All the folks who've been reading that particular forum have formed a regular cheering squad for her. Her call for new lungs came on her mother's birthday. How about that for a present! The lady who checked her in to the hospital has the same first name as her mother. One day Lindsey was having lunch with a friend. They were talking about the surgery. A lady sitting nearby heard the conversation and said that she almost interrupted to tell her that she is a nurse who cares for post-transplant patients. But she didn't. Guess who's taking care of Lindsey? That very lady.
Two days after surgery, she's extubated, up and moving around, and her lungs are doing great. It has just been so moving to read comments by others who have had transplants and are enjoying breathing freely, something that we take so for granted.
I just came from reading another post. A young lady wrote that she is celebrating turning 30. She said she thought she would never reach that age. Now she's shooting for 35. Again, the responses by those reading just fill my eyes with tears. When you consider that years ago, the future was so bleak for anyone with CF. There still is no cure. The median life expectancy is now 37.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation sponsors a Great Strides Walk in the spring. You don't hear as much about it as the M*rch of Dimes or the breast cancer walks, but families and friends are out there raising funds for research. Nearly ninety cents of every dollar goes to research from the foundation. I would encourage you to donate to this group. As you know, I have a very personal interest in this since Ella is one of the 30,000 people in the United States with CF. The goal is to someday have the letters CF stand for "Cure Found."
Ella Marie Whitcomb, born August 4, 2006, diagnosed with cystic fibrosis soon after birth after a screening blood test in Virginia. Does your state automatically screen for CF in newborns? The last time I read, only 22 states have instituted this screening. Early detection is a key to good care for these children. 
5 comments:
What encouraging news for the victims of this disease.
Your sweet Ella's face has made me so much more aware of the need to find a cure (I'm not sure if our state screens at birth)
hugs!!
That sweet pink cheeked happy face. She gets me every time. She would make the hardest heart melt.
You are doing such a wonderful service for those suffering from this terrible disease. I know I've learned lots. I'll check into whether or not Texas screens newborns.
I didn't know that the life expectancy was that, Beverly. I thought it was much younger. How encouraging that must be for you and your son and his wife. Ella is such a little beauty, and I am sure her personality is sunshine personified. I hope she beats all the expectancy rules for people with CF.
I pray for "Cure Found". What a little heartmelter, gosh, lemme smooch those cheeks! I'm guessing the geographical distance between Ella and Grandma will be shortening soon!
I have been reading that this test is very new and it had not been that long since Virginia put it in as a routine screen.
I am glad she is doing so well. The early diagnosis and intervention will do much for giving these children even longer and more healthy and productive lives.
She is just so cute. How was your house hunting?
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