All you need is HOPE

HOPE - The feeling that what is wanted can be had.

This has been the focus of everything Brent and I have done over the past few weeks and months.

We held a breakfast fundraiser last month. And thanks to the support and help of so many individuals, it was a huge success. The idea to put this event together really was a result of our attempt to be hopeful and we are so glad we did it.

Brent and I have been slowly working on the nursery for Aiden. We had a set aside budget before we even found out about his diagnosis. We decided that we prefer to be hopeful and went ahead and started using the set aside money to put his nursery together. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get his bedroom ready...what if he never had the chance to use it? I wasn't sure (and still am not sure) how I would survive coming home from the hospital empty handed to a nursery that would never be used. But, we will cross that bridge if we need to. For now, we will continue to be hopeful.

It's really comforting to stop and think about the life we want and hope for Aiden. He has a high chance of living such a normal life and I am excited when I think of what the future can bring.

Though we are hopeful, we also have to consider the worst. A lot of people don't quite realize just how severe the diagnosis is. And the most difficult part is that there really is no predicting how things will go. As of now, Aiden's heart is doing as well as it can be, and for that we are so grateful. But even so, it doesn't protect him from all the possible things that can go wrong. Even the strongest little baby can experience unexpected difficulties during surgery or during recovery. Things can be going so well, and then change overnight. It would be naive of us to ignore these possibilities, however we they don't have to be our main focus. 75-80% of these babies grow and thrive like any normal child. That number is amazing compares to the prognosis 20 years ago. It really is something to be hopeful about. And honestly, we would rather focus on that number, on that future, than the alternative.