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Give a gift in honor of this child.
Jessie "KIM"
June, 2007 April, 2008
UPDATE: 5-21-08
sorry for not updating but i have had computer problems and couldn't get the mailings, etc.
Kim is doing very well right now. she has had 2 surgeries the first being Sept. 27th, 2007 where they took her only fibula and tissue to create a lower jaw. one side did not take so she had another surgery a week later where they took tissue from the skull area and flipped it to cover the side that did not take.
her latest surgery was april 27th where they took tissue from her right stump and cadaver bone to reinforce the jaw where there was an open wound with the metal plate exposed. this last surgery has truly given kim a chin. she says, "mom they made it too fat" gotta love this child and her innocent pure spirit. she will have surgery on July 12th to release the left temporal mandibular joint that remains fused (the right TMJ is already free and kim can move it).
thank you for your continued prayers for kim as she continues her journey to "have a mouth like mommies"....remember she was born with congenital anomalies including a triple amputee and missing her mandible.
UPDATE: 1-7-08
Kim was playing on her laptop about 10pm last night when she came into my
room and said, "mommie something happened" pointing to the right side of
her face/jaw. in looking at it and also feeling the jaw below the ear it
seems it has shifted/moved. kim said, "it fell down". i don't know if
the fibula graft shifted or moved from the TMJ socket or what happened. i
have emailed Dr. Gosain but no respones. i have sent him pictures also.
my prayers are that the fibula graft has not "come apart" and we are
looking at losing this graft like what happened with the original rib
graft done in TX before she came home to us and it was lost taking us back
to square one. kim does not have any other options since she is a triple
amputee and they took the only fibula she has. please join me in prayer
that this isn't something major that has happened. thank you for your
continued prayers and love for our kim POSSIBLE
UPDATE: 12-4-07
our kim went into the pediatrician yesterday and she also has the same
things as the other two but fortunately didn't require hospitalization
just antibiotics via her gtube. she is still feeling rather punk but is
doing ok. we were also able to reconnect her to the VAC for her leg wound
that hasn't healed following her reconstruction surgery sept. 27th. we
had to discontinue the VAC for a week due to major skin breakdown and
blisters from the drape of the VAC.
hopefully our kiddos are now on the mend and this is the worst of the
sickies for this year....Jan is close with a new year. thank you all for
keeping our kiddos and families in your prayers. sue
UPDATE: 11-5-07
I wanted to update on our Kim. she had the first of her
mandible reconstruction surgeries on sept. 27th. we flew to Ohio on her
birthday sept. 25th for the preop procedures then she had 19 hours of
surgery. a week later she had to have a second surgery as the left side
of the graft (free fibula and tissue-just like Tyler T had done) didn't
take. the second surgery was 9 hours. we were in the hospital until Oct.
27th and then flew home on Oct. 29th. the one area on her lower leg where
they took the fibula and tissue is still requiring wound care but she
looks like a totally different little girl. she is so happy to be home and
is returning to school today for the first time this school year. she is
a very blessed child. next procedure isn't scheduled until next july or
august. love sue
UPDATE: 7-25-07
it looks like kim's surgery will be done on sept. 4th after all. the main surgeon will be in India on her birthday so they can't do it then. he is going to see if the sept. 4th date is still open and if so this is the date. just means sean does not start school til i am home with kim as he won't have an iep and with his behavior God forbid i am not here. Sue
Well we will be flying to Cleveland on her 11th birthday sept 25th with
preop procedures done on the 26th and the surgery done on sept. 27th. Then
looking at a week inpatient then who knows how long we will stick around
before coming home. This surgery will be a minimum 12 hours. Happy
Birthday Kim. sue
UPDATE: 6-25-07
it was confirmed today that kim's surgery will be done in Cleveland on Sept. 25th. we will go down on the 23rd so we can do the pretesting required on the 24th then the LONG (minimum 10 hr) surgery will be done to reconstruct her lower jaw.
