Saving a Limb is Overwhelming... Joy

This weekend was the Save-A-Limb Ride/Walk and if I had to sum it up in one word it would be Overwhelming! And here's what I mean:

(this is Mickey with his Fixator; a brace JP will have in the next yr to year and half)

1 - Overwhelmed by the amount of amazing people that Keith and I have in our lives that donated to our team. We initially set out to raise $500 and far exceeding it! Final total is $1610! We had close friends and family, but also friends from long ago; middle school and elementary school classmates that we hadn't talked to in ages. It just shows how amazing people are. Everyone that donated to our team has a special place in our hearts!

2 - Overwhelmed by the thought that just a year ago, I was just given some of the hardest news for a parent to hear; there's something wrong with your child. We had come across Sinai Hospital's RIAO and the Save-A-Limb Ride about a week after we found out about Jonathan and his Fibular Hemimelia. We had thought about going down, but at the time the emotions were still too raw. A year later, here we are with our beautiful, healthy baby boy and thrilled to have participated in this event.

3 - Overwhelmed by the fact that these Doctors are just great amazing. Dr. Standard and Dr. Herzenberg are among pioneers for surgically saving people's limbs. We had the opportunity to meet both of them and they took the time to speak to us, learn about us, and just give us their consultive opinion and tell us how confident they are in the doctor we chose (who did her fellowship with them).

4 - Lastly, overwhelmed by the work these amazing doctors, nurses, radiologists, therapists, social workers, staff, etc. do. We were fortunate to attend the fundraiser dinner. Dr. Standard gave a quick presentation on the many things accomplished thanks to the money from Save-A-Limb both here and abroad. It brought tears to my eyes. These kids are amazing and braver than most adults I know. We saw kids in 2nd and 3rd world countries that walked on hands and knees initially suddenly walking "normally" after the treatment from the RAIO doctors who go abroad to provide care (some of these docs give a week of their vacation to go to other countries and help those that wouldn't be able to get care like in the US). The money also helps US based families who can't afford the surgeries, who's insurance doesn't cover the "best care" because it's out of network. 

I found myself throughout the day getting teary eyed. It wasn't really sadness, but joy. Joy that this organization exists. Joy that these amazing doctors exist and train others to do similar work. Joy for the 3 other families just like us who have a child with fibular hemimelia (FH) and one family who's daughter has Tibila hemimelia (TH) that we got to meet at this event. 

We got to meet  (whom we consider the celebrity of FH) Nicholas Curley and his mother Jen, as well as his the rest of the amazing family. Nicholas has gone through several surgeries and shows everyone that FH is nothing to hold you down. He's a typical pre-teen adolescent and his mom, Jen, was the first one to give us comfort when we had no answers. She writes the blog No Fibula, No Problem (http://fibularhemimelia.wordpress.com) and it provided us with an amazing sense of comfort and encouragement last year and now we feel blessed to know them and have them close by!

We also got to meet two brave little girls that have undergone their first surgery- a super ankle and the straightening of their tibia (which JP will undergo as well). One was Indigo, I believe she's around 5-6  and let me tell you, there was no stopping her. She currently has a brace on her ankle and lift on her shoe, but she was running around and climbing at the playground. (Below is a pic of her Mom and us, along with her younger sister. (she was even too busy to get her pic taken - LOL). And we met little Emma (below is a pic of Aiden and her) who is 16 months old and had her surgery late this spring.  Emma was walking around like any other typical toddler exploring and getting into trouble. And then we met a beautiful little girl, Lacie who has TH (basically the opposite of JP's condition) and her lovely family. She also hasn't started treatment yet, but is the cutest girl ever!

We feel so blessed to have wonderful family and friends that have supported us from day one; encouraging us, lifting us up, and most importantly loving our little boy. But we also are so blessed for this event and meet families like ours going through treatment, having milestones, happiness and joy, as well as sadness and pain. 

So, we're super excited for next year. Our goal over the next few months is to make Miles for JP bigger and badder. LOL! In all seriousness, we're hoping to design a logo, make T-Shirts, and a branding site. So stay tuned... we're about to take off!

To all those that contributed to our team this year, again, from the bottom of our hearts, Thank You! You're amazing!