Wear Lilac for TS Awareness Day, July 2011

Avery

Laura, Megan C., and Megan B.

Jillian and Baby Juliana

Brianna

Suzanna

Miss Juliana- another Cross Healed Heart!

From Angee Brock...

Usually when I get on the computer, the first place I go is Cross Healed Hearts to read about others. Riley, my youngest of 4, is a heart patient. She was diagnosed post delivery, and over the past year, we have had new discoveries with her heart and some issues with a blood disorder. I know that our last visit to Riley's doctor's appointment, prayers were laid upon us and her visit was great. Through CHH, I have met great families who are strong in faith and I am SO grateful they are in my life. By sharing the story of my hero, my daughter, I pray that it helps someone in my position, as well as others' stories have helped me.
Being a single mom of 4, one who is a heart patient, I need all the support and prayers I can get. My faith only grows when I help others and others are there for me. I thank God that I met Megan and others through CHH. I am so blessed that I have such a great support group of parents that understand and are behind not only myself, but my children as well. Megan, I love you and I love CHH. Thank you so much for what you are doing. Keep the faith, pray more, and hug your babies!!

Angee

from Lauren Celeskey...

Cross Healed Hearts run by Megan Bell has been so amazingly sweet to me. I've received support, a CHH pillow & shirt, and prayers, all off which have truly meant a lot to me. The prayers and support give me strength in my own personal fight with my Chronic Illness (CHD/Heart Condition) and Cross Healed Hearts has provided some to me with open arms. I appreciate this organization so much! Megan and everyone else who has a part in it are the sweetest & kindest people who welcome others with open arms.

Lauren C.

From the Kasik Family...

I wanted to write how blessed I have been to find CHH. Our Molly was diagnosed w/ Turners Syndrome when I was 16 weeks pregnant. The road throughout my pregnancy has been a bumpy one, not knowing first if our little one would make it through and also trying to juggle all of what we are anticipating to come after Molly's birth. Because of prayers heard from so many including the CHH group, our Lord has allowed our baby to be healed from many of the conditions that the medical staff originally thought would mean our baby girl not making it to birth. The support you give to parent's like my husband and myself has helped us through the journey and has reminded us to always keep our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and will never forget all that you've given to us and our family. We can't wait to display the special pillow you have sent us in Molly's nursery! It is a wonderful reminder of God's unfailing love for us all!

Erin Kasik

From the Ayscue Family...

David and I wish to thank all the volunteers of Cross Healed Hearts for your hard work, and above all, your prayers. Our four year old daughter, Caylen, was born with heterotaxy, including fourteen heart defects, multiple spleens, primary ciliary dyskenesis and sensory processing disorder. She has had three heart surgeries and several others, and has a pacemaker. The past four years have been incredibly difficult, with so much uncertainty and suffering. The most powerful medicine anyone has given us is prayer. God has used these prayers to work many miracles in our lives and to provide strength, courage, peace and comfort. We are so very, very grateful for the prayers and support of people like you - what you do has a huge impact on lives, whether you know it or not. Caylen loves her CHH pillow. We use it as her prayer pillow, a tool for comfort, and a tangible reminder that God loves her so much. Having her little pillow with the cross is a wonderful way for us to help her focus on God and Christ's love for her when she's upset or hurting. Thank you so much for using your God given talent to help our little ones!

The Ayscue Family

Sanctus Real - The Redeemer live on 94.9 KLTY

From The Adams Family...

Our daughter Berlyn was diagnosed with Aortic Stenosis shortly after she was born in 2010. Not only did this come as a great shock to our family and friends, but it also brought as sense of sadness and fear as we did not know what to expect for our daughters future. At 7 weeks Berlyn had her first balloon dialation.

Just recently our friends at Cross Healed Hearts provided her with a beautiful pillow that she sleeps with every night and for her to bring with us in any future procedures she must endure, but it also has provided us with a sense of hope in knowing that so many others care for our daughter as well. Little Berlyn loves her soft pillow, and words cannot express how truly grateful we are for the simple act of kindness that Cross Healed Hearts has provided to not only Berlyn but our whole family.

