We love you Mia!

This is sweet, little Mia.  When I wrote about Mia in my last blog post, we were praying for a miracle.  Sadly, the neurologist determined that Mia went without oxygen for too long and that she didn't have any brain activity.  Today, Mia's family is forced to do the unthinkable, and take her off of life support.  Her brothers and sister, although they don't understand, have to say goodbye to their sister.  We know that it is only temporary, that they will be reunited again, but I'm sure that at this time, it doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye.  The thought of my sweet friend Mimi kissing Mia's face for the last time is heart wrenching and unbearable.  It breaks my heart that they have deal with this so many miles away from home in a hospital that they're not familiar with and doctors that they don't even know, that just makes it even harder.  My thoughts and prayers as well as the prayers of so many other have been with the McDonald family all week, I hope that somehow they can feel that love and support even though they are so far away.

Watching Mia this week has reminded me how fragile Abby's life is and that we cannot take any day for granted.  It's such a tricky thing to balance.  Although I know we need to be careful and to keep Abby away from germs and keep her safe, I also want her to be able to live and experience as much as she possibly can while she can, I want her to lead as normal of a life as possible. Seeing Mia go from healthy and happy one day to critically sick the next has scared me.  Even though I've always known that a heart transplant doesn't "fix" the problem, and that it isn't a cure, I never thought that things could change so quickly.  It's just made me step back, take a deep breath, and remember to be grateful for each and every day that Abby is here with us.

It's been a very emotional few days filled with many tears.  Abby has been extremely sad for her heart friend.  Unfortunately, now that we know so many kids that are living with a congenital heart defect or that have had transplants, this probably isn't going to be the only time we lose someone we know, but this is the first time and it's not easy.  Abby is smart and she is strong, she knows and understands what her new life involves and the challenges she might have to face, it's not a secret.  Abby is also lucky, she know and has seen firsthand where little Mia is today, she knows that she is in a place filled with beauty and peace.

"We were walking through a patch of amazing colors, Christ and me, the closest to it on earth is flowers, and the flowers were about up to my belly button and Jesus and I were walking in white gowns, they were really white, you can't even imagine the color.  Christ also had a purple sash going across his chest. We were holding hands. There was no one else around and nothing else there, it was like we were on a hill. His hands were scarred but they were soft, his face was so soothing and calming. But it looked younger than the pictures we usually see, and His hair wasn’t as long. His voice was like honey and he was asking me if I wanted to stay here with Him or go back to earth and be with my family.  I looked around me, no one was there, just me and Him and the sky was this blue color and there were no clouds, it was really bright.  There were colors that I can’t explain, we don’t have them here.  It took me a long time to decide to stay or go, it was a very difficult decision.  It was very peaceful and happy where we were, very inviting."  Abby Doman

We love you Mia!