Heart Stuff

Avery was born with a hole in her heart. It was a small hole between her two ventricles, the most common type of heart defect. It was repaired in Beijing when she was 6 months old through the Half the Sky organization. Somebody (we have yet to find out who) sponsored her so she could have her heart surgery. We are so grateful! We are assuming her story goes something like this . . .

Her birth mother delivered her in a hospital and shortly after found out she had a heart defect. In China, if you can't pay for it it doesn't get done. Her birth parents could not afford to pay for the surgery. They took her home and loved on her real good for about a month (can you imagine what that month must've been like? the agony) then left her to be found and taken to an orphanage where they knew she would get what she needed. SHE IS ONE OF THE BLESSED ONES! We are grateful that her birth parents left her to be found and given the medical care that she needed. I'm sure they hoped for a family to adopt her and take good care of her because they were not able to.

My heart aches for her birth parents. I really want to let them know how grateful we are for what they did for Avery. I pray for their hearts to know and to have a peace about them. God is good, He can do it.

We've had lots of doctors appointments since we have gotten back from China. Avery's little immune system has taken a hit since being here and she's been sick with upper respiratory problems twice. Then we also have to get her caught up on her shots and meet with the pediatric cardiologist to check on the status of her heart and how the repair went.

When we first found out about Avery's special need my prayer was that God would show us that there was no sign of a heart problem. That the repair went great. That she would need no medicines, follow-up surgeries, or close monitoring because of her heart defect that she was born with. We met with the pediatric cardiologist on Friday. Avery was a great little patient, enduring an ultra-sound, EKG, a pulse O2 (ET finger), and four different blood pressures. The only time she cried was when I sat her on the scale for them to weigh her - silly girl. The doctor came in and said, "She has a perfect heart." Holy God are you serious? Did she say 'a perfect heart?' I think I asked her again and again about it and she said that her heart is in great shape. She doesn't even need antibiotics to get her teeth cleaned, she is not considered as having 'heart disease.' The repair went well, the patch looks good, it's not leaking, she's well oxygenated. SHE HAS A PERFECT HEART.

The only ONE that I know who is perfect is my Savior. And His heart lives on in His children . . .

Praise to Him!