http://erikakate.org/ helping ease the emotional, spiritual, and financial burdens borne by parents of children with life threatening heart disease Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:48:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en On May 21, 2009, Andy and Brandi Mead met during a lunch hour for a routine OB appointment and, very unexpectedly, Sydney Mead was born a few hours later.  The events that unfolded after this moment have been everything but ordinary and the Mead family has grown in faith and ... http://erikakate.org//2010/02/23/sydneys-story/ The Erika Kate Foundation would like to remember our friend Ricky Wegener, who passed away on December 14, 2009.  Ricky was born on February 16, 1998. Please continue to think of Ricky's mom, Trisha, and their family.  Our prayers are with all of you. An article about Ricky was featured in our ... http://erikakate.org//2010/01/08/remembering-ricky-wegener/ (CNN) -- Every morning, Christy Farley rises from bed and feels relieved. "Not a day or minute goes by where I don't think about how lucky I am just to be here," said Farley of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. "I thank God every day when I wake up that I woke up."   http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/21/pediatric.heart.transplant/index.html http://erikakate.org//2009/12/26/heart-transplant-recipient-gives-thanks/ 2009 has been a memorable year!  Significant progress has been made in the continued development of the Erika Kate Foundation.  Please read more from our 2009 Year End Newsletter here. http://erikakate.org//2009/12/09/2009-year-end-newsletter/ Ani and Jeremy Karg are the parents of four daughters, Madi – 9, Selah – 6, Veiyah – 1, and Aderah, Veiyah’s twin, who passed away on Sept 10, 2008 before she was born.  Veiyah and Aderah were born on Sept 25 2008, Veiyah with serious heart complications.  Veiyah is ... http://erikakate.org//2009/11/24/be-right-here-right-now/ [caption id="attachment_1151" align="alignleft" width="266" caption="Lauren at CHONY pre-transplant"][/caption] I will admit that I did not truly understand or appreciate the meaning of Thanksgiving before this year.   For me, Thanksgiving was about finding the perfect turkey, scouring the pages of Bon Appetite for the best side dishes, eating dinner with those I ... http://erikakate.org//2009/11/24/thanksgiving-message-written-by-jeanne-shields/ [caption id="attachment_1089" align="alignleft" width="266" caption="Mark and the Berlin Heart"][/caption] In late Summer, 2002, Melissa Kisner, from the Cleveland suburb of Parma, Ohio, was entering the final weeks of her third pregnancy. Her first and second trimester had passed uneventfully, but late in her third trimester, her obstetrician was growing concerned about ... http://erikakate.org//2009/10/07/friends-of-ekf-mark-and-melissa-kisner-parma-ohio/ Do you remember Little Wyatt Lynas, 3, from Viola, Idaho?  Wyatt was featured in last year’s year end newsletter.  This week, Wyatt’s parents learned he will need to return to Children’s Hospital Boston for another major heart surgery on October 23, 2009.   Wyatt's mitral, tricuspid, and aortic valves have been leaking, and ... http://erikakate.org//2009/10/01/prayers-and-support-needed-for-little-wyatt/ On Sunday, September 27th, 2009, more than 90 runners and walkers turned out to participate in the recent Team EKF/Quad Cities Marathon event in Moline, Illinois.  The team wore Erika Kate Foundation t-shirts and helped raise awareness for the work of the Foundation in the Quad Cities area.  The weather ... http://erikakate.org//2009/09/29/team-ekf-2009/ In my neighborhood Bible Study, there are four of us who gather each week to study God's word and reflect on His work in our lives. This past month, we watched a DVD segment from Rick Warren about maintaining our hearts - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I thought it had ... http://erikakate.org//2009/09/16/a-mothers-heart-9162009-maintaining-a-healthy-heart/