Happiest of Birthdays To My Sweet Girl!

As we walked through the doors of Tufts Medical Center on May 4, 2010 we thought we were as prepared as we could be. We had a complete diagnosis (so we thought). We knew she would be blue when she was born (no pink fingers and toes for this little lady). We thought we were going to take her home for 3-4 months so she could gain weight and strength before her first open heart surgery (and we couldn't have been more wrong). The truth is we had no idea what was about to unfold. I wish I could go back 5 years and talk to me then. Tell myself all of the ups and downs, highs and lows that were about to happen over the next so many months. I would tell myself that I would get through it all and that the outcome in 5 years was going to be the most amazing and rewarding gift I could ever receive.

Molly was born on May 4, 2010 at 10:35am weighing 10 lbs. 5 oz and was 21" long. She was born with an ASD, VSD, CAVC defect, Interrupted IVC, Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR), Dextrocardia, Midline liver, right sided stomach, Polysplenia and Malrotated Intestines. What does all of that mean? It means we had one sick little girl on our hands and the hospital that delivered her was in no way able to handle the care she needed. So on May 5, 2010 she was transferred to Boston Children's Hospital and her journey there began. Molly's first car ride wasn't her ride home. It was an ambulance ride across town in the hopes of saving her life. Over the next 8 months we witnessed more sad moments than happy moments. We watched people exit our lives. Some of our closest friends became the nurses that took care of Molly. How could they not be? They were taking care of the most important person in our lives. Molly scared us in ways we never even knew was possible. To this day, I still get sick driving to Children's because of the memories I will never be able to forget no matter how hard I try. But I wouldn't have it any other way if it means Molly will never remember any of what she went through during the months leading up to her original discharge on January 4, 2011!

Over the last 5 years this little girl has overcome so much. She had her trach & g tube removed so much faster than we ever would have thought! She has handled every illness pretty well (knocking on wood and hoping I don't jinx anything). She is now on to annual cardiology visits which is a big jump from every 3 weeks when we first came home! She is only on 3 medications which is down from 22 when she first came home. We now only see cardiology, dental, orthopedic, psychiatry and ophthamology for specialists. She has been in some form of therapy, whether it's Early Intervention or outpatient therapy at NE Rehab, for almost 4 years and she NEVER complains about going...definitely not as much as I do! She will be entering her 3rd and final year of preschool in the fall. She LOVES school and she loves to learn. She is learning and it has definitely helped a tremendous amount with her speech. She has blood draws without crying. She has a pain tolerance higher than both of her parents combined. She is smart and sassy. Sweet and stubborn. Courageous and Beautiful. She is my absolute favorite person and I would do anything for her...we both would. My life may be completely different than it was on May 3, 2010 but it is so much better than I ever could have imagined. I never knew I could love someone the way I love her and I hope she always knows it! Everything we do or say is for her. We are doing our best to give her the life she deserves.
I hope she will read this one day and know just how much she means to us.


We celebrated her birthday yesterday and to see her jumping in the bounce houses with her friends, running around and keeping up with all of the other heart healthy kids was so amazing!

Happiest of Birthdays to the sweetest little girl I know!