Stephen's Journey: Parkin' It

Friday, June 8, 2012

Parkin' It

We spent a lot of time at various parks this week because Stephen really wants to move! And also because the weather was so nice and his Mommy likes to get out too! But now that he's finally on his feet, he really enjoys it.

What's so nice about some of the parks near us is that they have ride-on toys scattered about for anyone to use, and I learned that Stephen loves the cars that he can peddle himself Fred Flintstone style! Like the fire truck below.

Here are some pics from this past week. And when I get home (I'm on the train to NYC for a girls weekend...Billy's at home holding down the fort) I'll have a video to post of Stephen walking with his push cart!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

1 comment:

AnonymousJune 10, 2012 at 12:10 AM
Hi Lindsey,
'Loved the pics....Keep 'em coming!!!
Love,
Aunt LuAnn
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Our Crazy Kidney Life

As many of you already know, our son Stephen, was born with a very rare kidney disease called Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease (ARPKD). When the disease was discovered during my 27th week of pregnancy, Stephen was given a less than 1% chance of living more than a few hours past birth. He was to have such severely underdeveloped lungs that the doctors said he would likely not even take one breath. However, on January 4, 2011, we were granted our 1st miracle - and Stephen came into this world crying (and breathing!) and fighting for his life with fierce determination. At 6 days old he had BOTH of his kidneys removed and began peritoneal dialysis. Stephen came home from the hospital when he was 59 days old requiring 12 hours of dialysis every night as well as enteral (feeding tube) feeds during the day and overnight.

On May 9, 2013, we were granted our 2nd miracle, in the form of a new kidney from an extremely generous friend. Stephen received a kidney from a non-related living donor at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He spent 13 days in the hospital recovering from his big surgery and ever since has been living life the fullest! His life is still a delicate balance of medications and weekly lab work, but he's an extremely vibrant, loving, active 2.5 year old.

This blog is Stephen's journey told through my eyes (his mother's), thoughts, and emotions, with extreme highs and lows. But there's no way we would be where we are today without all of the support, thoughts and prayers from our family, friends, and readers! Thank you!!