Every 10 minutes another name is added to the national organ transplant waiting list, almost every hour one life will be lost waiting for a life saving organ, especially hearts. At this moment over 100,000 men, women and children are waiting life saving transplants. Yet sadly, almost every hour one of them will die. Here’s your chance to help lower those numbers and make a HUGE difference in those who are in need of a life-saving transplant and have a blast while doing it!

On July 18, 2010, Gabriel’s Gift – a Congenital Heart Defect and Organ Donation Awareness organization will be participating in the Donor Dash, a 5k at Washington Park in Denver and we’d love to see you there with Team Gabriel! Even if you can’t participate in the race, you can still come out, put on your team shirt & cheer the rest of us, then join us afterward as we celebrate with great food & fun events.

Please click on the following link to register and be sure to choose Gabriel’s Gift for your team!
http://www.active.com/running/denver-co/donor-dash-5k-runwalk-201

Not in Denver but want to do something to change the circumstances of the lives of so many. Consider donating to Gabriel’s Gift Today.

Check out Gabriels Gift @ http://gabrielsgift.net or to become a LifeLine: http://gabrielsgift.net/lifeline

Ten months ago I was being told that my local Hospital wasn’t equiped to do a C- section on me since my plattlets were low!! Great more stress and Just what i needed more worries.! Dr didn’t think that my little girl was ready to come out even though things were uncomfortable and that she was already a big baby everyone else said she would be fine if delivered then. It was finally decieded that on March 12 2009 we would be transported to Rush University!! Great almost two hours away my kids would be in Braidwood and I would be in Chicago. I wa waiting for the Ambulance to come so I called some people and one was my best friend he was so positive and caring. It was amazing. John was trying to get Mark to school and get my mom to our house so she could watch Lilly and be there when Mark got home. I thought this was the longest day of my life. The ambulance came around 0930 it was refreshing to see that the guys were so caring and comforting not to mention so funny but very proffesional!! I cried in my room enough and I was trying not to cry infront of these guys. We went through all the lights sierns were blarring weaving in and out of traffic hitting every bump!! There’s no way to miss the pot holes on the Illinois Exxpressways. We arrived at around 1115am and they were taking about the pizza place done the street wish i could of joined them but next time. Amazing all the test they did to make sure I could have surgery and the papers to sign. I cried John could not be in there when Kimmy was born. I really needed him but they said it would be ok it won’t take long and then we could see her in the nursery. At 1832 Kimberly Ann Hicks was born!! 10lbs 12oz 22inches! We went to see her in the NICU which my heart sunk! The nurse said that she was in the regular nursery for about two hours but a nurse heard something when she was breathing and that her O2 was low so she was shipped up there. I was still in my hospital bed and couldn’t comprehend what was happening!! We were there because of me I was the one who should of had problems not Kimmy! For the next two days she was holding her  own then all of a sudden she coded!! We didn’t know till the next day I wish they would of said something!! That made them realize that they could not monitor her like she needed so she was going to PICU.!! Before though we meet with Dr Polminokos Iknow I spelled it wrong. He is about six feet and had big hands!! How somone could be so delicate and have nerves of steel is awsome.Kimberly’s diagnoses was Aoritic and Subaortic Stenosis Severe Coarction of the aorta. Malaligned ventricular septal defect.Narrow complex tachycardia that required amiodarone infussion. March 31 2009 Kimbery had Arterial banding so she could come home for awhile. The plan was to let her grow some more before her open heart surgery!! She came home for about 2 months then on August 11 2009 She had Norwood Palliation and palliative Rastelli 6mmRV to PA Gore Tex conduit non valve. We were sent home in early September Kimmy went done to 8lbs 6oz and with a NG tube. She is labeled as Failure to Thrive but I think she will catch up. She’s doing good we just need to watch her O2 now because her conduit might of calcium build up in it!! We hope not we were planning on trying to have a somewhat mormal life but if not if that’s ok because we have Kimmy and we will make the best of it weither it’s Rush or Home!!

We were not aware of any of this we are very grateful that we were at such a wonderful hospital and thankful for the nurse we heard something and didn’t ignore it!

Hearts of Hope – An Infant’s Heart is Healed with Hope

Winner of the Best Student Documentary at the Illinois International Film Festival, 2009

Michel Ilbawi, M.D., leads the pediatric heart surgical team at The Heart Institute for Children. Headquartered at Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, they perform over 400 operations and care for more than 3,500 children with heart defects each year. With over 25 years experience as a pediatric heart surgeon and more than 20,000 surgeries performed, Dr. Ilbawi is nothing short of a miracle-worker to the families whose children he treats daily.

The documentary film, Hearts of Hope, is a once-in-a-lifetime, behind the scenes look at this amazing doctor, his dedicated staff and the families of children they fight to save everyday. In the delicate realm of pediatric heart surgery, sometimes hope is all you have. Hearts of Hope unveils a world of courage, strength and the spirit to survive, at any age.

To read more about the movie, click here. To see a trailer of the movie, click here.

Upcoming screenings:

2:00 PM, Saturday, February 6th
Mount Oxford Room, The Children’s Hospital
3123 East 16th Avenue; Aurora, CO

7:00 PM, Monday, February 8th
The Lyric Cinema
300 East Mountain Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
The run time of the film plus a short video from Hypoplastic Right Hearts is approximately 75 minutes. 
FREE for ALL, but donations are always welcome!