Most parents prepare for the
ultrasound of their unborn baby with excitement and joy, but also the fear of the unknown. Shortly after the ultrasound
with our unborn baby, we were given news that forever changed the course of our lives. We were told that our innocent
baby would be born with half of her heart. We will given a list of diagnosis that shook us to our core. Lauren
would need a three step staged surgery to repair this defect. She would have to come into this world fighting literally
for each breath. We would need Faith to get us thru. Lauren Faith was born on May 9, 2002.
Lauren began to go into congestive heart
failure a few weeks after birth. She had feeding problems so she needed a feeding tube in her nose to help with her
nutiriton. Her first surgery was a success at the ripe age of four weeks old. She finally got to come home
after six weeks in the NICU.
Lauren would continue to struggle to eat so a feeding tube was surgically inserted into her stomach for her nutrition.
Her second surgery
was once again successful at the age of seven months. She would not need another surgery until she was three years old.
Lauren grew and
reached milestones in three years. She impressed us everyday. She was an absolute joy. She would have her
days when we could tell it was hard to keep up with her big sister but mostly she did wonderful. She had a zest for
life. She enjoyed many things most notably giraffes, Hersey kisses, oreos, being with her sister playing, seeing her
extended family, and dancing.
Her third surgery was in June of 2005. She struggled after the surgery. She developed an infection at her chest
site and they had to take her back to surgery to clean out her chest. She had a hard way to go for the rest of the summer.
Infections and set backs piled up. She was home for only two weeks that summer on an IV, a lot of medicine, and
she was no longer allowed to eat anything by mouth. She went in for exploratory stomach surgery due to a blockage
in late August. That surgery was too much for her body and it began a downward spiral. Lauren continued to
fight every step of the way with her determined spirit. She had a massive stroke cause unknown but they were so
many factors that could of contributed to it. Lauren would survive seventeen days after a massive stroke which
seemed impossible. She left this earth in the loving arms of her Mommy and Daddy.
To know Lauren was to adore her, love
her, treasure her and be in complete awe of her. She was an absolute joy for the three short years she blessed us with
her grace and beauty. As parents we are suppose to teach our children but Lauren was a teacher to us to treasure life
and live every day to the fullest. We know that she is dancing in heaven. She is missed by so many.