Sept. 25th is her birthday so this is kind of bittersweet but i promised her we will do something special for her birthday.
thank you all for keeping kim and all our children in your prayers. sue
UPDATE: 6-2-07
kim and gabriel had their tonsils out this past thursday.
kim only had a tonsillectomy as her adenoids were just buds. the doctor said it was the hardest tonsillectomy she has ever done due to kim's missing lower jaw.
UPDATE: 4-18-07
well our angel trip to Cleveland is/was more than we ever anticipated. Dr. Gosain and his staff were more than accomodating and we now have "the plan". we had a Cone Beam CT scan done that they will use to make 2 models of kim's face (as it is now and with the reconstruction). they plan to take a piece of her fibula and tissue to do the graft and create a lower jaw for her. we now await approval for the models to be done by our insurance and the next trip will be for surgery. we are very grateful to Wings of Mercy East and also Dr. Gosain, his medical secretary, Jen, and all those making it possible for Kim's Journey 2007 to become a reality. thank you all for keeping Kim and our family in your prayers.
UPDATE: 3-28-07
i just had to share this praise tonight. after many months and phone calls (my final call today was from the chief medical at CSHCS authorizing out of state care) i got word today that our MI insurance HAS approved the doctor and hospital in Ohio to reconstruct a lower jaw for our kim possible. we are having the CT Scan done down in Detroit this friday morning and then our first appt. in Cleveland is April 13th. Thank you Lord for answered prayers. thank you to all that has and does keep this child and our family in your prayers. we are already beginning to celebrate the happiness for this child of His. thank you all for your prayers. sue and KIM
UPDATE: 12-19-06
thank you ALL for your prayers. yesterday's procedure for kim was a record. we were at the hospital at 6:30am and we were out, all DONE, by 8:30am. it turned out that it was not botox after all they injected in the scars but steroid injections....10 along the right side and 5 on the left side. now we have to put cream on them twice daily.
she is such a little trooper. only thing she fought was "going under" when i was holding the gas over her trach.
thank you ALL again for your prayers and love for our kim, kiddos and family
UPDATE: 11-25-06
seems kim has caught the "bug" that Gabriel had causing his dehydration and she has been vomiting since Tues. the doctor did call in some suppositories for vomiting and she did keep a couple feeds down today but now has started the vomiting again. please keep her covered in prayer that this runs it's course quickly and she is back to "kim possible". thank you for your continued prayers and love for our family. sue
UPDATE: 10-6-06
well things continue to go forward with our blessings.
our kim has had some differing news re: her jaw reconstruction and after seeing the last doctor (wanted to bring in a neurosurgeon and take a piece of her skull bone for reconstructing and she cried) we have decided to just do nothing right now. here are some new pics of her with her new puppy and also her new myoelectric hand she got in Aug in Texas.
aaliyah is still doing well and we just continue to praise Him for His miracle.
gabriel was 4 yrs old on sept. 21st and he has finally reached 20 lbs...YES.
school has started and we are well into the full swing of keeping up with the kids and their activities. thank you all for your prayers for our children and family. sue
UPDATE: 8-23-06
Elizabeth, just an update on our family. just home from TX with kim and
she now has her new myoelectric hand and is doing very well. she sees the
cranio facial/oral maxillary surgeon this thursday and her next procedure
will be scheduled.
we took aaliyah with us and she loved the trip and did awesome. thank you
all for all the prayers for our children and family. keeping all children
in my prayers. love, sue
UPDATE: 7-12-06
Kim sporting her new Texas, Pediatric Prosthetic's leggie. she is so so happy. needless to say and stands so tall now.....the sky is the limit for this child. sue
UPDATE: 6-23-06
the wonderful lady from TX has been here all week making our kim her new prosthetic leg with an awesome dynamic knee.
i also have a call into the surgeon and he is supposed to call me today re: the next surgery for kim.
