"Hope for the Heart"

Dear Friends,

Our Lord is faithful to bring us through all of this. Please pray especially on October 2 next week as Joseph undergoes open heart surgery.

We are raising money for our special needs children. All of whom are delightful and bring "Hope for the Heart" in the way they never give up.

After struggling with infertility going on 10 years now, we have five children all through adoption. We have three boys and two girls ages 12, 10, 7, 5 and 2. This year has been wrought with struggles and challenges. We had three of our children diagnosed with major lifelong disorders in the past year alone. Two of our children are now facing tremendous odds in their health - Joseph and Michael.

Shawna our youngest is our healthy little monkey, and was born here in the United States.
Gabriela was born in the Ukraine and adopted at the age of 6 years old. This year she was diagnosed in the past year with Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, and takes regular medication and has on-going follow up.

Joshua is 5 years old, and was born in Estonia. Joseph is 7 years old, and also born in Estonia. Joseph and Joshua are biological brothers and became part of our famly March this year 2008 at the ages of 6 and 4 years. Joseph has FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), Transposition of the Major Vessels (which means the two major vessels to the heart were backwards), possible loss of hearing, Cognitive Delays, Speech and Language Delays, Developmental Delays, Learning Disability, Microcephaly (his brain is the size of an 11 month old), Craniostenosis (his skull is no longer growing), Short Stature (he is not growing) and takes regular medication. Joseph had two open heart surgeries as an infant to repair Atrial Septal Defect (a hole in the wall of the upper chambers), Ventricular Septal Defect (a hole in the wall of the lower chambers) and the Transposition of the Major Vessels. His heart was repaired in two open heart surgeries as an infant which included creating a tunnel between the top chambers of his heart in order for the blood to get oxygen. He now has atrophy in the left ventricle and enlargement of the heart with reduced function of the right ventricle. Joseph also has problems with his rhythm which are potentially life threatening because the node in the top chambers of his heart which controls electrical activity does not work properly.

Joseph needs surgery ! Joseph's life expectancy is only 12 years, and he is already 7 years old. He has chest pain every day and has to modify his activity to accommodate his heart. He is a delightful and lively child who loves everyone and loves to be the center of attention. Joseph does not like to sit down or stop, and does not want to miss anything. In order to give Joseph a chance at a long life, he will need four (4) upcoming open heart surgeries. This first is scheduled October 2, 2008, and the goal is to repair his declining heart over the next 2-3 years. He will also be receiving a pacemaker and will require open heart surgery every 7 to 10 years to replace it. Joseph is also on regular heart medication and on-going follow ups. Another struggle Joseph faces is growth. He will be starting on growth hormones which will be very important to help him start growing including to help his heart grow. This is very important to the success of the heart surgeries. This gives him the chance to live a long normal healthy life, possibly to as old as 60 years old. Without these life-saving operations, Joseph will most likely be dead within five years. He has no other options.

Michael needs treatment and medication. Michael is our 12 years old and was born in Kazakshtan. We adopted Michael at 6 years old with Cerebral Palsy. Michael is treated for his cerebral palsy at Shriner's Hospital of LA. Michael also has Auditory Processing Disorder, Short Stature, Cognitive and Developmental Delays, and Speech and Language Delays. In April of this year 2008, Michael got very very sick and ended up in the hospital diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder called Evan's Syndrome where the body attacks the factors in his blood including his white blood cells (part of the immune system), red blood cells, and platelets (which allow the body to form clots to stop bleeding). Michael's body also forms antibodies which attack his Thyroid. Thrombocytopenia and Hemolytic Anemia are part of Evan's Syndrome. There is so little known about Evan's Syndrome that the doctors are still trying to understand the scope of this disease. Michael also has Lupus, was recently diagnosed with Secondary Autism, Periventricular Leukomalacia (an abnormality of the brain where areas of the brain are dead), Hypoplasia of the Corpus Callosum (where the fibers that connect the brain are two thin or two few), and an on-going Gastrointestinal Disorder. Michael also takes regular medication, gets weekly labs, and on-going follow ups with every specialty because of the complicated nature of his medical conditions. Michael will also be starting growth hormone injections to help his body begin growing and jumpstart him into puberty. This is important in order for the growth plates in the bones to become solid. We found out just this week that Michael is now having trouble with his heart and his kidneys. The doctors will be doing more testing to determine how much trouble he is having. Michael is spilling protein and other things in his urine that came back very abnormal, and has been having chest pain and episodes where his heart races and pounds.

Come join us! Help us make a difference in the lives of these children, our children.
Give a child "Hope for the Heart". Please donate. Please Make a Difference.

Thank you for listening to our story.


Find Touching Stories and Donate at www.richardsonstudios.blogspot.com
Find Resources and Donate at www.richardsonstudios.com
Support Special Needs and Donate at www.shop.richardsonstudios.com
Coming Soon: Academy of the Possible at www.academyofthepossible.com

Thank you for your prayers !! Thank you for all your support and prayers over the last few months !Blessings in Christ our Lord who has helped us endure, given us patience and faith, and helped us make the difference in the life of a child.

May Christ Our Savior Bless Your Journey,
Scott and Jennifer Richardson
For any parent with a special needs child, adopted, biological or caretaker, you are welcome to apply to join our yahoo group. Just go to www.groups.yahoo.com and type in academyofthepossible (formerly everychildmatters). We are a support system for parents and loved ones of these wonderful kids. Or click http://groups.yahoo.com/group/academyofthepossible/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=1