Amazing Gracie

Grace Cerneka celebrated her 4th birthday on September 24th! Then, just 5 days later underwent major heart surgery.

For those who know her, you know how adorable, adventurous, and filled with energy she is (literally never stops moving unless she’s sleeping). Grace is tenacious, perceptive, hilarious, brave, and loves to cuddle. She’s incredibly witty, charming, silly, tender, loving & oh so sweet! For those who don’t know her, she is all of these things, yet she also possesses some incredibly unique quality that’s hard to put into words, maybe she was born with it, or maybe all she went through those first minutes, days and months of life cultivated it in her. It’s a toughness - tenacious, yes - but it’s more than that, it’s like her spirit is unrelenting, it beams, pours into the room.

None of this has been easy on her, and while she doesn’t “remember” a lot of it, those experiences are forever with her, and her little body remembers. Grace has had to overcome a lot, and she has! As Pete & Katie’s beautiful caringbridge update will explain, she’s had an incredible 3 1/2 years of health, supported not only by amazing parents and a loving big sister, but incredible doctors, nurses, and teams of medical professionals who have provided the best care in the world.

Grace’s caringbridge update: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gracecerneka

But, Gracie has a very long road ahead of her, two big heart surgeries this year, followed by all the recovery it requires, and then a lot of unknowns. We are confident she will continue to get the best care around, but this year will bring Pete & Katie many new challenges, including many new expenses. And that will go on for awhile as they navigate what life will mean for Grace post-surgery.

And these challenging health conditions will be life long for Gracie. While we have no doubt in her ability to continue to overcome and thrive, each step along the way brings a lot of incredibly difficult things for Pete & Katie to navigate, including many unexpected and likely ongoing expenses.

So, please read the updates below at the link, and give what you can to help support amazing Gracie and her amazing family. Also, please share this with anyone who might want to help, every little bit helps!

Finally, please pray for Grace as she undergoes and recovers from two upcoming heart surgeries, with the first currently scheduled for September 29, 2023. (Please follow the caringbridge site for all health updates).

We love you Pete, Katie & Violet and we love you AMAZING GRACIE!!

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/gracecerneka