I think another neat thing Sonya said is at the end...that she hopes to be able to give to others, too, one day because of how someone gave to her. That's what "being the church" and ultimately a Christ follower is all about....showing HIS LOVE to others while we are temporarily here on this place called earth...and He has shown me how He equips us to do just that....He puts circumstances, situations and just the right people in our lives to give us the opportunity to shine His light and give Him the glory He so rightfully deserves.
Please pray for this little Tori...that God will continue to heal and strengthen her body as she does face many challenges ahead of her in years to come and also for her parents. Did I happen to say "thank you"?!***
Thank you to all of you who gave gifts to the HH NICU in Tori's memory. After taking it all and giving our contact information to the parents, we have received this email. "Ironically," one of the many babies we left a bag for was named Victoria, "Tori." I received an email from her mother and wanted to share it with you all so you could see first hand of what a blessing your gifts were. We couldn't have been a blessing without your thoughtfulness and generosity!! I have more items I am taking tomorrow and
am very excited to be able to do so again.
"Wilhoit family, Hi my name is Sonya Hamlin. I want to thank you for having such an amazing heart. Your kindness has touched so many people, I know it has deeply touched me, and I am a complete stranger.
I came one night to do my nightly vigil at my daughters bedside in the NICU at Hunstville Hospital and I saw a gift bag at the bedside. I sat down opened the card and my eyes filled up with tears. Tori's story is so touching. I felt so blessed that you shared her story and gift with a complete stranger. I looked into my daughter's isolette and she was sleeping so soundly and I felt such peace. Ironically my daughter's name is Victoria Lowe Hamlin and we also call her Tori. Tori was born at 34 weeks with her twin brother Alex on Aug 23, 2008. Alex was a healthy 4 lbs 12 oz.
Tori weighed in at 2 lbs 10 0z. From the beginning of my pregnancy Tori was given a 0 % chance to survive the 1st trimester due to her size. My husband Scott and I prayed the doctors were wrong. Tori did hang in there to prove the doctors wrong. We never could find the reason she was so small until she arrived. Tori was born with a rare syndrome called VATERs. She was born with multiple anomalies. Including a TE fistula which means the bottom part of her esophagus was attached to her trachea and the top part was not connected to anything. On her second day of life she underwent surgery to repair the fistula, under the care of God they were able to successfully complete the repair which they thought they would not be able to do. She herself was on weeks of TPN until she was finally able to swallow. She is missing her right radial arm bone and the ulna bone is severely curved, the left radial bone is shorter than the left ulna bone. She also has a tethered spinal cord. She faces may struggles ahead of her. Tori is small but mighty, she is a true gift from God.She is 6 weeks old now. We were able to bring her home from the hospital last week.
I visited your website and I can't believe how strong you and your family are. I draw so much inspiration from you and your family. You are an amazing mother. I just want you to know that I deeply appreciate your kindness. Please thank all of your friends and family for all the generosity. I hope to pass on your love and gift of giving back. God Bless You.
I truly believe your Tori is watching over my Tori from heaven.
Love
Sonya,Scott,Will,Alex,and Tori Hamlin"
1 comment:
Blessings are among all parents of children with special challenges. Sometimes you don't see it right away, but as time goes by...bodies heal, minds open, and hearts give. My daughter Maddie was born with TE-Fistula too. Doctors were grim about her future when she was born with other unexpected abnormalities including low birth weight of 3 lbs. 5 oz., a tiny head/brain, and finger-like thumbs. She's almost 8 yrs. old now but it took 5 yrs. to find out her syndrome which is Feingold Syndrome. While it may seem that knowing her syndrome doesn't mean much, it meant everything to us...we now know that the life-expectancy of the syndrome is into the age of 70s. Just knowing there's a chance at a future really makes us feel really good about advocating for her every need!! She's the happiest child and funny too! We love her so much! Blessings! They are among us!
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