It helps to know that we have an extended family of people we've never actually met but are here for us whenever we need the love, support and prayers.

Thank you Cross Healed Hearts for all you do!! Everytime I see the pillow I am reminded that I am not alone in this and God is in control over little Berlyn's life.

Love,

The Adams Family

CHH Update...

Ian and his big sister♥


Berlyn♥


Brooklyn♥


Emma and her big sister♥


Juliana♥

*deliveries not pictured: Noah, Molly, and Spencer♥

More heart "cough" pillows, Sharpies, and a few blankets were delivered to Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital last week, one heart pillow went out to miracle boy, Ian Martin, CHH applique pillows were mailed to 5 sweethearts in Wisconsin, Georgia, California, Michigan, and Vermont, while one is ready for a little angel here in Mississippi, and a heart pillow/blanket were mailed to a special little guy awaiting heart surgery in South Carolina! We are also in the process of making a new batch of heart pillows for Batson with our remaining materials. I ♥ it! God is great!


An incredibly huge "thanks" to ...Lacey Martin, Lisa Baldwin, Mynette Minshew, Tara Minshew, Laura Beauman, and Carolyn Bradley for donating Sharpies, Linda Turner for donating time/materials to the applique pillows, Carolyn Justice, Judy Simmons, and Laura Beauman for donating time to the heart "cough" pillows, Pearl Upper Quest: Sherry Downs and Becky Wigglesworth for making blankets, Nicole at Private Collection in Madison and Barbara at Willingham's in Vicksburg for sharing CHH hair pins and information, Judy Busby at Fabs and More in Vicksburg for helping us out with fabric cost, and as always to all of you who PRAY for this ministry as well as the children we are able to touch!

Next up...CHH T-shirt Fundraiser! I got the design today, and asked for a few changes, but it is going to be REALLY cute! The funds raised will again go towards materials for our CHH Batson Projects. Be on the look out- coming soon!♥

Jillian's Miracle Girl

Words cannot express the joy I feel when reading stories like this one. Jillian is a wonderful mother of 2 who recently went through amazingly similar circumstances to what I faced with my Avery. I hope it reaffirms your faith and belief in prayer the way it has mine, and gives you another example of what dependance on God really looks like. God doesn't always answer the way we expect Him to, but He always answers perfectly according to His purpose. Coming to Him broken allows Him to come in and hold us, while mending us back together- piece by piece. Have you ever felt that kind of peace and comfort? The most beautiful part is- all you have to do is ask!

JULIANA’S STORY



At 17.4 weeks pregnant on January 25, 2011 we found out our daughter was terminally sick. The high-risk specialist said she would surely die in 1-3 weeks. We did an amniocentesis right then because then we would have legitimate answers as to why, and what to plan for future pregnancies. She was diagnosed with a large multi-septated cystic hygroma (fluid filled cysts all around her neck and head), hydrops (fluid filling her whole body) and heart defects. We were sent home to wait for her to die. We screamed and cried and grieved. My husband called a funeral home. I alternated between bargaining with God for her life and being mad at him that we were going through this.

A couple days later we found out she had Turner’s Syndrome, a non-genetic chromosomal disorder that only affects females. Even given her terminal diagnosis I scanned the internet searching for hope. I found www.rosiefoster.org; which has a few success stories of babies that survived the same diagnosis. I knew right then and there what to pray for. I gave my baby girl, whom we had named Juliana, to God that day. It was no longer in my hands. If she was meant to survive it would only be by the grace of God. My dad invited me to his church to have his Sunday school members pray for us. We went when I was 19.2 weeks pregnant. That day I had the first moment of peace, the first glimmer of hope that Juliana might survive. By then I had 3 doctors who had told me there was no hope but I felt in my gut that they were wrong!

