CJ's Page
Updated June 26, 2012
Hi! I'm CJ. This page may take awhile to load, but I've got lots of pictures to share with you!
Here's the first one...this is me at my Papa's 60th birthday party in May 2011 when I was 6 months old.
Me and Mommy.
My big sister had lots of fun at Papa's party.
Me, Papa, my cousins and big sister. (I'm the one in the middle.)
A month later, I got sick with a liver problem....uh-oh! I was admitted to the hospital the day before Father's Day.
This is me at the hospital calling friends and family for prayer.
Here's Mommy and me. I have jaundice and feel very itchy. That's why I have to wear mittens.
Grammie, Mommy and me.
Papa & Daddy
Mommy, Daddy and me.
We all gave Mommy flowers. (That's Papa's hand holding the vase in the picture below.) You can also see my big sister. She was not happy about our family being separated while I was in the hospital. She is 2.
Well, I am back home now and taking lots of medicine. We just got the liver biopsy results back from England (7/6/11). I do NOT have PFIC! Hurray and PTL!! Next week I will have more bloodwork done. They will send it to Ohio for a different kind of genetic test. Besides the itching, I am also teething - but Mommy and Daddy are taking good care of me! We are all praying that I will be healed and won't need a liver transplant.
Here are two pictures from before I was born--
This is my daddy when he was 16 years old with "Mrs. Dominie" (recently promoted to "Grammie") at her parents' house in 2002.
This is Mommy & Daddy when they were dating in 2007. Buster is Papa's dog. He likes to play with my big sister when we visit.
Well, that's all for now! When I have more to say, I will have Grammie update this page for me below.
Thanks for praying for me and my family!
Love,
CJ
July 31, 2011 - Today was a BIG day! I was dedicated to the Lord at Mommy and Daddy's church! So was my big sister. The pastor prayed for the doctors to be given wisdom and for me to be healed. That made Mommy cry because that would be so great!!! If my liver regenerates, I may not need the transplant! I am taking many vitamins and medicines from the doctors. It keeps Mommy and Daddy very busy. I was glad that a whole bunch of people came to see me get dedicated: Papa Bush, Grammie, my grandma, my great-grandma, and my two aunts. What a happy day!
I have more good news! The jaundice goes away for a little while now! But then it comes back with the itching. I am also cutting teeth so sometimes I feel cranky, but Mommy and Daddy are always loving, patient and kind. So is my great-grandma (the lady in the red shirt holding my big sister's hand). You can also see Grammie on the left. The other people in the picture are Mommy (holding me), Daddy behind her, and my two aunts in the middle. Papa Bush took this picture. I will have Grammie update this page when I have more news to tell you! Meanwhile, thank you for praying for me!
Aug. 6, 2011 - I am almost 9 months old now! I went to Great-Grandma's 90th birthday party! It was awesome!! Here's a picture of me and Mommy.
Aug. 11, 2011 - Mommy wrote to Grammie: "CJ's appointment went well yesterday. They said that his bilirubin is down to 4 from 14. That's why he actually looked white (at the party). They also said that his liver doesn't feel so inflamed like it was. They're just going to keep watching him and his next appointment is next month on Sept. 12. We just need to keep praying."
Sept. 12, 2011 - Mommy wrote to Grammie: "We have wonderful news! CJ's bilirubin is only 1.2 (down from a 14) and it only needs to be under a 1, which is so close! Yeah! He gets off most of his medicines - he only has to take a couple now, and the docs are saying that they think he's just getting better, which he is, because God is healing him."
Feb. 4, 2012 - CJ turned 1 in November. He is doing better except for the severe itching, despite taking a lot of meds. Poor little guy cries a lot from the misery. It is possible that CJ will need a liver transplant to improve the quality of his life. His next doctor's appointment is in March. We sure hope that PFIC (Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis) has been completely ruled out by the test he had last summer. The itch medicine doesn't last long enough between doses."
My big sister had a birthday party this weekend. I tried to have some fun.
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Feb. 28, 2012 - I had a seizure tonight and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctors will do some tests. I seem to be doing okay right now. Please pray for the doctors to know what to do with me next. Thank you soooo much!
March 9, 2012 - Mommy wrote to Grammie: "If you could get everyone you know to pray healing over CJ, he had another spell today with his dad at home. He and sister were playing and then he walked up to his dad and was turning red/purple and didn't breathe for like a minute and his dad patted him on the back and he started to breathe again and now he's just tired. I'm thinking these are Breath Holding Spells you can watch some from You Tube and it looks a lot like what he does, but he doesn't do it from throwing a tantrum, it seems only to be when he's in a lot of pain. I'm wondering if he has some nerve damage somewhere because he's gotten hurt plenty and hasn't done this. It's really scary and hard to watch when your child quits breathing and you think he's going to die. Lots of prayers would be wonderful right now."
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My next doctor's appointment is on Wednesday, March 14, 2012.
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Me, Mommy and Big Sister - at Papa and Grammie's house on Father's Day - notice my new summer haircut by Daddy!
June 26, 2012 - Update from Mommy: "CJ had a really bad itching spell last week that kept us up until midnight and the next two days he kinda woke up but Daddy was able to just put his binky in his mouth and give him some itchy medicine and he went back to sleep. This week has been pretty good he's slept through the night the last two nights. He's usually pretty good when he's playing with his big sister or we go do something, but whenever you change his diaper, give him a bath, or put him to bed at night he usually starts to itch. The bath is the worst he comes out with his butt-cheeks all red. I just keep praying over him every day and asking God to take away his itching and heal his body. I'm praying that him growing up will help and adjust his body. I have found out, though, that if he does need a liver transplant in the future - our local hospital finally hired someone and reopened that part of the hospital. This will be a blessing to be home and close by, if it comes to that. I know God has a special plan out of all of this and I'm just trusting in Him."
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Grammie and Me - aren't I adorable?
Bye for now! Thank you for your prayers! - Love, CJ