UPDATE: 6-17-06
Kim's surgery for the medport went very well yesterday. she went in at 9:30am and we were on our way home at 12:30pm. she says it is sore but that is to be expected and a little tylenol with codeine has gotten her through. thanks for all the prayers for our little kim possible. sue
UPDATE: 6-13-06
took kim for the anesthesia interview this am and her med port surgery is at 9am this friday. she has to go this wed. for a full face ct scan also. just another one of those weeks at the acres. sue
UPDATE: 6-6-06
took ms. kim to the surgeon yesterday and he was all set to put the med port in this friday. when i stated i would cancel and reschedule my mri he said, "oh no we can do her med port on the 16th". so we are meeting for the anesthesia interview pre op on monday the 12th and then the surgery will be on friday.... after the med port is in she will be ready for the "big" reconstructive surgery for her lower jaw probably next month. a note in passing....come to find out he is the doc they called into the OR last time with aaliyah trying to get a line...and did the I & O iv before sending her to Hurley. God is good all the time. sue
UPDATE: 5-28-06
kim's sugery to remove the plate went very well. while the doc was in there he also extracted 5 teeth (do you know when you stay at the Ronald McDonald House the tooth fairy leaves ten dollar bills?)....after approaching the cranio facial doc before the surgery and asking her about a med port she said no those are for only long term antibiotics and chemo. well when the oral maxillary doc came out after the surgery was completed he said, "have you ever considered a med port for her with her multiple surgeries"? duh. his next words were to give her a month to heal and get a med port and then the reconstructive surgery and will last between 8-10 hours. we did this surgery "same day" and then we went over to the RM House til tim picked us up today. here is our little kim possible after surgery. thank you all for keeping her and our family in your prayers.
UPDATE: 5-14-06
I wanted to stop in and thank all for their thoughts and prayers. we just got home about a half hour ago.
kim did awesome during her surgery. in fact the ENT came in about 4pm to check on how she was doing and discharged us so we had our older daughter pick us us and take her to her home for the night. tim drove down today to pick us up. we had to stop and let tim catch a half hour nap as he was falling asleep at the wheel (i can't drive due to having a seizure disorder myself).
only problems we had inpatient was kim copped an attitude for a bit (wouldn't let them take her blood pressure, fought the humidification mask on her newly placed trache.
her next surgery is oral maxillary surgery on the 23rd of this month downstate again. thank you all for all your thoughts and prayers. sue and family
UPDATE: 4-27-06
kim's next craniofacial procedure (they will remove the old plate) is scheduled for may 23rd at children's in detroit. she has to have her trach put back in and she is one unhappy camper. the trach must go in the next couple of weeks before surgery. she is scheduled to only be inpatient overnight at children's and i will be there with her (also taking aaliyah as i don't have anyone capable of taking care of her in my absence). oh well. life is good and we will survive...anything is possible when your name is kim "possible". thank you all for all the prayers for our little girl, kim. sue tolin
UPDATE: 4-18-06
Heard today that the company in TX that made Kim's original myoelectric hand and is going to make her new one and a passive hand and also a new leg got a partnership with a MI company so we are ready to go ahead with her new prosthetics. this company will also now be available to other children in MI in need of prosthetic limbs. we have been working on this for months now trying to get a MI affiliate. they will come to MI to do the leg first and then we are going to go to TX to get the myoelectric hand and passive hand. (and visit some friends and relatives. *S*) this is God at work. PTL sue
UPDATE: 4-5-06
Kim had her appointment yesterday with the oral/maxillary surgeon that will be working with the craniofacial doctor for her next procedures. Dr. Hildebrandt was wonderful and as we knew we are back at square one. He was going to speak with Dr. Rozelle today and let me know the plan of "attack". We know first they must take out the plate from the original ribgraft (that was lost) and then go from there. he did say they would do another graft but not sure if it will be a rib or hip bone graft. there will be NO more external distractions and kim was so excited about this. i should know more in the next week as to when they plan to start the surgical procedures. thanks to all for keeping our little kim possible in your thoughts and prayers. sue
UPDATE: 3-25-06
kim desperately needs a new leg and also new hands. i have been in contact with the company that made her first myoelectric hand in Texas and have sent all paperwork to our MI insurance Jan. 27th, 2006. as of yesterday and many phone calls to see the status of our insurance covering and working with this company i have had NO replies.
