Most parents prepare for the ultrasound of their
unborn baby with excitement and joy, but also the fear of the unknown. Shortly after the ultrasound with our unborn
baby, we were given news that forever changed the course of our lives. We were told that our innocent baby would be
born with half of her heart. We were given a list of diagnosis that shook us to our core. Lauren would need a
three step staged surgery to repair this defect. She would have to come into this world fighting literally for each
breath. We would need Faith to get us thru. Lauren Faith was born on May 9, 2002.
Lauren began
to go into congestive heart failure a few weeks after birth. She had feeding problems so she needed a feeding tube in
her nose to help with her nutrition. Her first surgery was a success at the ripe age of four weeks old. She
finally got to come home after six weeks in the NICU. Lauren would continue to struggle to eat so a feeding tube was surgically inserted into her stomach
for her nutrition. Her second surgery
was once again successful at the age of seven months. She would not need another surgery until she was three years old.
Lauren grew and reached milestones in three years. She impressed us everyday. She was an absolute joy.
She would have her days when we could tell it was hard to keep up with her big sister but mostly she did wonderful.
She had a zest for life. She enjoyed many things most notably giraffes, Hershey Kisses, Oreos, being with her sister
playing, seeing her extended family, and dancing.
Her third surgery was in June of 2005. She struggled after
the surgery. She developed an infection at her chest site and they had to take her back to surgery to clean out her
chest. She had a hard way to go for the rest of the summer. Infections and setbacks piled up. She was home
for only two weeks that summer on an IV, a lot of medicine, and she was no longer allowed to eat anything by mouth.
She went in for exploratory stomach surgery due to a blockage in late August. That surgery was too much for her
body and it began a downward spiral. Lauren continued to fight every step of the way with her determined spirit.
She had a massive stroke cause unknown but they were so many factors that could have contributed to it. Lauren
would survive seventeen days after a massive stroke which seemed impossible. She left this earth in the loving
arms of her Mommy and Daddy.
To know Lauren was to adore her, love her, treasure her and be in complete awe of her. She was
an absolute joy for the three short years she blessed us with her grace and beauty. As parents we are suppose to teach
our children but Lauren was a teacher to us to treasure life and live every day to the fullest. We know that she is
dancing in heaven. She is missed by so many.
