Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy 4th of July
We have had a very blessed 4th. A special treat was Darren's mom and two of his sisters came in from out of state to spend the weekend with us. They are such incredible people, and we will obviously be eternally grateful that they heard God direct them to donate Darren's heart to Garrett. With what I have jokingly referred to as a diesel powered engine running inside of my littlest Cowboy's chest, he has more energy than we could have imagined at this point. His check ups continue to be positive and he is able to enjoy his summer the way little boys should.We've been playing catch, roping the dummy, riding horses and are planning a fishing trip. Life is so wonderful for us right now. It's easy to put aside the unknowing and fears that constantly try to break our concentration and spirit. We're just doing our level best to be as "normal" as possible and appreciate every day as a new victory.This weekend we're taking care of a friend's place, and among other things such as feeding their horses and goats, they have a sick calf. Garrett jumps right in there and helps daddy get the job done. Jessi holds the medicine, I rope the calf by the head and one leg and Garrett walks up behind him and ropes his hind feet. He's so proud of himself and he just beams when I make over what a great loop he threw and how I couldn't do it without him. You can't cut me with a diamond!I hope you are all enjoying your families right now as much as I am enjoying mine. Each day is just a little more special than the one before, and the little things that go out of whack, just don't seem important anymore.For those interested, the local paper here ran another story on children with congenital heart disease. There is a photo of Garrett and a nice spin to the story about the need for organ donors.
http://www.newfalconherald.com/DisplayArticle.php?ArticleID=4400
Some wonderful friends have also started putting together a benefit rodeo/family dance. You can read about it on their website:
http://www.heart4garrettross.com/
God Bless you all and Stay Safe!
In Him,JD
Jul 5, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Happy 4th of July
We have had a very blessed 4th. A special treat was Darren's mom and two of his sisters came in from out of state to spend the weekend with us. They are such incredible people, and we will obviously be eternally grateful that they heard God direct them to donate Darren's heart to Garrett. With what I have jokingly referred to as a diesel powered engine running inside of my littlest Cowboy's chest, he has more energy than we could have imagined at this point. His check ups continue to be positive and he is able to enjoy his summer the way little boys should.We've been playing catch, roping the dummy, riding horses and are planning a fishing trip. Life is so wonderful for us right now. It's easy to put aside the unknowing and fears that constantly try to break our concentration and spirit. We're just doing our level best to be as "normal" as possible and appreciate every day as a new victory.This weekend we're taking care of a friend's place, and among other things such as feeding their horses and goats, they have a sick calf. Garrett jumps right in there and helps daddy get the job done. Jessi holds the medicine, I rope the calf by the head and one leg and Garrett walks up behind him and ropes his hind feet. He's so proud of himself and he just beams when I make over what a great loop he threw and how I couldn't do it without him. You can't cut me with a diamond!I hope you are all enjoying your families right now as much as I am enjoying mine. Each day is just a little more special than the one before, and the little things that go out of whack, just don't seem important anymore.For those interested, the local paper here ran another story on children with congenital heart disease. There is a photo of Garrett and a nice spin to the story about the need for organ donors.
http://www.newfalconherald.com/DisplayArticle.php?ArticleID=4400
Some wonderful friends have also started putting together a benefit rodeo/family dance. You can read about it on their website:
http://www.heart4garrettross.com/
God Bless you all and Stay Safe!In Him,JD
Happy 4th of July
We have had a very blessed 4th. A special treat was Darren's mom and two of his sisters came in from out of state to spend the weekend with us. They are such incredible people, and we will obviously be eternally grateful that they heard God direct them to donate Darren's heart to Garrett. With what I have jokingly referred to as a diesel powered engine running inside of my littlest Cowboy's chest, he has more energy than we could have imagined at this point. His check ups continue to be positive and he is able to enjoy his summer the way little boys should.We've been playing catch, roping the dummy, riding horses and are planning a fishing trip. Life is so wonderful for us right now. It's easy to put aside the unknowing and fears that constantly try to break our concentration and spirit. We're just doing our level best to be as "normal" as possible and appreciate every day as a new victory.This weekend we're taking care of a friend's place, and among other things such as feeding their horses and goats, they have a sick calf. Garrett jumps right in there and helps daddy get the job done. Jessi holds the medicine, I rope the calf by the head and one leg and Garrett walks up behind him and ropes his hind feet. He's so proud of himself and he just beams when I make over what a great loop he threw and how I couldn't do it without him. You can't cut me with a diamond!I hope you are all enjoying your families right now as much as I am enjoying mine. Each day is just a little more special than the one before, and the little things that go out of whack, just don't seem important anymore.For those interested, the local paper here ran another story on children with congenital heart disease. There is a photo of Garrett and a nice spin to the story about the need for organ donors.
