Sparrow Song

posted on: Wednesday, October 16, 2013

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. 



There are a few ways you can help and be a part of Sparrow's story. You can send encouraging and supporting tweets, emails, letters or messages to Sparrow/her family throughout the day and during her upcoming recovery over the next several weeks. Also, Sparrow's big brother Noah, is 4, he loves getting letters and will love delivering them to his sister. ;) Little surprise packages via snail mail are always golden and you can also contribute financially.

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!!!!!

4 thoughts:

  1. Good luck! I know she will recover just fine, she seems so strong! My thoughts are with you guys!

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  2. Hi! I've been reading your blog for a while now but this one kind of hits home for me because my boyfriend who is 24 was diagnosed at birth with Tricuspid Atresia, which based on the description of what theyre repairing in little Sparrow, sounds similar to what my boyfriend has. He's had 11 major surgeries in his life, 3 of them also being open heart, but he is healthier than I am today! Maybe that might be a bit of encouragement for this sweet mommy who is no doubt nervous about what's going on. Please pass along my prayers and if she has any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them!

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  3. Hi! I have read your blog for a long time but this one kind of hits home for me because my boyfriend was diagnosed at birth with Tricuspid Atresia and it sounds like little Sparrow has some of the same defects. He has also had open heart surgeries among others, but at 24, he is healthier than even I am! Maybe that might be a bit of encouragement for Sparrow's mommy. Praying for all involved!

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  4. Hi Jess! I have a quick question. I wanted to donate some money but somehow my card didn't work on the fundraising site (I am form Italy, and not sure which is the reason). Is there any way to donate directly through PayPal account? I couldn't find this on website and thought to ask you. I am praying for this absolutely darling girl as well and hope to see her smiling and being happy very soon!

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