Baby Boys and a Call to Help

As many of you in-world knows, my wife and I had twin baby boys two months ago. Henry and Elliot were seven weeks premature, and had some struggles along the way. In addition to being premature, Elliot was also born with a congenital heart defect called “Transposition of the Great Arteries”. For my original post on this topic, see:

/120/56/52086/1.html

On Wednesday, August 24th, Elliot had open heart surgery to correct this defect. After coming out of surgery, doctors observed that he was losing a lot of blood and went in again on Thursday to repair a leaking suture. Since then, Elliot has been recovering well and we’re very proud of him. He’s currently on a temporary pacemaker because his heart’s electrical system hasn’t yet regained its normal function but we’re hopeful that it will recover and that he won’t need a permanent pacemaker.

Because the town in which we live couldn’t provide the kind of medical care that Elliot needed, we had come to St. Louis, Missouri for treatment. Although we’re away from home we've been blessed with lots of family and friends that have helped in many ways, whether it's watching Henry while we are visiting Elliot, or dropping by with a meal. However, we know that there are a lot of people that aren't local, or just feel like there's something more they'd like to do. With this in mind, we've decided to set up a system to donate to a couple charities that have become near and dear to our hearts. Please know that we’re just providing this as an option for those that are interested; do not feel pressured in any way. We’re incredibly thankful for the smallest prayer, or your e-mail asking how the boys are doing.

Our family feels incredibly lucky that Elliot and Henry have been able to be seen by some of the greatest doctors in the world here at Children's Hospital in Saint Louis. I've not had the opportunity to say much about it, but Children’s Hospital is truly one of the most amazing places I've ever been. They care for thousands of children every year, most of whom are undergoing treatment for very serious illnesses or injuries. The people here are truly the "varsity" when it comes to health care and we owe a large part of Henry and Elliot's wellbeing to the high quality of care they've provided. Because of what they've done for our family, we have chosen Children's Hospital as one of the two charities we'd like to support.

Being away from home for nearly six weeks and counting requires a "home away from home". We've had the great fortune to stay at Youthbridge Family Community, a local facility dedicated to providing homes for people with children in the hospital. They are very generous, with the only qualification being that one lives at least fifty miles away from the hospital in which their child is being cared for. The facility is able to house twenty-eight families at once, is well-maintained, and provides amenities such as meals, a computer room, basketball gym, and family kitchens. Because of Youthbridge's generosity in providing our family a place to stay, we'd like to return the favor by supporting them as well.

As an alternative to monetary donation, we’d like to also suggest volunteering at either organization. If you live in the St. Louis area, both are in need of quality people to help in their operations. You can contact their volunteer coordinators as follows:

Youthbridge Family Community: (314) 434-5858
St. Louis Children’s Hospital: (314) 454-6145

We are taking donations for these charities using PayPal, an online payment system. Once all the contributions are in, we’ll make a lump sum donation to each charity from “The Friends and Family of Henry and Elliot”. If you decide to contribute, you can click the link below to submit your donation via credit card or direct debit. Although the PayPal system is safe and secure, you may not feel comfortable using it to submit a donation. If this is the case, please e-mail us for other arrangements at: [email]donations@henryandelliot.info[/email]

Whether or not you choose to contribute, we’d like to again express our gratitude for the outpouring of support we’ve experienced from our friends and family. It’s been very comforting to know that so many people care about Henry and Elliot’s wellbeing.

To contribute to Saint Louis Children’s Hospital and Youthbridge Family Communities, please go to:
http://tinyurl.com/88nwj

Morse, I'm glad things are coming along well. A lot of us had you in our thoughts! We should put together an event in a few weeks to help with the benefit!

Here's to Henry and Elliot!

Regards,

-Flip