Heavy Heart

I don't know where to start, other than to say that when you find out that something is wrong with a child, it just seems so unfair.

Wesley and I bought our house almost four years ago, before we were married, and our lives changed forever. A couple of days after moving in, our next door neighbors -- Rusty and Allison -- walked over to introduce themselves. Since then, we have pretty much been inseparable. In fact, they were the couple that we just went to NC with. I have a key to their house, they have a key to ours, we cut each other's grass, cookout together, etc. When Wesley is at the firestation, they are always there for me in a heartbeat. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Well, they have two precious children -- Anna Cate, 8 years old (Anna Banana, as I call her) and Cole, 10 years old. They are polite, respectful, talented, etc. Anna Cate and I pretty much bonded immediately. Anna Banana actually has this little crooked toe, and I just thought it was the cutest thing so she named it "Miss Christy"!!! When she walks over, she will ask me, "Wanna see Miss Christy?" Hahahahaha! Her toe is starting to straighten out, so I told her I'm gonna sneak over during the night and put a twisty-tie on it and tie it to the next toe to keep it crooked, or super glue!

This year she stared having digestive problems, and it seems like nothing helps. She's been to the doctor numerous times. Recently, she started complaining about headaches and neck pain. Again, she went to the doctor and they couldn't really treat it. The pain got worse, so a bunch of tests were done, finally a CT scan, and they found out she has Chiari I Malformation. This means that her cerrebellum (sp?) is swollen and it's pushing her skull down and it's rubbing on her spine. The only long term fix is surgery. It's so heartbreaking when you hear of a child having to go to a neurosurgeon and having to have surgery. Allison has started a blog for her, and you can read it here. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Here's a pic of Anna Banana and I a couple of years ago. This is what I like to call "Babysitting Gone Bad."