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Brave Little Brayden

6/15/2012

As I have the honor of making gowns for children across the United States battling cancer and other life-threatening conditions, my heart is heavy as I read about these conditions and the LIMITED amount of research and attention they tend to receive. It is my prayer that as my children grow older they will be the generation that finds cures and erradicates these conditions (at an affordable level as well).

The times my heart breaks the most, is when I read the stories, journies and battles of infants starting their fight at only a few weeks or even months old. I have learned to look at it this way ~ What is God's ultimate plan for this child's life? Who will they impact and whose life are they going to change in only the way the Lord can do? That being said I still cry, feel it is unfair and wonder why these things happen to such little children, or any child for that matter.

This month I had the joy of making a hospital gown for little Brayden, who was diagnosed in December 2011 with Stage III Neuroblastoma, he was just under a month old. Neuroblastoma is one of the rarer childhood cancers and one of the less researched cancers as well. There is roughly 650 cases a year (that number may have changed since I last looked it up, but I think it is still very close to it).

Neuroblastoma is very dear to me, because Grace (who Gracie's Gowns is founded in honor of), battled Neuroblastoma from 19 months old (official diagnosis) to just over 3 years old. This was my first up-front encounter with childhood cancers and greatly impacted my life throughout my pregnancy with our oldest and since...my daughter was only a few months only when Grace passed away. I pray many times that should she face any more obstacles in life, that she would have the smile, courage and optimism that Grace did to conquer them.

To learn more about Brayden and to follow his journey and fight against Neuroblastoma you can use either of the following links:

Facebook Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Baby-Braydens-Fight-With-Neuroblastoma/374681565883710

CaringBridge Page:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/braydenbrorson

Here is little Brayden showing off his hospital gown (he is the first one to try out and use our infant gown design, so I pray it is working well in the hospital and is soft and comfy for him.

Brayden ~ our family is praying for you and your family each day and night!

Keeping fighting and never give up! While this is a very large bump in the road and trial in life, you can kick it's butt.

We are following your FB Page and CaringBridge page and look forward to crying about the setbacks, but even more celebrating the successes with you!

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In to Me See ~ A Little About Me

6/11/2012

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Some have asked and some already know who I am, where I come from and how I came to founding and "raising" Gracie's Gowns. So this is for those who have asked, those who only know a few pieces and those who, like me, have an incredible curiosity.

First about me, I am a work at home mother to three children, the wife of an electrician/electronics technician, and above all else a repenting sinner and Christian. I teach infant CPR to expecting parents and family who attend classes at the hospital my husband works at and I sing in our church's choir and lead the lakeside service during the summer. Music has always been my expression and testimony of faith, and now I have found the perfect home to help me grow spiritually. Our children are my world and even though they test my patience (as every child does), they are were my inspiration comes from. And they daily give me the reality check of gratefulness.

We have more recently also fostered 12 chickens, hoping to have our own eggs in time...though it appears out of those 12 we may have 5 roosters (YIKES!). Anyway, other than our little chirpies as I call them, we have no pets due to allergies.

As for me, since high school, I have spent the majority of my "professional" life working in the medical field. I volunteered for 10 years as a Firefighter and Medic a county over from where we live. I worked in three different hospitals (Medical College of Virginia/VCU Health Systems, Culpeper Hospital and Martha Jefferson Hospital) as a telemetry technician (the people who read the heart monitors) and whatever other duties were assigned to me in each facility. It was great work, but I needed to use my emergency services skills...I just felt like I wasn't working to my full potential.

So I started working for a medical transport company taking patients of all ages with just about every illness/condition you can think of across the state of Virginia and even into Maryland to John Hopkins University. The patients that always touched my heart the most were the children. Didn't matter how old or what was wrong...just being able to care for them in their time of need gave me the greatest sense of joy.

Due to my own medical concerns, job stresses and family stresses with my work shifts, three small children (Aubrey turned 3yo 8 days after Madeline was born) and just general fatigue day in and day out, I had to resign from there and emergency services all together. I regretted this decision for a while, but have come to realize that this was the BEST decision we could have made for our family, and especially for the kiddos.

I had been sewing as a hobby, making a little money here and there with orders, local craft shows and the Farmer's Market, but after recovering from surgeries and needing to do something, it turned into a business making all kinds of items for infants, children and adults alike. I enjoy it, I have self-worth watching items be created (most of the time from scratch) from pieces of fabric. But with business comes stress and once again I found myself with a "empty space," I was being called to do something greater...and after three years I found it.

I made a hospital/labor gown for a friend of mine when she delivered her baby this past April her exact words were "I don't want to wear those huge, itchy gowns they give you." So I made her one and once it was finished and I was looking at the pictures I had taken and posted, I couldn't help but keeping thinking "these would be perfect for kids in the hospital if I can make smaller sizes."

So the cutting, sewing and altering began and I had my community service project for the year. I made a couple more and then decided that this was my calling, this is what God was telling me I needed to be doing, this would be my greatest adventure (beyond our family) and would not only be a blessing in my life and the lives of those it touches, but would honor and glorify His name.

With the backing and blessings of The Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation (will have another blog about them and the connection and meaning), Gracie's Gowns was founded in honor and memory of their daughter Grace who passed away October 2007 after battling against Neuroblastoma.

Since being founded in March of this year...the changes it has made in my own life have been AMAZING at the very least in describing it. It has allowed more time with my family, less stress and almost every day I am encountering a family with a child that I can help. By all means, our gowns won't be the greatest gift these children can receive (as the greatest gift would be remission and a cure), but my prayer is that is would give them a smile, some comfort and even hope to make it through one more day, one more treatment, one more hospital stay.

In closing of this posting, I will share one more picture with you...my biggest helper, my fabric shopping companion and the one that has the biggest smile to share with each of you...our little Madeline.

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When Tragedy Strikes at Home

6/6/2012

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May 26th, 2012 is a day that will forever be stuck in our memory and the memory of many in our church (if not all). Our music director and his family went on their first vacation since they joined the church (on the staff anyway) and while making dinner that night, the propane tank in their RV exploded leaving all four members of the family with critical burns.

They have since been improving drastically, but they have all received 2nd and 3rd degree burns covering over 40% of their bodies. They make a little progress each day, but will have many months in the burn center at MCV Hospital in Richmond, Virginia.

Our pastor and his wife have visited almost every day since the accident happened, caring for them, praying and talking to and with them and just being there. It is amazing and I am so blessed to be apart of a church that can pull together and not only pray sincerely for the family, but help attend to the needs of the family in any way they can.

This has been a very devastating accident for me, being a member of the choir, being closely knitted to each of them. I have prayed with, cried with, and just shared so much of my own life with each of them, they are family. Each of them has been a blessing to my life and to the lives of our children. Each day I cry, be it because I miss them so much, knowing the pain and the trials they have in the weeks, months and years ahead, or simply because I am praising God for their improvements and placing his hand of healing on each of them.

It is my desperate plea to each of you who reads this to say a prayer for the Comer Family, they have come so far and yet have such a long road ahead of them. There has been an online fundraiser created for them, that is updated whenever we receive new updates from our pastor or his wife. You can follow their progress, see the needs they have and the opportunities to help.

There is a way to securely donate to help cover their medical expenses, and the fundraising goal is just an estimate of the possible bills they will encounter after this accident, though we are assuming they will far extend the amount of the fundraiser.

http://www.giveforward.com/comerfamilyhealingfund

May God Bless each of you and keep you safe,

The Kidds

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Brave Little Brayden

In to Me See ~ A Little About Me

When Tragedy Strikes at Home

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