Trace's Lucky Fin Fund
Donation protected
My heart is in a knot as I write this. Most days I'm really positive about Trace's condition, but I've never told the other side of things. And today I'm having a hard day.. As his birthday just passed and his surgery becomes more real I'm emotional. So here it is.
"As long as my baby has ten fingers and ten toes, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl" How many times have you heard this statement from expecting parents? But what happens when that expectation is shattered? What happens when that's not the case for your baby? When the nurse looks concerned during your routine ultrasound..and the doctor comes in, looks you in the eye and says "your baby is missing a bone. One of his legs is short. And he probably won't have all his toes"
I can tell you exactly what happens. You cant breathe. You're certain your heart has stopped and it sinks in to a pit in your stomach you didn't know existed. You start to think about the things he will have to go through, the pain he will endure emotionally and physically, the things he will miss out on or be unable to do. You think of the world we live in and how cruel people can be. The ridicule and stares and points he will face and kids making comments simply because he's different.
And then he gets here. And you don't care. All you want to do is wrap him in his little blue blanket and never let him go because he's the most perfect and innocent thing in this world.
As he gets older you realize you'll have to let him learn things his own way. You want to take his place but you can't. Even though he doesn't know he's different yet, eventually he will. And as much as you cry, scream, pray, talk through it, want to take his place..you know he will have to go through it in his own way and you just have to be as strong as you can for him.
But you'll also learn that it doesn't hold him back at all. And that he's stronger and braver than you will ever be.
You can help him as much as you know how, kiss his little foot and name it his lucky fin. Tell him 10 toes is overrated anyway. You can be there and love him and show him that he is perfect and God chose him to be special. He is fearfully and wonderfully made.
You will still have nightmares about inconsiderate people in an immature world. But you try your hardest to replace those with thoughts of him bursting through the door after school excited to show you his artwork, playing sports and beaming with pride when he scores, letting go of the bike as he rides off on his own. And even now the way he snuggles you after his nap so he can wake up slowly, the way he leans and holds your face to give you a big sloppy kiss, the special way he does everything to adapt to his leg. And it's all worth it. All the rude people in the world can't take that away. The world will not win. Even if he cries sometimes, ultimately he will be stronger because of it.
As a parent you're supposed to teach your children things, but he's the one teaching me. He's taught me more about life and love and kindness and strength in his 12 months on this earth than I thought you could learn in a lifetime. And it's just the beginning. He will move mountains. And I can't wait to see what he does, the people he changes. And I will sit back and be the proudest mommy on the planet as he lives out his name that means "brave".
I love you sugar.
So, why are we raising money? We've had a lot of people ask us why we chose to see a doctor that's across the country. Well, the first reason is because he can save his leg. And that's worth everything to us. And then beyond that, when you are faced with a situation like this, as a parent you feel alone. And I'm sure as he gets older he will have his moments as well. But as soon as we walked in to the Paley institute last year I cried. Because I didn't feel as alone. I felt at home and at peace. Within the first 30 seconds of being in the building we saw a child with Traces condition doing his physical therapy and using his walker. He was about 3. And I knew that's where Trace would be this year. And just seeing how awesome that kid was doing and how strong all these kids are and all the families there offering support and advice I knew this was the place for us and for Trace. See,
the doctors here in Oregon told us our only option for Trace was amputation. I felt in my mommy heart there had to be something else we could do for him. So I researched his condition, Fibular Hemimelia and found a specialist, Dr. Paley in Florida. His condition in a nutshell means he is missing his Fibula and because of that his Tibia is bowed and shortened. He also has a Valgus Ankle which means his ankle bones are side by side when they're supposed to be stacked on top of each other. We first saw Dr. Paley when Trace was 6 months old and made a plan for his surgeries. He will be having 3-4 surgeries up til about 14 years old. Trace will be receiving super ankle and his first limb lengthening surgery on September 1, 2016 in Florida with Dr. Paley. We will also need to stay down in Florida for 3 months for his physical therapy and recovery. The housing they have for patients is booked out for 2 years. Even longer on the waiting list. So we will be renting a furnished house or apartment (we have yet to find one) during their tourist season, renting a car, flying back and forth 3 times in the next year (first class because of his Fixator which they use to lengthen his leg) all on top of his medical expenses. It's worth it to get the amazing care and support, but we so appreciate all the love from everyone offering to help. We can't explain how thankful we are for your prayers and support, whether monetarily or otherwise. We wouldn't be able to do this without you all. We love you! And Trace thanks you for helping him get two long legs
"As long as my baby has ten fingers and ten toes, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl" How many times have you heard this statement from expecting parents? But what happens when that expectation is shattered? What happens when that's not the case for your baby? When the nurse looks concerned during your routine ultrasound..and the doctor comes in, looks you in the eye and says "your baby is missing a bone. One of his legs is short. And he probably won't have all his toes"
I can tell you exactly what happens. You cant breathe. You're certain your heart has stopped and it sinks in to a pit in your stomach you didn't know existed. You start to think about the things he will have to go through, the pain he will endure emotionally and physically, the things he will miss out on or be unable to do. You think of the world we live in and how cruel people can be. The ridicule and stares and points he will face and kids making comments simply because he's different.
