"Love You More" Heart Home

Something wonderful is happening this week.

A few months ago I spoke with Teresa's team of Doctors at CHOP and asked them if they would host our team of Doctors from China.
Dr. Hanna  was very gracious an organized a week filled with lectures, Heart Caths., surgeries and rounds.  Our friend Teresa W. graciously funded the trip.
After spending the week in Philly the team will fly to Orlando and attend The 2014 Pediatric Cardiac Conference.   Here they will spend another week in conferences and lectures learning from the best cardiac Doctors in America.

This is such a tremendous experience  and we are very excited for them all!

Keep moving those mountains Teresa!  We love you more!!!

Gemma-Hawaii

Thank you Make A Wish Hawaii for making Gemmas wish so magical. The entire team of volunteers, life guards, surf instructors and the Hamilton family all went above and beyond to make the week fabulous for all 10 of the wish children.  They enjoyed  a Hawaiian Luau, surfing, sand castle making, lai making, Hula lessons, tubing the ditch, snorkeling, watching Soul Surfer and private time with Bethany.  They all overcame fears and embraced the challenge of learning something new.  Friendships were made.  All these children are my HERO'S.   Each child facing obstacles in life with their health and never giving up.

Gemma's new friend- Elizabeth

Vanina Walsh- 16 years old and second in the world for paddle boarding.  She is such a sweet girl.

Siana Hunt- CEO of Make A Wish

Uncle Kalani and Gemma getting ready to surf.

The girls with Sarah Hill.  Carrie Underwood played  Sarah in the movie.

Emilia and Gemma surfing with Noah Hamilton ( Bethany's older brother) .  He is the kindest, warmest, most humble person !

Gemma received the trophy for the most FEARLESS surfer!
Thank you Make A Wish !!!!!

Surfing

To say today was amazing would be an understatement.  

We started the day with breakfast with Bethany.   The entire Hamilton family is so kind.  Bethany's parents, uncle , two brothers , sister in laws and niece spent  the day with us also.  Mrs. Hamilton taught Grace how to make ti leaf lais.  

The girls spent the day surfing with Bethany and playing on the beach. Even Emilia surfed.  Bethany's coach  tandem 

Surfed with her.   All the girls had the best time .  They accomplished a dream

They never thought they could.

Tonight everyone had dinner with the entire Hamilton family.  The wish children then had individual time alone with Bethany and had the opportunity for autographs and more photos.  

After dinner everyone was treated to a movie under the stars on hanalei bay ....soul  surfer .  After the movie we all got the   inside scoop on the making of the  movie.

 Hanalei Bay on Kuai is breathtaking .  It was kinda neat to see in the movie the same beach the girls were surfing on. 

Tomorrow the girls will surf with Bethany in the morning and then go tubing down the ditch In the afternoon . 

We are all loving  the island life. "No worries" and " island time" are fantastic! 

"If you have faith anything is possible". Bethany Hamilton 

" I get my strength from Jesus Christ"  Bethany Hamilton 

Kauai

Tonight we had dinner with the ten children attending the first Bethany Hamilton surf camp for Make A Wish.  Gemma quickly became best friends with another little girl from Phoenix.  There is also an adopted little girl from Gemmas  province in china with the same medical condition as her.    All the children learned how to do the hula. Tomorrow morning the girls will have their first surfing lesson with Bethany ( even Emilia).   They are so excited.    Kauai is such a beautiful island .  Several movies were filmed here. ( pirates of the Caribbean , South Pacific , Jurassic park)

Gemma is having the best time.

 

Make a Wish

O

We are in Hawaii !  Gemma wished to surf with Bethany Hamilton and she is so excited.

2014

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted.

Christmas was a difficult time for us this year.  Not only was it Christmas but it also was Teresa's 7th. Birthday. 
We decided to do things a little bit differently.  Thank you to our friends and family who didn't judge us and ask why?

We could not wait for 2013 to be over  since it seemed like such a bad year.   But after thinking about exactly what a "Bad" year entailed , I realized that 2013 could not have been bad.  It was probably one of our best years ever.
It was the very last year we would ever have Teresa here with us, so it could not be bad.  It was filled with so many happy memories and the sounds of Teresa's magical laughter.  But it  also held a very sad , life changing time in our lives.  We became very different in 2013 because of it.  And I have to say for the better.   The journey that Teresa started us on 4 years ago was never an easy one, and we knew that going into her adoption.  But what we never expected along the journey was exactly how life changing it would be. 

I don't think I could even put into words exactly how our lives have changed.  It is something that we all  just feel, know and believe every day.  Teresa changed us.  She came to change each one of us in the way  that only God knew we needed. 
She lived for 6 years with half a heart and when she died she took half of our hearts with  her.

Many things have been happening ... Emilia is doing so much better with her legs healing.  She will have the external fixators removed in 2 months and she will be three inches taller. The infections are all gone!!!
Lucy will be performing in the schools spring play... Willy Wonka.  She tried out for Veruca but was cast as Umpa Lumpa #3.  She is so happy to be a part of the play she really did not mind being an Umpa Lumpa. And she makes an incredibly cute Umpa Lumpa!
Ed and I feel so blessed to be enjoying the pure love of our first grandchild.  He brings us all so much happiness.
Gemma is so excited for a very special event.... she is going on her Make A Wish trip.  She has waited for almost 2 years  and she is beyond excited.  She wished to learn to surf with  Bethany Hamilton from Soul Surfer. After watching the movie she felt a connection to her.  She said Bethany kept going after losing her arm and didn't give up.  She said she was just  like her because she doesn't give up either. Bethany is such an amazing role model for girls.    It's your choice how  you  react when life throws you a curve ball.  You can stay down and crumble or you can get back up and follow your dreams.

