Joesph has the VSD very fixable here in the states.

Aurela Berisha, 6, smiles at her mother during a press conference to discuss her heart surgery at PCMH. She and another Kosovoc hild came to Greenville through the Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project. Photo by Cliff Hollis. Kosovo children doing well after heart surgery GREENVILLE, N.C. (2/20/03 ) -- Two days after having life-saving heart surgery at Pitt County Memorial Hospital, 6-year-old Aurela Berisha sat in a wheelchair in her pajamas and pink slipper socks smiling during a press conference to highlight her surgery and how the little girl from Kosovo arrived in eastern North Carolina. Aurela and 3-year-old Dardan Zeqiri arrived in Greenville in early February with their mothers and an interpreter from Kosovo, where heart surgery to repair their congenital heart defects is unavailable. The Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project coordinated and paid for the travel for the children, their mothers and an interpreter. When asked how she felt, Aurela said through an interpreter, "Very good. Very happy," with a big grin. Lorraine Rucker, one of the Samaritan's Purse local volunteers, said, "She didn't even want to ride in the wheelchair. She wanted to walk." The children were discharged from PCMH three days after surgery. They will remain in Greenville for the next four weeks with host families from Covenant United Methodist Church so physicians can monitor their recoveries before making the long flight back to Kosovo, which is a province in the Republic of Serbia. "Both surgeries went well," said Sharon Welsh, pediatric cardiac nurse clinician at Children'™s Hospital of University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. "Both children were off the ventilator and moved out of the pediatric ICU within 24 hours after surgery. We were very pleased with their progress." Dr. Jon Moran, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, performed the first procedure on Feb. 18, on Aurela. She had a ventricular septal defect, a hole between the two lower pumping chambers of the heart along with some obstruction of blood flow to the lungs. That hole was closed with a patch and the obstruction removed. Her mother, Valbone Berisha, accompanied her to Greenville. Because of the VSD, Aurela is smaller than other children her age. She and Dardan, who is three years younger, are about the same size, the physicians noted. In the United States, children born with VSD are typically repaired with surgery between 6 and 12 months of age. Aurela's mother said that when Aurela was 2 weeks old doctors discovered that she had a heart problem. Dr. Theodore Koutlas, also an ECU pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, operated Feb. 19 on Dardan. He had an atrial septal defect, a hole between the upper chambers of the heart causing excess blood flow to the lungs and an enlarged heart. Dardan's hole was closed with sutures. His mother, Elizabeta Zeqiri, accompanied him to the United States. Dardan's ASD would have typically been corrected surgically around 2 years of age in the United States, the surgeons noted. Dr. Charlie Sang, a pediatric cardiologist with ECU, performed the pre-surgery medical evaluations of the children. Both children also required a full dental exam and care prior to having surgery to prevent complications post-surgery. Dr. Jasper Lewis of Greenville provided the dental care. The interpreter for the children and their mothers, Semie Vula, came with them from Kosovo. She said she was thankful to be able to come on the trip with the children. "I'm appreciative to the Samaritan's Purse families. I've been blessed to come on this trip. I'm thankful to Dr. Koutlas and Dr. Moran and the whole hospital staff," Vula said. Aurela's mother was teary-eyed after she said: "I'm pleased and happy that she has a new heart now and a normal life. I have a normal life with my kids now. I thank Samaritan's Purse for bringing my child here." According to the Samaritan's Purse Children's Heart Project, Aurela lives with her parents, grandparents, two sisters and a brother along with other relatives (a total of 18) in one house in Drenco. Because of her heart defect, before surgery she tired very easily and was unable to run. Her mother said she could go about two blocks before she had to stop and rest, and she would begin to turn blue. Aurela said that she did not like not being able to play soccer, and now she will play. Dardan lives with nine other family members in their home in Shtimje. He was born in Switzerland when his family had fled the country during the war. They returned to Kosovo when he was 11 months old. Samaritan's Purse Children'™s Heart Project identifies children and matches them with hospitals and surgeons in the United States and Canada who are willing to donate their time and services. They also arranged for Covenant United Methodist Church and a local family to host the children during their recovery period in the United States. Since 1997, Samaritan's Purse has brought more than 185 children with life-threatening heart defects to the United States from Bosnia, Mongolia and Kosovo. In 2001 and 2002, Samaritan's Purse brought a total of four children from Mongolia to PCMH for surgery. Media Contact: Jeannine Manning Hutson (252) 744-2481, hutsonj@mail.ecu.edu

			Office of News and Information Division of Health Sciences East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858 Contact Us

A call to the DR.

