Sara and Lupita.

I need help again.

As some of you know, Sara has had a much more difficult time breathing. She had sleep apnea (she stops breathing and/or has ineffective breathing while she sleeps) when she came to us at the end of January. About 3 weeks ago she started all of a sudden not tolerating laying on her back to sleep. She would gasp, and gasp, and not be able to breathe well. That day, she woke up and for about 20-30 minutes continued to gasp, and not breathe well, prompting me to take her to the pediatrician. Unfortunately, there isn't much medically we can do for her.  I contacted her ENT (ear nose and throat specialist), and he agreed we need to do the surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids quickly. Bad part is, at that time he was in Spain and wouldn't be back until this past Monday. She has microcephaly, which means her brain and head are much smaller than normal for some reason. We suspect a lack of oxygen at birth caused it, but we aren't sure. Because of her small head, her tonsils and adenoids are blocking her airway and we need to take them out.

Tuesday we met with the Dr who will do the surgery. He saw her, and agreed we need to do the surgery soon. She also has weak neck muscles, and she is having a hard time swallowing food and managing her own saliva. She has trouble eating, and hasn't gained much weight. She will be 2 years old on May 1st, and she weighs 16 pounds. 16 pounds is a lot better than the 14 1/2 pounds she weighed when she came in January! But obviously still not enough. This surgery will also  help with her feeding issues.

I can't really stress enough how difficult it is watching her not be able to rest well. I'm afraid she will just quit breathing. Tuesday she had so many secretions, it was like watching her drown, and I couldn't find a single position to make her comfortable (usually facedown works). She sleeps on her stomach, which has it's own risks, because within 30 seconds of falling asleep on her back, she is gasping for her. I can't wait to get this done!!!!

We meet with a cardiologist who saw her struggling to breathe (she was sleeping in my arms while we were at the appointment). He wanted to do an echocardiogram because usually kids with apena this bad will have heart damage. Praise God her heart is good to go!

"I just want to breathe well!"

Lupita also has a small head due to her syndrome. Though her apnea is bad, it is not the level of Sara's. I have also watched her sleep, and struggle to take in air, and it is so hard to watch. She is often tired, and I'm sure it is affecting her at school. She also struggles to breathe while eating with her mouth closed. I've had to leave that little life lesson alone for a while. :)

Lupita and Sara should have had this suregery done ages ago, but because they were in homes that didn't specialize in children with special needs, their caretakers didn't recognize the need for intervention. I'm so thankful God brought these girls to me, so we can help them to live their life abundantly!

First of all, I'd like to ask for your prayer. Though the surgery is simple, and kids usually go home the same day, our girls are special (in more ways than one!) and the surgeon wants us to stay overnight with the girls. Please pray for them through the weekend, and during their survey and recovery.

We have scheduled them for Tuesday at 8 and 9 a.m. I am thankful we can do them both at the same time. We will have a double room, and a nanny and I can be with them the whole time. Because of their special needs we are doing the surgeries in a private hospital. There, our risks for post-op infection and complications will be decreased, and if they need any type of resuscitation, there are resources available there. Not so in the public hospitals.

Secondly, unfortunately private hospitals cost money. Praise God, the surgeon and anesthesiologist have donated their time, and won't be charging us a fee! We still need to cover the cost of the OR and the hospital stay. Their best guess as to the approximate cost is about $2,000. each girl. It all depends on what each girl needs during their stay.

If you can help with the cost of their surgeries, or know someone who would like to help out, please click here for a tax deductible receipt in Canada, and click here for a tax deductible receipt in the U.S.

I'll hopefully be posting updates on Facebook about how they are doing the day of the surgery. Thank you for caring for my girls, and loving on them with your prayers and donations!!! I am once again thankful for those who can help me care for these girls in the best way possible!

Today I'm feeling...

Today is the one year anniversary of Treasures of God Children's Home!!! YAY! I wanted to write a fun celebratory post of all that has happened to get us this far. But something happened last night, and I want to share about that instead.

This week all the girls have been off from school, and we have been doing fun activities all week. Seeing movies,

playing hide and seek,
going in the pool,

 inviting friends over to play,

(Sam is 8 months older than Sara. Just for a size comparison. :) )

making popcorn and watching movies at home,

picking up new glasses for Lupita,

(She is so cute in them!)

and yesterday I needed formula for Marcy, and some meds, so I took the girls along to wander around the mall, and wanting to treat them to something while we were out. We decided to take the girls to Pizza Hut so they could play in the play place. 

I LOVE Watching Lupita and Shirley together. They are such good friends, and Lupita loves to help her with whatever she needs. In this case, I could go sit down, as Lupita had figured out how to lift Shirley up on the the big steps, and get her down the slide. Good job Lupita!

Luz loved the chicken wings!

I was trying to get a picture of all of us. And when I looked at it, that is when I was mad.

I had to leave half of my family at home. We just don't have room to safely take more than 3 girls in my personal vehicle. And it bothers me. Not just because we can't go anywhere all together as a family, but also it means extra trips to the City, because I can't schedule the appointments all at once.

I've been trying to raise funds for a van for a while now. I started a gofundme page, and I have written in my newsletter. Our total donations to date to the car fund: $951. How much we need in Canadian dollars: $45,000. ($34,000. USD) Sadly our Canadian dollar has been dropping and that is really affecting all ministries negatively. 

Used vans in any kind of half decent shape are almost impossible to find here, and sell very quickly. Vehicles are heavily used, and lightly maintained. We do a lot of driving between the City and here (about a four hour drive one way) for medical appointments and since we are a bunch of women and children with special needs, we need a van in very good shape!!! So I feel like my only option is a new van. 

As part of the gofundme page, they send out updates every once in a while. About a week and a half ago there was a story of a man who had lost a lot of weight, and needed money for skin removal surgery. He had $55,000. USD donated in 5 days. Now I know that that surgery will have a huge impact on him and his life, and I'm glad he can get it. But I couldn't help but be frustrated and jealous at the ease with which he came up with his money. I try not to be, but I am.

I know you don't have $45,000. in your back pocket. At least nobody I know does! But I would really like to ask for your help. I'll be honest, I hate asking for money. So I don't do it often enough. The problem of not enough money coming in is partly my fault, as I'm not letting the need be known.

I'd like to ask you to go to your Bible study group, friends, family, co-workers, etc. Anyone who has a heart for children with special needs. Ask them to put together a fundraiser. Ask them to make a personal donation. Hit up Uncle Fred, Cousin Lucy, co-worker Ned, husband Bob, friend Christina, etc. You get the idea. Please share this blog. Please share it on Facebook. People can donate throughout the gofundme page here. If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation, please visit the Canadian CTEN page or the U.S. CTEN page. If you donate through CTEN, please send me an e-mail at hogartesorosdedios@gmail.com  stating your donation is for the van, otherwise it will go into our general fund (which we also need, but that is for another day! ;) )

I will update every once in a while, so that you guys know when we have hit our goal. Thank you so much for all your support. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you for working to better the lives of my girls. I can't express my appreciation very well in written form, but know that I really do appreciate it. 

I want to add one side note. Maybe it isn't even necessary, but I'll mention it anyway. I like to treat my girls. I want them to feel loved, and taking them out is one way I can show them I care about them. But every time we go for ice cream, or pizza, or a movie, I pay out of my personal funds. I'm blessed to have enough to share with them. So please know that all donations made to the home go towards their food, shelter, schooling, medicine, dr appts, etc. 

Hope you all have a great week! We are having our one year anniversary party on Sunday, so I'll share some pictures and stories next week.