Monday, September 20, 2010

HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!!


Today is a special blog to Michelle - my daughter & Jessica's younger sister - who turns 14 Today!!!

Dear Michelle,(My "Mooshie Mae"),

Wow! I can't believe that my "baby" is turning 14 today and what a lovely young woman you have become!

I remember the day you were born. You made your entrance 2 months prematurely and at 3:56 AM! The doctors were amazed when they weighed you and you were 6 lbs. 1oz.! You were our miracle baby! Your Dad and I were so thankful that God saw fit to bless us once again with a healthy baby girl. Your sisters Jessica and Katherine were so proud too! Each day they fought over who would feed you, change you, hold you, etc.......


Michelle - God has blessed you with a warm heart, a beautiful smile, and an incredible spirit! You always try to find the best in people and are always there with either a kind word, a happy thought, or a special deed.


This spirit of helping was never so evident as it was this past summer. I was so very proud of you! You gave up your entire summer to come to Mexico and help me take care of your older sister Jessica --- and what a help you were!!! Having you here with us made it feel a little bit more "like home". And, when your sister had to go back to the hospital and was unexpectedly put back into a coma - it was YOU - Jessica's little "Wessie" (as she calls you) - who was there, by her side, holding her hand, and..holding mine as well!!!

I want you to always know that I am so very proud of you! You are 14, but, you have had to deal with a lot of things that most 14 year olds never have or will ever have to face! Jessica and I couldn't have done it without you this summer --- always remember that! Even though you are now back home, we think of you always and hold you very close to our hearts!!!

This is a special video for your special day:


So, on this day, your birthday, Jessica and I want you to go out and have a great day! Hopefully, one day, really soon, God willing, we will all be together again!
Remember this: You may have outgrown Mommy's lap, but you will NEVER outgrow my heart!!!

I found this poem for you:

I asked God for a flower and He gave me a bouquet.

I asked God for a minute and He gave me a day.

I prayed to God for true love and He gave me that too.
I prayed to God for an Angel, and He gave me YOU!!!


May God bless you dear angel, especially on this day that marks your birth.
May God bless you Today, Tomorrow, and Always!


All Our Love,
From Monterrey, Mexico
Mommy & Jessica
xoxoxo


2Corinthians 7:4:
"I have great confidence in You, I take great pride in You"



***To Post A Birthday Comment, Please Click on Comments Below***

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Happy Birthday Michelle!! We miss you!
Love, Carol & Ray xxoo

Rosemary and John said...

Happy Birthday Michelle!

This is a day to celebrate; the day that God brought you into this world and gave you your amaazing family so full of love for you and each other! You are a special yound lady and we are happy and honored to know you. Enjoy your special day knowing that all who love you, near or far are always with you in spirit and are only a phonecall away.

Love, Rosemary and John

Fern said...

Happy birthday Michelle! May you feel God's warm embrace ever more today and may you ofeel how special and loved you are by so many! Have a wonderful day and celebrate another year!

Nancy said...

Happy 14th Birthday Michelle!!

What a wonderful young lady you have become. Your Mom paints the picture of you that we all know so well of the heart you have and the love and warmth you show to everyone. You are an Angel.

It's hard to believe it's been a year since your Mom and Jessica and I celebrated your 13th birthday from Mexico. It broke our hearts as we said prayers of love and joy for you that your day be wonderful and know everyone would be together again. I can only imagine how hard it's been for you to be so far away at this tender age. What a blessing that you could spend your summer in Mexico. It's so nice to see the great pictures of you with your Big Sis! You are loved from all over the world for the amazing person you are.

Big hugs, and have a piece of cake for me!! Kiss Daddy and Katherine!

Nancy & Joe
PS: Thanks Sarah Gina for the pics. We are so excited for Jessica to be on the road to recovery!! Go Jessica Go!!!

Katherine said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYY MICHELLE!!!!!

i love you so much michelle, i cant believe youre already 14 years old! you may be younger then but youre definitley taller!! Youre one of the best sisters in the world! (besides jessica!) i love you soo much xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday to you.
May the good Lord grant you a wonderful year.
Linda in Saratoga

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, Michelle!

Jessica/Sarah,
Came across this the other day and thought you might find this of interest:

Silveron

http://honestmedicine.typepad.com/National-Brain-Tumor-Foundation-Article.pdf

This is part of the article:

He asked me if I had ever heard of Silverlon. “Silver what?” I inquired. He explained that
Silverlon was a healing system
comprised of pieces of material made with silver ions which, when wet,caused many of the worst nonhealing wounds to heal. He had used it successfully on several patients with nonhealing diabetic wounds. And it was FDA approved, which meant it had passed all tests for safety.

Anonymous said...

A big Blessed Happy Belated birthday to Miss Michelle and many many more...we wish you all of God's best especially in the year ahead...may al your wishes come true!!
Love
John, Angela & the boys.

Anonymous said...

Sorry for my bad english. Thank you so much for your good post. Your post helped me in my college assignment, If you can provide me more details please email me.