the president's husband called me yesterday and stated that they will do kim's new prosthesis' even if it is pro bono BUT we do not want charity and DO want our insurance to step up to the plate. please pray that MI will come through on kim's behalf and also make a difference for other children in MI that need this service also. all we are asking is for a MI company to allow this company to "associate" with them and then any and all MI children will benefit. thanks so much for all the prayers for our family. sue
UPDATE: 1-11-06
kim has her appointment this thursday and we will know the plan and schedule for her future craniofacial procedures.
also, we are working on getting her insurance to cover her new myoelectric hand and leg. please pray this goes through.
thank you for the continued prayers for our children and family. Sue
UPDATE: 11-10-05
Kim just had two surgeries within 10 days as her trach came out and was put in and lasted 3 days the first time. she had surgery this past monday and a second trach was placed and this time the ENT stitched it in and told me to take the stitches out in a week to 10 days. her next craniofacial appt. is on Dec. 1st and we have changed hospitals and docs for this...now will be going through Children's Hospital of MI.
UPDATE: 10-30-05
kim's trache (yes the one that was just put in last thur.) came out already. the doc was afraid of this as all they had was a neonatal and no pediatric ones SO tomorrow will be calling ENT again and another surgery for a new trache. never ending saga at the acres. good thing she is such a little trooper. sue
UPDATE: 10-23-05
Above is Kim's school picture.
UPDATE: 8-25-05
Jessie Kim's first day of school.
UPDATE: 7-13-05
i just have to brag a little. with all the pledges and checks coming in and also ones that i wasn't aware of originally our little kim has raised over $300 for the American Cancer Society with her "locks of love". this is beyond our wildest dream. one child CAN make a difference. God bless and thank you all that helped this child make this goal. sue and kim
UPDATE: 7-11-05
yesterday when we went to relay for life little miss kim turned her hair in and over $150 in pledges to the American Cancer Society. total strangers even came up and donated to "her hair cause" while she was up on stage. here is a pic of her enjoying pizza and also her face painting. thank you all that gave from the heart either monetarily and/or your love and prayers. sue, kim
UPDATE: 7-8-05
our little kim knows what it is like to be stared at and made
fun of because she is "different". we just cut her hair (13 inches)
and she is going to donate it to Locks of Love during the Relay
for Life this weekend hopefully to be used to make a wig for a
child that has lost their hair and looks "different" . she just
went to the local radio station to get a pledge form and is asking
anyone that wants to to donate a minimum of $1 per inch....checks
can be made out to American Cancer Society and sent to our
address so we can include them with the hair when we send it in.
please include your mailing address so you will receive a thank you.
sue and kim tolin
UPDATE: 7-3-05
just a little update on our kim. she had to have emergency surgery to reposition
the pins as her new jaw was all the way to the right. she is now counting the
days til these pins are out. she wanted a rainbow ponytail and this is the best
i could do. she wants to have her hair cut now and donate it to Locks for
Love......thank you all for the continued prayers.
UPDATE: 6-27-05
was gonna cut it and donate it to locks for love but decided not too. her pony tail is
17 inches and she wanted the "colors of the rainbow". sue
UPDATE: 6-9-05
Kim went in for her recheck on her pins yesterday and they admitted her for surgery today. one of the pins had come out of place and her jaw is moving too far toward the right and they have to correct the position NOW. have to reschedule her trip for her new leg to Chicago Shriner's tomorrow and surgery is sometime today. sue
UPDATE: 4-17-05
here is our little girl all "pinned" up. she has always been
a pinup child for us. she got home about 4pm this afternoon
and has been outside playing and i finally got her to come in
and rest a little. sue
UPDATE: 4-14-05
well kim goes to Shriner's next friday to have a new leg made as
hers is too short....she just watched the tapers working in the
addition and has decided she wants a leg like this to be taller.