I have been searching for the best Dr. for Joesph Turner and I think I found him.
He is at children's Hospital...They were able to calm some fears I've been having.
His heart condition is very fixable and he will live a normal life after surgery..
Of course they don't know without seeing him but they use on almost all heart problems
like Joesph they are able to do with a catheter..meaning not major open heart surgery.
So anyway, please continue to pray..We have him an apt for Sept 26th...I hope he is home..

Robin

Give me Love:

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire.
Let me not sink to be a clod-
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.


Amy Carmichael's prayer sprang
from her experience of mothering hundreds of
Indian children:

Sleepless in the country

OK so it was a rough night.I felt like I got married or something yesterday.
Your whole life changes. You have so many decisions to make.
So I woke up and felt like I couldn't breath...I was thinking all of these negative
thoughts and I woke my sweet hubby up and he just props up on his elbow and
says "so what is bothering you the most" I said what if this what if that..He says
God already has everything worked out....Why instead of thinking of all the negative
you think of all the positive.OK I could do that......
I ask for prayer over my thoughts I pray that I will take captive every thought...
Please continue to pray for Joesph Turner as he needs to stay healthy..
Please pray for our financial provision as we thought we would have a few months
to save up money..Please pray for our household that a calm spirit would reside..

much love,
Robin

Introducing......

Our family proudly announces the referral of
Joseph Turner !

Born April 17 2006
now weighs 19lbs
he is 25inches tall

Be in prayer for him, he has a heart condition and needs to be out of Liberia by September. Meanwhile we await the endless
red tape of our states bureaucracy.

His arrival is eagerly anticipated and he will be welcomed by his 5 brothers and sisters when he comes home.

Proud Parents

Scott & Robin

A picture of my sweet Taylor...She is such a great daughter and friend.
I am so privileged to be her mom.

Crazy In Alabama!!

I'm just sitting out here in the middle of these woods day dreaming about someone who is across the world from me. I keep telling myself that I will feel better after I've heard something. Who am I kidding? I wont feel better until I can hold him in my arms.....I believe the Lord is going to have to get new carpet in his waiting room because I have wore the old stuff out. He is right here with me though. I'm sure he knows how I feel waiting on a child to come home. I'm sure it's been me at times, when I chose to live "my own life". Well I am going to go out for a while and carry my cell phone with me, and breath in some bama air and re- group. I pray my phone rings sooooooon.

Rob

Please pray with me........

Just a request for prayer for a little guy that we have never met but have fallen in love with his sweet eyes. He is sick and is in Africa. I can't say he is mine yet official but...I hope to get an up-date tomorrow on him. So please pray that he is safe and well...It is so hard to be so far away and know you can't do anything........Prayer is so powerful and I know that he is in the father's hands.Sheltered by his wings...I want to thank my friend Brandi for such a sweet prayer over his life this afternoon. I also pray for your little guy on this his birthday. You are such a sweet person and I'm thankful to be on this journey with you......I will try and up-date as I get info. It's really hard waiting for that phone call.
Love to all and good night,
Rob

Thanking the Peg in your life...........

I am reading a book called The Shaping of A Christian Family by Elisabeth Elliot. I read a part
today that really encouraged me about my husband. It said "I will lay the key of the house of David on his shoulder;what he opens no man shall shut, and what he shuts no man shall open. He shall be a seat of honour for his father's family; I will fasten him firmly in place like a peg. On him shall hang all the weight of the family, down to the lowest dregs-all the little vessels, both bowls and pots(Isa.22:-24)
Vivid analogies here- the man with the keys. the one in charge, steward, protector,guard. Also the peg supporting all the weight of the family. If he is not firmly established in his place, recognizing its full meaning, accepting its full burden in honor before God, the family cannot help but suffer. And pegs are not noticed for the work they do, nor are they usually thanked!

So I thanked Scott this morning for being "our peg".

So want you go thank your peg this morning....:)

love ya all,
Robin