How it all started

When I was pregnant at 19 weeks I found out my unborn child had a severe congenital heart condition.  The condition is called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS).  We were told she would require open heart surgery right away "if" they would be able to do surgery at all.  Every 2 weeks for the rest of the pregnancy I followed up with the specialists to see if there was any changes or improvement with her condition.  Her right ventricle in her heart did not develop so she did not have the chamber that pumps the blood to one of her lungs.  With this condition the left lung is also underdeveloped because of the lack of blood flow from the heart.  Kendall was born with hypoplastic right heart, pulmonary atresia and tricuspid atresia. She has had 4 open heart surgeries, a cardiac arrest, a stroke and as many as 27 airway dilation/laser procedures on her trachea as a result of being on the ventilator so many times.

There are many things she has endured between now and then. This website and this book was created so that people of all ages can see the amazing things she has overcome.  It is to give hope and inspiration to never give up, especially to children.  Going to the hospital, having surgery and living with a disease doesn't have to define your future.  You are stronger than you know.  When the doctor says no, God says yes.

WITH YOU IN MIND

Our girl is now an 11 year old 6th grader!!! We will be homeschooling this year like so many others. All is well with Kendall’s health thank God.

I have decided to write a third book. I always think about how alone and devastated I felt during the pregnancy and after Kendall’s birth even though I knew that there were plenty of families who have gone through similar circumstances. This current book was written with parents of children with special needs in mind. It is a 30 day devotional written to encourage and uplift parents who may feel hopeless or helpless while raising their child with special needs. There are miracles, hope, and blessings along the way.

New book "Beautifully Scarred"

I cannot believe this is really happening. All these years I have been journaling and wanting to put all of my notes and thoughts into one book. There is no way I could have put all of that in one book because it would’ve been 1000 pages or more. What I was able to do though was to say what it is I wanted to say in an easy-to-read book. They say less is more. It is my sincere hope that after you read the book you will be filled with hope, joy and a feeling of gratitude of the life you are living. You never know what someone else is going through or has gone through. It is my mission to give other families hope, encourage them that they will get through this, and believe that miracles can happen.

WE ARE BLESSED

Hello everyone. Things have been going great.  We have been really busy promoting the book and wanted to send a special thank you to each and every one of you who supported it by purchasing it, word of mouth, prayers, or whatever role you played in making it come alive in your hearts.  We have been able to start the conversation about congenital heart disease which is exactly what we wanted to do.  This book is more special than I could've ever imagined.  Even more than that the outpouring of people who have shown genuine love over the years get to see the little girl they have been keeping in their prayers in a real life story that will inspire others.  We feel so blessed to be able to share Kendall with each and one of you.  She is a Heart Hero to us and now we get to share her with the world.