 |
| In this photo, Maverick’s mommy is holding him for the first time in two months. She’s just been told by doctors that she is probably going to lose him. It will be the first of many times Maverick will defeat the odds. #miracleformaverick |
My friend’s son, Maverick, has gone through 13 operations.
He is four months old.
His family has been told countless times that they will lose him–and countless times, God has kept Maverick alive.
Congenital Heart Disease is the leading cause for infant death in the world. (tweet this)
One in 100 children has it.
Maverick is one of those children.
Maverick’s mother, Rachel–who has two other boys as well–has not left the hospital since her youngest was born, except to fly from Winnipeg, Manitoba, to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton where Maverick has undergone 13 surgeries, over 200 units of blood, 2 Cardiac arrests,1 right atrium hemorrhage, 3 sepsis infection,1 amputation, and countless other tests and scans.
Recently Maverick lost his fingers and thumb. When he was a newborn and on life support, a line was put into his hand to monitor his blood pressure; he was so tiny and unstable they couldn’t move it around. As a result, three months later, his fingers and part of his thumb had to be amputated because there was no circulation spreading to that part of the hand.
Prior to the surgery, Rachel took Maverick’s hand, kissed each of his fingers and said, “Thank you God, for taking my son’s hand and not my baby.”
When Maverick was just two months old, Rachel wrote this poem:
They said, the surgery is long and risky. We prayed for a miracle. They said, the infection is bad, he will not make it. We prayed for a miracle. They said, he will not come off the VAD. We prayed for a miracle. They said, his kidneys will not recover. We prayed for a miracle. There were a billion other times ~ we prayed for a miracle. They said, ‘He’s surprising us all!’ We said ‘A whole army of host’s is a prayin’ for a miracle.
Friends? We’re gathering today to give Maverick and his family that miracle (tweet this).
We’re gathering to raise money through an online auction, and a simple donation page, in honor of Heart Families–in particular, Maverick’s family–to help increase awareness for heart disease and the many families it affects, and to assist with medical expenses.
Maverick’s father, Dave, has been flying back and forth multiple times from Winnipeg (where he works) to Edmonton (two provinces over, where the Stollery Children’s Hospital is located), and Rachel and Dave are so very grateful for the help they have received regarding those flights. Nevertheless, medical expenses and others still remain.
This is what God’s community does: we rise up like the church that we are, and we take care of the least of these.
So I’m begging you to take a moment today and bid on any of 75 items donated by Ann Voskamp, Holley Gerth, Lisa Leonard Designs, (in)courage, Gussy Sews, Mandy Steward, S. Etole, Dawn Camp, Jeanne Oliver Designs, The House of Belonging, MamaWestWind, Becky Strahle, Krafty Kash, Katy Fults, World Help, Little Dragonfly Boutique, Scentsy, RedOrGrayArt, and ViBella Jewelry as well as others who’ve generously donated items to A Miracle for Maverick.
It’s a great opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done–AND save a life! (tweet this)
Come on over to our eBay store, by clicking the image below:
We’re bidding for ONE WEEK ONLY on items that we love while raising funds for this family and Maverick’s fight against Congenital Heart Disease.
(And yes, the goal is to OVER-spend on an item; kind of like a pie auction, you know?)
**You don’t have to have an eBay account to bid on an item; you can bid and check out as a GUEST. Also, payment is accepted through VISA and Paypal.**
If you’d rather just offer a simple donation, anywhere from $5 to $10 to $25 to $100, quietly slip in your gift here via Credit Card or Paypal:
We also have a DOOR PRIZE–a beautiful basket of Epicure products donated by my friend, Deana Tuininga; the basket includes a baker (or casserole dish), four seasonings–Cheese, Chives and Bacon Dip, Lemon Dilly Dip mix, 3 Onion Dip Mix, and Hot Artichoke Dip–recipes, a reusable bag, and a stirring spoon.
To enter to win the door prize, SHARE this post as many times as you can through the Rafflecopter button below (let’s shower this family with love… please share with everyone you know, on Twitter and FB).
And will you tell me, in the blog comments, how you shared? Thank you…
This auction will be running for SEVEN DAYS ONLY. We’ll choose a winner by the end of the week.
What if this was our son, friends? (tweet this) Let’s give as though it were.
Love, e.
#miracleformaverick