http://www.newfalconherald.com/DisplayArticle.php?ArticleID=4400
Some wonderful friends have also started putting together a benefit rodeo/family dance. You can read about it on their website:
http://www.heart4garrettross.com/
God Bless you all and Stay Safe!In Him,JD
Jul 2, 2008
JUNE 23, 2008
Well, I have been bad by not posting for a while. We have been so enjoying our new found "freedom" at home, that I haven't been inside much. Here is the short story of our last month.We've had plenty of challenges, but overall they are minor. Garrett is doing great! His health is holding up and with a few small changes to his medicine, he's been getting A's from his check-ups. We had a little scare when he got an upper respiratory thing, but it turned out to be allergies and no hospitalization was needed. We continue to guard that carefully, as he's months from having a good immune system.Kathy and I have been very protective of the kids, physically and emotionally. I have tried to prevent any major emotional trauma to them, as they have had enough to last a while. Just after we got home, one of the kids' dogs got kicked by a horse and broke his leg. Then a few days later, one of the other dogs got poisoned. They both required stays at the vet, and one surgery, but both are recovering well. Then we had a pasture fire that could easily have burned down the buildings, but the wind changed suddenly and pulled the fire in another direction. We lost a few acres, but dodged another bullet. Last weekend I thought our luck had finally run out. Garrett's been doing so well and everyone is healing inside so nicely, and then I got a call at work. Kathy had run the horses in and Garrett's mare had developed a huge tumor inside of her left nostril. I sent a vet over and he called me with bad news. The tumor is a rare one, but a fatal one. We had no choice but to put her down.The news brought tears to my eyes. I asked him to have until Saturday so I could prepare the kids and let them say goodbye. I knew this would crush their spirit. They had been through so much and could not wait to get home to their animals and had already almost lost two. Garrett had cried only days earlier, wanting to ride his horse. He was getting to the point we were going to let him, as she is a gentle old soul who is great with the kids. He'd lost a good horse a year ago Christmas, then Jessi lost her horse last fall. They didn't need another hit right now. Saturday morning came and as Garrett and I went out to feed and I prepared to tell him the news, he excitedly said "daddy, she's better!". The tumor had fallen out of her head and was laying on the ground. It was the size of a summer sausage and weighed over a pound. The vet came and said it was a "one in a billion" chance. In all his years as a vet, he had never seen it happen. This truly was another gift from God!With all we have seen this year, we continue to be blessed every step we take. I am absolutely the luckiest man. I have been given so many extra chances with my children, and they continue to bring joy to all they meet.We continue to bring Garrett up to the hospital every week for a full goin'-over, but so far, so good.Thanks for all the continued prayers and good thoughts. We serve a fantastic, loving God!May He smile on you all as much as he has us.
JD
Well, I have been bad by not posting for a while. We have been so enjoying our new found "freedom" at home, that I haven't been inside much. Here is the short story of our last month.We've had plenty of challenges, but overall they are minor. Garrett is doing great! His health is holding up and with a few small changes to his medicine, he's been getting A's from his check-ups. We had a little scare when he got an upper respiratory thing, but it turned out to be allergies and no hospitalization was needed. We continue to guard that carefully, as he's months from having a good immune system.Kathy and I have been very protective of the kids, physically and emotionally. I have tried to prevent any major emotional trauma to them, as they have had enough to last a while. Just after we got home, one of the kids' dogs got kicked by a horse and broke his leg. Then a few days later, one of the other dogs got poisoned. They both required stays at the vet, and one surgery, but both are recovering well. Then we had a pasture fire that could easily have burned down the buildings, but the wind changed suddenly and pulled the fire in another direction. We lost a few acres, but dodged another bullet. Last weekend I thought our luck had finally run out. Garrett's been doing so well and everyone is healing inside so nicely, and then I got a call at work. Kathy had run the horses in and Garrett's mare had developed a huge tumor inside of her left nostril. I sent a vet over and he called me with bad news. The tumor is a rare one, but a fatal one. We had no choice but to put her down.The news brought tears to my eyes. I asked him to have until Saturday so I could prepare the kids and let them say goodbye. I knew this would crush their spirit. They had been through so much and could not wait to get home to their animals and had already almost lost two. Garrett had cried only days earlier, wanting to ride his horse. He was getting to the point we were going to let him, as she is a gentle old soul who is great with the kids. He'd lost a good horse a year ago Christmas, then Jessi lost her horse last fall. They didn't need another hit right now. Saturday morning came and as Garrett and I went out to feed and I prepared to tell him the news, he excitedly said "daddy, she's better!". The tumor had fallen out of her head and was laying on the ground. It was the size of a summer sausage and weighed over a pound. The vet came and said it was a "one in a billion" chance. In all his years as a vet, he had never seen it happen. This truly was another gift from God!With all we have seen this year, we continue to be blessed every step we take. I am absolutely the luckiest man. I have been given so many extra chances with my children, and they continue to bring joy to all they meet.We continue to bring Garrett up to the hospital every week for a full goin'-over, but so far, so good.Thanks for all the continued prayers and good thoughts. We serve a fantastic, loving God!May He smile on you all as much as he has us.
JD
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