The Bartlinski Bunch

" Teresa "

" Teresa "

Teresa "Fang Fang " Bartlinski

Teresa was born on December 25, 2006 in China. She was born with a very complex heart condition. In July 2010, GOD added Teresa to our family through adoption. We have been blessed with 9 wonderful children. Gods grace has woven us together as a family. Upon bringing Teresa home from China we unfortunately learned she not only needed a heart transplant but also a lung transplant. Her doctors feel she would not survive this operation. Please help us to pray for a miracle for Teresa's heart and lungs to be healed. She is a very special little soul who has touched so many lives around the world ...
I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Back Up

Today was Teresa's weekly Doctors visit at CHOP .    As we were getting ready to leave, the Doctor received  a phone call .  He hung up the phone , reached over to feel Teresa's head and asked the Nurse Practitioner to take Teresa's temperature.   He wanted to make sure she did not have a fever because he said she may have a heart .   She was the "back Up" .  The backup recipient is the person who will receive the transplant if "the primary recipients transplant  team" declines the heart .   The child who was the primary recipient was the same blood type and weight as Teresa but had been waiting a little bit longer than her on the transplant list .     He said he would have an answer in two hours if Teresa would receive the heart or not and suggested we go get something to eat as we waited. 

Well let me tell you , there was no way I could eat anything .  It was the longest two hours of my life.
As we waited,  a million things were racing through my head and I was a complete nervous wreck . Luckily , Ed had accompanied me on this trip.  I can not imagine having to wait  there by my self not knowing .  He on the other hand was very calm and had complete faith Teresa would be fine .
After two hours , we finally received the news that the other child had accepted the heart.

We will return to CHOP next week for more testing .  Teresa  came home today  wearing a heart monitor to rule out any arrhythmia she may be having . She has been having several episode where she feels very nervous and becomes very hot .   She also will most likely have to start with an NG tube .  She has not gained weight in over a year and she is becoming deprived of vitamins and nutrients.  As hard as we try to feed her ( it is a never ending battle), she has no appetite or desire to ever eat .  We have been trying to avoid the NG tube  but going into a heart transplant her little body will need a lot of reserve to fall back on .

Tonight Ed and I are exhausted and frazzled .  We are praying God will give us the Grace to handle this .  We are also praying for Teresa to stay strong .  She did not know what was going on today . To her it was just another visit and some special time alone with Mom and Dad. 

  Today another child received the gift of life , one family lost their childs life and we went home to continue to wait for  Teresa  to receive her gift of life. 

Life is so precious .  Enjoy every moment you have with your children !

9 comments:

Terri Fisher said...

I think of you all so much and check daily to see if Teresa has rec'd her heart yet. I can't imagine the stress you all are under...please be assured of my thoughts and prayers! I have been following Teresa's journey since Robin Magana advocated for her. She is such an inspiration, as is your entire family! Many blessings!

Lynda said...

Oh Ann, what an unbelievable emotional roller coaster. My heart grieves so for the families who have to make those decisions to donate and their circumstances. What a way to honor the life of your loved one than to allow them to be such a blessing to others. The advances that have been made in medical technology are incredible. We continue to lift you all up in prayer. May God's peace, His healing touch and favor be with you all.
The Carr Family

Lori said...

Oh my, Ann... I have been praying for you and of course precious Teresa. But I know the tug of war that is going on in your heart, as you weed through all of the ups and downs and twisting turns of this difficult wait. After 8 months, I feel so frazzled some days... I want to enjoy every moment with Rachel NOW and yet I find myself forever focused on WHEN???? I have discovered that waiting is far from passive and requires more energy than I ever imagined! Kind of like an eternal airplane ride... You wonder how sitting for so long can leave you so exhausted! :-) I hope you'll give yourself the luxury of some time to "baby" yourself this weekend, so that you can face the wait refreshed again. I will pray specifically for that, sweet friend, and that God's immeasurably grace would be more real to your soul than ever before! Hang in there! There's a sweet vacation for the two of us on some tropical island when this is finally behind us! We can do this!!!! Standing with you until you make it through to the other side! Hugs tonight, Lori McCary

Anonymous said...

Sweet Teresa,

I am certain God has the most perfect heart in store for you and I pray you receive it soon! You are a miracle on earth changing one heart at a time. Hang in their little miracle girl and keep strong.
Continued prayers for you family.

Shonni said...

It was emotional just reading this post....
I will continue to pray for your family and precious Teresa.

Wanda House said...

My prayers continue for you and your family, but especially for Teresa. I have no idea how hard this must be for you. I am sure God has just the right heart and it will be available at just the right time. May God continue to give you the strength you need for the journey ahead. He is always just a prayer away.

Rita and John said...

Ann, I cannot even imagine the emotions you are going through at this point. We continue to keep you all in our prayers.

Aus said...

Good morning my friend - I soo feel your emotion - the rollercoaster ride - and in the background the knowledge that one child's life is Blessed by another family's tragic loss...

We pray for you daily - and hold you close to our hearts always...

hugs - aus and co.

Unknown said...

I know life is fragile, but at 4 or 6 or even 10 years, makes it seem how fragile one is the tender age of 5. I am so glad to see and hear with faith in God and the world at large offering so much support for Sweet Teresa. I was shocked to hear about her story, and so many other children what they thru today. They have so much of a life ahead of them. Its not fair that they cant enjoy the opportunities ahead. I pray for her everyday on a bright recovery.