"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:13.

Here is a brief synopsis of Natalie's Story:
On February 9, 2005 Natalie received a new (but slightly used) portion of her mommy's liver!!!
Natalie needed a new liver because she was born with biliary atresia . It is a progressive disease that over time damaged her liver - a pediatric liver disease with no known cause or cure.

Before her transplant, Natalie had many complications of end stage liver disease including: jaundice, portal vein hypertension, ascites, and she had reoccurring infections of Cholangitis. In November of 2004, Natalie was added to the national transplant waiting list, UNOS, but even with all her complications, her PELD score was low at 11. Her Godfather, Pat Dempsey, was tested to be a donor, but it was found that the surgery would be too dangerous for both of them. So then her mommy was tested and in February of 2005 Natalie received the gift of life for a second time from her mommy!!!

Following her transplant she's had her share of complications:
...2 days following the transplant, she developed a clot in her hepatic artery and was relisted for a new liver - Status 1. Status 1 is given to kids with a life expectancy of 7 days. However, when they went in to operate, they were surprised to find that they could fix the problem.

...Then a few days later she had a MASSIVE bleed. She was given 3 units of blood in an hour. A short while later her surgeon (Dr. Superina) met us in the waiting room. They could not figure out where the bleeding was coming from and as they tried to operate - the bleeding stopped.

...then she had issues of rejection, developed PTLD, and developed hemolitic anemia. PTLD is cancer in the lymph nodes; it is something that we will continue to monitor with CT scans.

...She also has had reoccurring bile duct issues, which have resulted in her having to keep a PTC drain in place.
She has had her PTC drain out for 7 months now and was recently inactivated on the transplant list! Prayers work.



This is the face of organ donation.

Lovely Natalie...

An account has been set up at Stillman Bank to help Natalie and her family defray some of the costs of transplant.

To Donate:
Make a Check Payable to:
Natalie Ketter Benefit

Mail to:
101 East Main Street
P.O. Box 150
Stillman Valley, IL 61084-0150



The goal is real. The fear of losing my cool phone and ipod is real. The $ that I be raising for the ALF is real. My resolution for 2008 - if I don't attempt the Chicago Marathon in 2008, I vow to give up my ipod and cool cell phone.
Track my training.

Sunday, June 15, 2008 12:56 PM CDT

Part One...things I didn't know before I became Natalie's mom

Natalie and too much toilet paper = water all over the bathroom = water dripping in the bathroom one floor down = water in the basement two floors down

Good to know, I guess. Although I have no dry towels. Something I should have discovered before I got out of the shower.

Part Two...things I didn't know before Jason became a Dad
Jason and I first started dating when I was 14 and he was 15. We met at church, confirmation class to be exact. Given that, when we got married 7+ years ago, I thought that we were pretty grown up. I also thought that we knew all that there was to know about each other.

That is until he became Natalie's dad. Jason is an awesome husband. But an ever better father. Here's this guy, my big handsome 6foot 3inch husband. And I find him, when I come home from work on his day off, playing dress up with Natalie. He's ever present in the hospital, an excellent partner in this, and ever vigilant in Natalie's care.

I thought I knew how deep my love for him was - and then our eyes met - across the crib. Across the crib in the PICU where our daughter lay on the vent for the 20th or so day. It was then when our eyes met and then quickly darted back down to Natalie and back up to each other; it was then that I knew why God placed us together.

Jason,
I love you. I thank God that Natalie has you as her Dad.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And I know if you have your way...all her dreams will come true.

Read past journal entries