Bailey, my reminder of strength...

When you start feeling like life is unfair, think of my son Bailey. You see, from birth, they counted him out…only a few hours to live, if he survives, he will be frail and sickly and may even have developmental delays, the list goes on and on. Can you imagine starting off your life like that? But instead Bailey has time and time beat the odds, he’s nearing twelve now. He is not frail and sickly, in fact, he looks like a very healthy young man, who stands proud at 5’3” and the only way you would be able to know that he has a heart condition, is the pale scar that runs down his broad chest; the scar that he proudly calls his zipper. He’s participated in little league baseball and even became the team pitcher. He’s very close to earning his black belt in karate. He thrives in school, achieving straight A’s, participating in band and getting nominated for honor programs.

Bailey could easily throw in the towel and use his condition as a crutch. He could use his condition as an excuse to stop living life BUT he hasn’t. I admit, in the past couple of years, I have felt overwhelmed with immense stress about they curveballs we have endured the past couple of years…to the point where I compromised my own health. But yesterday when I was watching him undergo his stress echo, I realized just how strong my son is. I know he was scared, he never took his eyes off the echo screen and the person doing the echo. But he kept going and did what was asked of him. To see how strong my young man has become is bittersweet. He is no longer the blue baby I held in my arms.

So if my husband and I appeal to all of you to join our team or to help us raise funds for the American Heart Association it is because of the deep love we have for our son. It is an event that we have participated in over ten years. It is our time to celebrate Bailey’s strength…and the strength of all the other “red cap” walkers (survivors). This year with the recession a great issue among all of us, Bailey thought of the recycling drive. Through this drive, he has raised over $300. It was a simple idea, people could collect their recyclables and donate those proceeds to the AHA.

Bailey’s journey is not nearly over. He still has many battles to overcome. Even with the news of his heart slowly weakening, he still remains strong. He still sets his goals and achieves them. His greatest one is to one day be a Cardiologist. When the Cardiologist asked him what subject he enjoyed, he said, “Science and Math.” The doctor was pleased and then continued, “What kind of science do you enjoy?” Without hesitation, “Health Science.” The doctor laughed with enthusiasm. At the scholar’s program he attended this summer, he proudly told family about dissecting a cow’s heart. How fascinating it was for him to see the different parts of the heart. The money raised will help further research on cardiovascular disease and defects so that families like ours will no longer be afraid to dream. It is to help keep our hope alive, that one day, our loved ones will be able to live healthy and normal lives.

So please do not get irate over our request for support. It comes from a very good place. I do hope that many of you are able to join us for the walk. We know it would mean a lot to everyone in our family, but especially to our not so little angel, Bailey. Please follow the link below and join our team and let’s have fun and raise some serious funds! =D

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/sandiegoca/dikitanankids

Greetings from Vista

Hello! As I am typing this, the kids and Ed are sorting through our recycling. I am afraid we won't be raising as much the next few months because we are no longer at the school and at the dojo. =( But we are open to anyone else who wants to participate with us. It was just difficult to continue with us moving out to Vista and we certainly did not want to dump the responsibility on someone else. We do hope that the bins we donated to both places go to good use and that they are used to raise funds for another good cause. I sincerely believe that recycling is the best to raise funds. It is easy, it is something almost everyone can do, and it also helps the environment. I hope our team members are having a relatively easy time with their fundraising.

If you haven't already, come join our team. We are always a blast to be around. We really go out there and celebrate.