Jessica's Journey to Getting Her Life Back

By Sarah Gina (Jessica's Mom)


As we begin this journey toward renewed health we would like to express our sincere heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick and all the work he has done and continues to do in order to bring patients like my daughter Jessica back to a more meaningful life and restored from this devastating illness. Also, special thanks to Dr. Fernando Cantu and his team of doctors in Mexico for taking on a difficult case like my daughters, Words cannot express the renewed sense of hope that we have that one day, our Jessica, can regain her life that has been taken away from her – God Bless you all!

Jessica’s Story

Once an A+ student who loved school, was involved in many extracurricular activities, played varsity tennis, lacrosse and gymnastics and enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, our daughter Jessica has spent the last 3 years incapacitated, paralyzed, unable to sit or walk and eat. She spends her days confined to a hospital bed, wearing sunglasses and noise-canceling headphones, due to severe light and sound sensitivity.

Jessica and her sisters, 2 mos. before becoming ill

The pain she feels is indescribable and all attempted treatments have not even come close to relieving her suffering.

She has seen many doctors, undergone numerous painful tests and procedures, has been prescribed various medications, and has been hospitalized frequently including being intubated and on a ventilator. She is severely debilitated and currently is only 92 pounds. This is certainly no life for a 21 year old young woman!


Jessica is suffering from neurologic Lyme disease and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a severely debilitating and painful neuromuscular disorder. She suffers daily with constant sharp, stabbing, tingling and burning pain; throughout her body; severe headaches; paralysis; intense muscle spasms; gastroparesis; seizures; twisting of her limbs (dystonia); sensitivity to any touch (allodynia); extreme sensitivity to lights and sounds; excessive sweating; swelling; fevers; softening of bones; decreased hair growth; redness and discoloration of the limbs; and painful skin ulcers. The pain is constant and unrelenting, but despite her suffering, her faith in God remains and she still has hope for her future.

Jessica's painful skin lesions

Jessica's journey began in 1999, when she was only 11 years old. She became very ill with Mono and was bed bound for 3 months. She subsequently developed RSD (stage 1) of the lower right leg. She received early intervention and returned to playing sports and enjoying her life.

Jessica, age 15, at summer camp

Four years later, in 2003, while away at a sleep-away camp, she developed a rash behind her right knee, coincidentally in the same leg that previously had RSD!

At the time, the camps nurse & doctor told her that it was “duck rash” – a rash from swimming in the lake with duck feces. However, Jessica was able to obtain photos from camp from another camper which shows the classic “bulls-eye” rash from Lyme disease! It wasn’t until much later and only after developing symptoms and becoming very ill, was the diagnosis of Lyme disease and Babesiosis (another tick-borne infection) made.


Most people (and doctors!) have no idea how serious Lyme disease can become and no clue how to properly diagnose it. Unfortunately, if she would have been promptly diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, the RSD would not have been triggered and she would not be suffering.

July 2003, Jessica's Lyme disease rash

If it wasn’t for her doctor, Dr. Liegner, and his expertise with complex cases of Lyme, and his determination to try any means in getting her well, by getting a “team” of doctors on her case, we wouldn’t be here today, still fighting. We owe him a deep sense of gratitude for all he does for Jessica!

During these past three years and with the pain becoming more intense and unbearable she has been seeing Dr. Finkelstein for pain management. He has even made house calls to spare her the pain of coming by ambulance to his office. Jessica has been treated with multiple pain medications, at the highest possible doses, as well as an implanted dilaudid pain pump, which delivers potent medication straight into her spine. Many doctors have told us that with the amount of medications Jessica was taking would be enough to “kill a horse”—yet they had little to no effect on her. If it wasn’t for Dr. Finkelstein trying to alleviate her constant, severe, unrelenting pain, I don’t know how she would have managed. He is very special to us as well.

Recently Jessica was transported by air ambulance to Tampa, Florida to see Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, a world renowned RSD expert. Dr. Kirkpatrick told us that Jessica is one of the most debilitated patients he has ever seen.

Jessica getting into the air-ambulance to go see Dr. Kirkpatrick

Upon his testing and because Jessica's condition is so severe, Dr. Kirkpatrick is recommending the only treatment available that can possibly help relieve her suffering, and afford her some semblance of a “normal” life - the Ketamine Coma Procedure - a clinical trial that is being conducted in Monterrey, Mexico.

During this procedure Jessica will be put into a coma , with the hope that her nerves, brain and spinal cord will “reset” -so that her nervous system sends the correct signals to her brain.


Yes, this is a radical, scary treatment, however, for Jessica, "scary" is thinking that she could spend the rest of her life in this condition, unable to walk, eat, or take care of herself. Since all reasonable treatments have failed to help her, we feel we must try everything possible to help Jessica regain her life.

We understand that due to Jessica’s fragile condition, there is a high risk associated with this procedure. We are also aware that other patients with severe RSD like Jessica's have had success.

Jessica’s goal is to one day become a doctor. Our hope is that with this study she can have that chance. As her Mom, I know that she will be a great doctor because when a patient presents in her office and says “Doctor, I am in pain and words cannot express how bad it is” – my daughter –Dr. Jessica– will be able to say - :I know how you feel, I’ve been there too. So, take a seat and let me tell you a story”….

We are so thankful and feel so blessed to have been led to Dr. Kirkpatrick.

God is good and with his help guiding Dr. Cantu and Dr. Kirkpatrick, our hope is for Jessica to be able to return to us whole again and pain-free!