Aug. 13 - Two Years Later

Thanking God today for the miracle that is our daughter.

To go from this two years ago...

To this today...

... is nothing short of a dream come true and an answer to the biggest prayer my heart ever has begged for.

It still hurts my own heart over just how sick our baby girl once was. She was so, so brave, but so, so sick. I'd lie in bed at night for months just trying to comprehend what had happened to her heart and what it meant for her future. I've never felt a deeper, more real fear than in the first few months of Alivia's diagnosis.

We are lucky. SO lucky. While we don't know what caused Alivia's heart to enlarge and weaken, we do know that she's taken the best possible path that existed for her: reverse remodeling. The enlarged part of her heart has grown smaller toward a normal size, and it's able to do its job well enough so that she's relying less and less on medicine and has no restrictions to her lifestyle.

Hitting this two-year post-diagnosis milestone is a big deal. When we learned about Alivia's condition, her team of doctors told us that the first two years are usually very telling as to how the child will fare for the long haul. Two years seemed like a LONG time to wait, but here we are, and she is doing better than anyone probably could have anticipated.

When your child (or any loved one) is sick, you hold onto the hope, however slim, that she'll have the best outcome - the one the doctors tell you is possible but isn't ever a guarantee. Sometimes that hope is the only thing you can hang onto to keep from completely giving into the fear that tries to overcome you. I'm so thankful we had something to hang onto, and that she was one of the fortunate ones to see healing.

Thank you to our amazing family members, who have sacrified and given so much as we've worked together to protect Alivia's health; to our coworkers for dealing with crazy schedules, doctor visits and flighty parents; and to our huge network of friends and prayer warriers who were, and have been, a rock for us. My prayer now is that Alivia's life continues to be full of blessings and good health, and that her heart continues to be a source of strength in EVERY way.

Two years ago, Aug. 13 was the worst day of my life. Today, it's a day to celebrate!