How are you doing?

 A lot of people have asked  how we are doing.  We knew the first year with out Teresa would be difficult especially Christmas day since this is also her Birthday.  Teresa loved celebrating her Birthday with  Jesus.

Ed and I wanted to skip Christmas this year.  Watching the rest of the world go on with so much joy and happiness was too painful since our joy ( Teresa) was gone.  But we knew we could not do this to our other children.  They deserved to be happy and have a joyful Christmas also.   So we have done the best we can in the midst of great sadness to make Christmas for them special.

"How are you doing?"  seems like such a generic question.   Some people use it as a greeting,  not really wanting an in depth answer.   Others can only handle a  response of "we are  doing o.k.",  and yet others seem afraid to even ask.  But there are a few who can see behind the smile that hides the pain and the eyes that can cry no more or the arms that long to hold the one that is gone.  To these friends we  don't need to tell how we are doing because they somehow know.  

The death of Teresa has left a permanent scar on my soul.  It is a scar that I will wear proudly because without it I would not be who I am today.   I lived for 45 years without Teresa and only three years with her.  I did not know what was missing from my life until I had her. I now know so much more all because three years of my life were touched by an angel. 

This journey with Teresa has brought our entire family closer to God.   The journey has been very hard and painful but it also was filled with so much joy with Teresa.    We no longer try to find our new normal.  This is something that will never be attained.   We are different.  This difference does not make us special.  This "difference" was given to us by God. I do not know why nor do I understand why God has taken us on this path.  It is a path that I would surely not choose as my will but one that I will trust in God to lead us on for His Will is always perfect.

Tonight as Gemma was saying her prayers she said,"   Mommy, I know why the Doctors could not give Teresa a new heart,  because Jesus had to give her one in Heaven. " 

I know this is true and I know she will celebrate her Birthday in Jesus' arms , both of them celebrating their birthdays together on Christmas day and this is what we will celebrate with a joyful yet heavy heart.

Ron Lee Davis
~ In this life we will encounter hurts and trials that we will not be able to change; we are just going to have to allow them to change us..

 Billy Graham
~ We cannot truly face life until we have learned to face the fact that it will be taken away from us.

 John Vance Cheney
~ The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears.

Thank you for all of the  prayers, love and support.

One Wish

What would you wish for if you had one wish?

Gemma is the star student this week in school.   She is so excited.  She decided that Teresa would be the star student with her so she filled out the questionaire with information about her and Teresa.

Gemma-  favorite color -rainbow, Teresa-pink.   Gemma- favorite book,Green Eggs and Ham, Teresa- Shoe La La.

The last question was - "What would  you wish for if you had one wish?"

Gemma wished to see what Teresa was doing in Heaven.

This year we decided to remember Teresa by changing our Christmas tree.  It is Pink with pink lights, sparkly shoes, snowflakes, angels, wings , flowers and tiaras. everything teresa loved.

We love you more Teresa!!!!

"Love You More" Heart Home

The "Love You More " Heart Home will be in Beijing China. Teresa loved to say " I love you more" and these were her last words to us.  In Teresa's memory  we want to help other orphans in China who have severe cardiac disease like her. 

Ed and I  have partnered with Little Hearts Medical.  Little Hearts Medical was founded by Tanya and Mike Lee and is an approved 501 c Foundation.   Shortly after Teresa passed away , Mike and Tanya came into our lives.  We quickly became friends and learned that our children had been together for several years in China and were friends in the same orphanage. Mike and Tanya have the same vision as Ed and I about helping orphans with heart disease. We quickly started planning how we could make this dream come true. We traveled to China in September and brainstormed with Serena , Lily, Diana and Theresa from Chunmioa Little Flower on how exactly we could reach this goal.

We established a budget and the steps necessary to open the Heart Home.  We partnered with two Hospitals and four Cardiac surgeons and Cardiac Internationalists in Beijing.  We visited the two Hospitals and helped  train the nurses in post op cardiac care for very fragile children. We visited two orphanages and helped  train the caregivers on Cardiac care for the children.  We also partnered with Philips Medical Equipment in China who has agreed to supply  portable heart echo machines for us  to travel to the orphanages and help identify children with cardiac disease.

We have all the plans in place to open the Home , all we need now are the finances.   It will only cost $ 80,000 to run the home for one year.  This will include;
1.  A 25 bed home with the ability to expand in the future.
2.  5 rooms for poor families to stay with their child while we provide them with the medical care necessary for their child.  We will also train the families on how to care for their children before returning to their homes and provide them with follow up care.
3.  All cardiac surgeries.
4.  Medical equipment, furnishings, medicine, food and clothes.
5.  Nannies
6.  LOVE

After the first years expenses have been met , the Chunmioa Foundation will help to cover the costs of all medical care for the children.

It is only money and when you think about it, it is such a small amount of money that is needed and it will have the ability to help so many children.

If you are able to help us raise the money , there are several ways you can donate.
You can donate through  Pay Pal on Teresa's page or Little Hearts Medical .org page.
Or you can send a donation to : Little Hearts Medical, 20 Apple Tree Ct. ,Baltimore MD. 21228

All for you sweet girl !  You spread your love for others with your hugs and smiles and now from heaven you will help children get the medical care they so desperately need and in doing so you will also help them to have their own families. Then all the children will know the love of having their own families!