And then he gets here. And you don't care. All you want to do is wrap him in his little blue blanket and never let him go because he's the most perfect and innocent thing in this world.
As he gets older you realize you'll have to let him learn things his own way. You want to take his place but you can't. Even though he doesn't know he's different yet, eventually he will. And as much as you cry, scream, pray, talk through it, want to take his place..you know he will have to go through it in his own way and you just have to be as strong as you can for him.
But you'll also learn that it doesn't hold him back at all. And that he's stronger and braver than you will ever be.
You can help him as much as you know how, kiss his little foot and name it his lucky fin. Tell him 10 toes is overrated anyway. You can be there and love him and show him that he is perfect and God chose him to be special. He is fearfully and wonderfully made.
You will still have nightmares about inconsiderate people in an immature world. But you try your hardest to replace those with thoughts of him bursting through the door after school excited to show you his artwork, playing sports and beaming with pride when he scores, letting go of the bike as he rides off on his own. And even now the way he snuggles you after his nap so he can wake up slowly, the way he leans and holds your face to give you a big sloppy kiss, the special way he does everything to adapt to his leg. And it's all worth it. All the rude people in the world can't take that away. The world will not win. Even if he cries sometimes, ultimately he will be stronger because of it.
As a parent you're supposed to teach your children things, but he's the one teaching me. He's taught me more about life and love and kindness and strength in his 12 months on this earth than I thought you could learn in a lifetime. And it's just the beginning. He will move mountains. And I can't wait to see what he does, the people he changes. And I will sit back and be the proudest mommy on the planet as he lives out his name that means "brave".
I love you sugar.
So, why are we raising money? We've had a lot of people ask us why we chose to see a doctor that's across the country. Well, the first reason is because he can save his leg. And that's worth everything to us. And then beyond that, when you are faced with a situation like this, as a parent you feel alone. And I'm sure as he gets older he will have his moments as well. But as soon as we walked in to the Paley institute last year I cried. Because I didn't feel as alone. I felt at home and at peace. Within the first 30 seconds of being in the building we saw a child with Traces condition doing his physical therapy and using his walker. He was about 3. And I knew that's where Trace would be this year. And just seeing how awesome that kid was doing and how strong all these kids are and all the families there offering support and advice I knew this was the place for us and for Trace. See,
the doctors here in Oregon told us our only option for Trace was amputation. I felt in my mommy heart there had to be something else we could do for him. So I researched his condition, Fibular Hemimelia and found a specialist, Dr. Paley in Florida. His condition in a nutshell means he is missing his Fibula and because of that his Tibia is bowed and shortened. He also has a Valgus Ankle which means his ankle bones are side by side when they're supposed to be stacked on top of each other. We first saw Dr. Paley when Trace was 6 months old and made a plan for his surgeries. He will be having 3-4 surgeries up til about 14 years old. Trace will be receiving super ankle and his first limb lengthening surgery on September 1, 2016 in Florida with Dr. Paley. We will also need to stay down in Florida for 3 months for his physical therapy and recovery. The housing they have for patients is booked out for 2 years. Even longer on the waiting list. So we will be renting a furnished house or apartment (we have yet to find one) during their tourist season, renting a car, flying back and forth 3 times in the next year (first class because of his Fixator which they use to lengthen his leg) all on top of his medical expenses. It's worth it to get the amazing care and support, but we so appreciate all the love from everyone offering to help. We can't explain how thankful we are for your prayers and support, whether monetarily or otherwise. We wouldn't be able to do this without you all. We love you! And Trace thanks you for helping him get two long legs
Organizer
Abigail Davidson
Organizer
Albany, OR