I joined support groups online and emailed other pregnant moms and moms of girls who had been through the same thing. I grieved as most of the pregnant women I communicated with lost their precious girls. Still I had hope. A woman who had an infant daughter with TS (Turner’s Syndrome) emailed me and at the bottom of the email was the scripture James 5:14 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up…….The prayer of a righteous man is powerful an effective.” Hope swelled inside me! I had gone to church and had many Godly people pray for me and Juliana! God was answering their prayers!

We had weekly Doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds and every time we watched our daughter’s heart continue to beat. She was fighting! Week by week we saw the fluid gradually decrease throughout her body. At 27.5 weeks on April 6, 2011 the ultrasound tech placed the probe on my belly and proclaimed “what a miracle!!!!” The hydrops were gone!!! The Doctor came in and this time he was smiling! Our daughter was still very sick but instead of waiting for her to die we would be having a baby!!!!!





I cry as I write this, as my beautiful daughter is sleeping in her bouncy seat next to me. How did we receive this beautiful miracle? I feel so undeserving. God chose us for a reason to raise this very special girl, so many good things have happened already. We taught our son Will the power of prayer. He knows that God healed Juliana. We know that God healed Juliana. It is only by his Grace that she is here.



Juliana Grace was born ALIVE on June 2, 2011 at 35.6 weeks. She was transferred the next day to U of M, Motts Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI to have open heart surgery. Her actual surgery took place on June 6, 2011. Juliana came home on July 7, 2011. She is our miracle, she is beautiful in every way. Never again will I doubt our God or the power of prayer. Every time I look at her I am so thankful. I pray that God touches the hearts of everyone who reads her story. He is alive and powerful and still working miracles everyday!!!!







James 5:14 “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up…….The prayer of a righteous man is powerful an effective.”

Nurses Play Critical Role in Mississippi's Only Pediatric Intensive Care...

CHH at Work!

Thanks to Mrs. Linda Turner, I will be sending out these CHH applique' pillows on Monday!! It's amazing how God connects us all. I am sending these packages from Mississippi to California, Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, and Vermont!! I hope they provide a little bit of comfort to some very special baby girls, as well as remind them of what God has done!




These heart 'cough' pillows and Sharpies are ready to be delivered to our local children's hospital, Blair E. Batson! A very BIG hug and THANK you to all of those who donated Sharpies!




I am so thankful that God chose me to begin this little ministry. It is truly amazing, and has helped me so much by connecting me to other mothers who face some of the same circumstances that I do. As I've said before, I promised God when I was pregnant that I would share what He's done with everyone, and as I've shared, He's shared so much more with me about what He's capable of doing. Our God has no limits, He's so much bigger than we give Him credit for, and He is always at work- BELIEVE it! ♥

Check this out...

This beautiful metal butterfly was sent to my little Avery by Barbara Willingham of Willingham's in downtown Vicksburg, MS. Willingham's is loaded with beautiful items for your home, stylish jewelry, great smelling candles and home scent products, adorable baby gifts, and more! Barbara has been such a big supporter of this ministry by helping with heart pillows and selling CHH hair clips in her store to raise funds. She also connected us with Bluffs and Bayous Magazine who featured Avery's story and CHH in their March issue.


Since Avery will be starting daycare in the new school year (she'd previously been kept in a small home daycare), I wanted her to have a special blanket for her naptime. Judy Busby of Fabs and More in downtown Vicksburg, MS made this soft minky blanket for us! It is just the right size, and I know Avery will be nice and comfy when she lays down for her naps! Judy has also been a huge supporter of CHH. She supplies the fabrics and materials for our heart pillows at a discounted rate, and has also donated fabric to our cause. Judy will also take fabric donations at her store for CHH. If you haven't been to Fabs and More, you really need to check it out! Everything is specialized to your liking, and you can't imagine all of the creative products she has available!

A very special thank you to both of these amazing ladies and their businesses- we couldn't do this ministry without their support. Support these businesses and thank them for supporting our children! Both Willingham's and Fabs and More can be found on Facebook! ♥