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| Sparrow and her little best friend Isabel. They both have been friends with each other and with Kael since they were born, and they go to school together. photo by anna naphtali |
Today, in just under an hour actually, one of my favorite little souls is having her third and final open heart surgery. It's 6:45 AM and in just 10 minutes, Sparrow Song, who is 3 years old, the daughter of one of my best friend's, Jessie, will be taken by the doctors and their angel hands to begin the surgery. This is as close to home as it can get for me. Jessie and I were pregnant together, and I've walked with her through her previous two surgeries. This one is the heaviest to me. I love this little girl as if she were my own. Kael and Birdie go to school together, her little fire of a personality is a part of the tapestry of our lives. Her adorable, small, raspy voice is kind of my favorite thing ever. (You need to hear her sing Katy Perry's Eye of the Tiger. haha!) Sparrow is a strong, bright little thing. You know it for a fact, if you've ever met her. She is a miracle and will continue to be in all of our lives.
As I pulled into the parking deck of the children's hospital, it started to hit me. This is actually happening. As I walked in, the sinking feeling in my stomach got heavier. But, once I saw her in her little hospital gown and I heard "HEY JESS!" with that classic coy smirk and her getting down from her daddy's lap to give me a hug...my heart was completely lost. I left the room, through the double doors and sobs took over my body. I kept telling myself, "One more. Just one more surgery and then it's done. "
Today, we are setting up camp at the hospital to wait, to pray, to love, to cry, to laugh and to support our friends and our favorite little song bird. We'd love you to be a part of that with us! We're going to overload this waiting room with love, guys!
Surgery is 4-6 hours long (it's the Fontan with a fenestration.) They stop her heart, put her on a bypass machine and repair what was defected before she was even born: double inlet left ventricle, a transposition of the great arteries and an interrupted aortic arch. She'll be in the hospital for at least 2 weeks.
Here is a link to Jessie's (Sparrow's mom) post CLICK HERE
Hearts to pray for and lift up:
Sparrow Song
Jessie and Mark Mathis (her parents)
Noah Mathis (Sparrow's 4 year old brother)
You can send your tweets to @Jessiemathis or you can send them to mine and I'll retweet them. (@bohobabybump) Put the hashtag #sparrowsong
You can leave a comment to bird or her family under this post and I'll send them to Jessie.
You can send a snail mail surprise letter or treat to:
401 Hawthorne Lane
Suite 110 #200 Charlotte, NC 28204
IDEAS FOR PACKAGES
*Age-appropriate movies (DVD’s)
*Books & puzzles – the girl LOVES books and puzzles!
*Art & Education – paper, pens, colors, crayons and anything that would assist her in learning how to write her letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc… She is VERY interested in learning and her momma is a teacher, she'd rather stoke that fire than let her watch 5 Disney movies a day.
*Anything with or having to do kitties – she’s obsessed. Hello Kitty, stuffed kitties, cats, kittens, lions, tigers, she loves them all. She sings Katy Perry’s “Roar” everyday.
*Sparrow has a Leapster Explorer and a Leapster Tag – games and books for both of these devices would be a HUGE help! They are educational and entertaining.
*Sparrow also loves Squinkies – they’re tiny figurines that she collects.
*Flowers, balloons, cards, accessories, and treats
To help out financially click HERE!
Thanks guys!!!!!