Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Medical Research - A Great Start!

At Breath of Hope, we have expectant parents join us and we offer them hope in the face of adversity. These families never stop amazing us all, the dedication they have to their children’s honor and memory. We have many families who do amazing things for the hospitals who helped their child. Most of all, they praise the care of those special nurses, therapists, doctors and staff. How can you possibly measure the dedication of those who work with us to help our children? You can’t. It is not measurable.

We have many survivors go home and share their smiles with us. We also have special angels who grace our hearts. Two precious angels over this last month or so were born and fought at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri. Last year, we had nurses from their NICU contact us about getting ribbons and were amazed that we give our ribbons for free. We do this because in wearing a simple turquoise ribbon on your collar, someone may ask and the wearer will tell of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia – this is spreading awareness one step at a time.

Cadan Christopher and Ryann Hope blessed us with their short but ever so powerful lives. Both of their families requested donations to come to Breath of Hope and wished it would go to Medical Research that would help Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. We contacted one of the amazing nurses at Saint Louis Children’s to see if they were doing anything for medical research related to congenital diaphragmatic hernia. And we found that yes, indeed, they were working on it. If you view the Firstgiving Ticker for Medical Research you can see the running total that will be given to Saint Louis Children’s Hospital in Memory of Cadan and Ryann. We also have invited their families and the many families who have had children at SLCH to be there to present a check to Washington University School of Medicine which does the medical research for Saint Louis Children’s Hospital.

We would also like to acknowledge another special angel, Will, whose parents asked to donated to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia or Breath of Hope. The funds raised for CHOP are going to Medical Research for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Will and his amazing parents started CHOP Medical Research for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. The funds to Breath of Hope have purchased blankets and mittens for our Expectant Parent Packages and ribbons for our Awareness Day Campaign.

These babies – though angels – are actively still making a difference and having an impact upon this world.

Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day ~ we wish to honor all babies and their families and promote Remembering Our Babies.

Tonight light a candle at 7 PM - if you extinguish it at 8 PM there will be a continuous wave of light through the time zones of the world.

In Rememberance - The Last Lecture - Lives on in All of Us

We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how to play the hand. --Randy Pausch

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From the Wall Street Journal

In his final months, while millions of people world-wide were watching his inspirational last lecture, Randy Pausch was cocooned at home in Virginia with his wife and three young children. "Every time I'm with the kids now, there's this total sense of urgency that I try not to let them pick up on," he told me. "I can't say things and reinforce them in four years. My time is now." The computer-science professor from Carnegie Mellon University, honored as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, died at home Friday morning at age 47 of pancreatic cancer. MORE

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There is also a very touching video on that page. I received an email last fall when the Last Lecture was given at Carnegie Mellon University. I had meant to buy his book over the last months only it got away from me. Ironically I made the purchase on Thursday, July 24 - and he is now among the angels as of Friday.

I wish his family and friends peace in this trying time but know that he ignited the world with his words - never intending to. I guess his dreams just happened. Karma just came.

Greg Everett

Stacy, VP and our website guru, graphic designer, writer, editor and woman who wears all hats lost her father early this week. Her father was equally as amazing as his daughter. He left Breath of Hope with a recording he did for us - an amazing voice.

http://starbulletin.com/2008/03/06/business/engle.html

Stacy - our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.