a consistent basis and increasing his hand strength. We work with Parker to hold a crayon with the proper grip. We are teaching Parker how to insert small objects into even smaller openings. Parker is learning how to twist things on and off and flip switches. He has successfully mastered both throwing and catching a ball. Any ball. The kid loves balls. Parker has also mastered the fine art of stacking. They kid can stack anything…anywhere.

Physical Therapy
Through Alpine School District Parker receives physical therapy twice a week. He has mastered crawling (when he wants to), and pulling himself up to a stand. He is still learning the best way to get out of a stand. And we keep the faith that Parker will, indeed, walk. And run. And skip. And jump.

Speech Therapy
Through Alpine School District Parker receives one hour of speech therapy a week. Parker is learning how to express his needs through sign. He is working on two word sentences such as ‘Want Car.” Although “No! Mom!” still seems to be his all time favorite.

Feeding Therapist
Our school district will not provide any feeding therapies for Parker. So we have found an independent therapist to help Parker. It is fairly common for kids with g-tubes to no longer have a desire to eat by mouth. But since eating helps prepare a child for speaking, we feel that this therapy is something we need to provide for Parker. Plus, we hope that one day Parker will no longer need special feeds via a g-tube. When that time comes we don’t want him not to understand such basics as chewing, moving food around in his mouth, drinking from both a cup and straw and swallowing.

The whole eating thing is made even harder by Parker’s trach. Kids that have been trached can’t smell or taste. In order for Parker to smell or taste he has to be wearing his ’speaking valve’ on his trach. But because of Parker chronic lung disease he can’t wear the speaking valve for more than about an hour a week.



Pre-school
Because of Parker’s health issues he is unable to attend school. And after lots of discussion and prayer both Reed and I feel that Parker needs would best be met in a home schooling setting. In a few years we may re-evaluate this decision, but I doubt it. Through Alpine School District Parker is visited once a week by a special needs pre-school teacher.

This year Parker will continue to work on colors and sorting and identifying animals. I have also created almost 25 lesson plans that will cover topics from bugs to trucks to gingerbread men. I want Parker to explore the world around him to the best of his ability.

I am so grateful for the degrees I have in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. These have served me well with all of my kids. But they are even more of a blessing with Parker.

Because insurance only partially covers Parker’s numerous medical bills, a special account has been set up at all Zion’s Banks in the name of Parker Reed Hodson. These funds will help to ensure that Parker is able to get the care that is absolutely necessary to his overall health, well being, and quality of life. All donations will benefit the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act in the name of Parker Reed Hodson. Contributions to this fund may be made by clicking on the 'donations' link in the sidebar of Parker's site, or at any Zion's bank,or by emailing Tammy at: hods5mom[at]aol.com.

We absolutely believe that with the love, prayers, and support of family and friends Parker will be able to overcome his health setbacks and will be a much loved and needed member of our family.

Sincerely,

Reed, Tammy, Bailey, Brant, McCall, Rigel, Kensley, and Parker Hodson.

Parker's current status: He had surgery just two days ago for a bowel obstruction.

If you could keep our Brave Hero in your prayers for his pain to be manageable and that he can heal and return home, that would be so very appreciated.

Child of Love

by Ronald S. Cole-Turner

Child of love, our love's expression

loves creation, loved indeed!

Fresh from God, refresh our spirits,

into joy and laughter lead.