This year has been rather overwhelming and exciting for our
household. We have been doing major renovations to our little house….which in
itself has been absolutely crazy, but awesome.
Carter is in Kindergarten, and loves it!
Jace, our sweet little two year old, has decided to become...let’s say,
an extremely determined and busy child whose main ambition in life is to keep
us on our toes and give us an abundance of grey hairs.
Cystic Fibrosis has been keeping us on our toes as
well. Over the past year, Carter has
been struggling to breathe through his nose due to nasal polyps blocking his
airways and causing havoc with his sinuses.
This has meant a lot more doctor appointments, treatments, and
medications for him over the past 6 months.
In February, he had his first surgery to deal with this, and is heading
in for surgery again in May. Unfortunately,
it is looking like he will have to have this surgery every 3-4 months. Last week Carter had some temporary, but
significant hearing loss, which was very concerning. Apparently, the drainage of extra fluid in
his ears can also be restricted due to those nasty polyps.
I have to tell you that Cystic Fibrosis is a HORRIBLE
disease that steals our time & our health. It steals opportunities that
others can embrace without hesitation. It’s
a disease that can seem invisible because it wages its deadly war on the
inside. It can give us a sense of false
security thinking that we have it under control, then turn in an instant and
remind us that it is still very much there.
But it also makes us STRONG.
It makes us DETERMINED.
It makes us TENACIOUS as we fight for a cure.
AND it has taught us all about GRATITUDE.
We HATE CF, but refuse to let CF have more power by making
us bitter. We are watching CF shape our son
into the most amazing little person full of love, trust, and acceptance. It totally boggles us that throughout his
first surgery, and in anticipation of his second, the only thing Carter has
been concerned about is that they will use too much tape on his skin! He is truly a remarkable child.
We LOVE that so many of you donate to CF every year on
Carter’s behalf & we are so INSPIRED by those that step right up to help us
fundraise year after year without hesitation.
We have been BLESSED to be able to experience some AMAZINGLY caring and
selfless people, who warm our hearts with the extent of their hard work and
kindness. We HOPE & PRAY that all
this hard work will result in new treatments to help Carter, & that they come
in time to spare him of the pain and suffering that will be his future without
them.
WE WILL ALWAYS KEEP FIGHTING CF, not only for our son, but
for all of the others who are in this battle.
There are many families out there whose experiences with CF are far
worse than anything that we have experienced.
Children are still dying; many others are waiting for life-saving transplants
to replace their CF ravaged lungs. There are CF patients having to say goodbye
to their loved ones as they take their final breaths. This
battle is not just about us. Cystic
Fibrosis is still the most common fatal, genetic disease in Canada. Of the 63 patients that died in 2009, half
were under 28 years old!
Dave and I are are determined to be positive about Carter’s
future. We truly believe that the medical
community is getting closer to finding effective control or a cure for this
disease. This fills us with HOPE, and an
extreme desire to make sure this happens while our son is still in good health.
If you would like to be part of a really inspiring event, we
invite you to
join Carter’s Crew at the Great StridesWalk for CF on May 27/12. Bring your family, bring your
friends….
TOGETHER we can make a difference!
If you would like to show support by donating to Cystic Fibrosis, you
can donate on Carter’s behalf by
sponsoring him. To every person who steps forward to help us fundraise, or who donates...you hold a very special place in our hearts.
With gratitude beyond measure,
Kim, Dave, Carter, & Jace