what a hoot. gotta love her. sue
UPDATE: 4-8-05
as she looks forward to her next surgery next friday i thought
you would enjoy this story. this reporter will be following our
precious kim's future surgeries to "a mouth like mommy's". thank
you all for your love and cards and gifts for our precious daughter
and her siblings. sue tolin
UPDATE: 4-2-05
Just had to share. kim has been so good lately with all that is going on with her upcoming surgery and also aaliyah being in the hospital we got her her first car. she is in love. *S* sue
UPDATE: 2-8-05
had to share the specialness of my kim. i was feeding aaliyah and taking her temp and kim was standing next to her "baby sister". she said "mommie since aaliyah is still sick it is ok if daddy takes me for my surgery". her surgery is feb. 22nd. all along all she has asked was for me to be with her. this child is such a giving little girl.......no unconditional love can top her. sue
UPDATE: 1-21-05
kim is doing very well right now. her next cranialfacial surgery (another
distraction) will be done on Feb. 18th. they will be bringing the lower jaw
out more to allign with the upper jaw.
here are some pics taken at Christmas and recently of aaliyah playing with
the angels in her sleep. God's love and mine. sue
UPDATE: 11-2-04
well i made the decision and made the call. i am not going to have my precious kim on the maury show. i don't want to "exploit" my daughter and/or put our family in the media. i have some very valid reservations as to this decision BUT my number one is my daughter. i may be wrong BUT i just can't do this after praying about it and seeking guidance. thank you all as it was truly even an honor being asked. sue
UPDATE: 11-1-04
well while tim took the kids out trick or treating i got a real "trick". YES i got a phone call and it was the Maury Povich show and Kim is going to be on....the real trick is they pay our way and put us up in a hotel BUT the trick no treat is it is this coming friday. oh well life is always so full of surprises. *S*
UPDATE: 10-29-04
Kim's appt. with the doctor went very well yesterday. the doc went over her ct scan with my husband and she has a large amount of new bone formation....Praise The Lord. her next surgery will be Feb. 18th and they will be doing another distraction to bring the lower jaw out more so it meets the upper jaw. the upper jaw has also grown with the last distraction and they must meet before they can bring the lower jaw up. they will then use the "ridge" that is currently there to make a chin. thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our angel. she takes each minute and lives it to the fullest. sue
UPDATE: 9-24-04
Kim went to the cranio facial clinic yesterday. after panoramic xrays.
she HAS bone formation. PTL. next step is Oct. 15th for a 3D CT scan and
then sees Dr. Buchman again on Oct. 28th as for the next distraction. the
next distraction will be to bring the lower jaw together as the first one
was to bring it out. thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, love and
gifts for our precious daughter.
UPDATE: 8-12-04
kim's appt today went very well. she returns on sept. 23rd for more xrays,
to see the doc and also denistry. if more bone "has formed" they will take
her right in and remove the two remaining pins. then she will have another
distraction surgery in 6 months. she is my hero. thank you all for keeping
her in your prayers. sue
UPDATE: 8-11-04
kim goes to the craniofacial clinic tomorrow for her checkup. this past
week pins have fallen out on both sides of her jaw so the rods have been
removed. can't wait to see what the doc says tomorrow about "what next".
she is such a trooper. sue
UPDATE: 7-14-04
here are the latest pics of kim's distraction process. these were taken
today. it is doing really well. sue
UPDATE: 7-13-04
update on kim she went to the ortho man this past week and he had to
legthen her prosthetic leg by an inch and a half. our little girl is growing
up so fast.
UPDATE: 5-18-04
ok here is the latest pic of my angel holding her new kitten, Angel.
(actually one of a litter of six our barncat, Socks, has)
UPDATE: 6-2-04
just wanted to share as there is a new "adopted" grandma in kim and my other
children's lives through MACS and she is writing a book about our kids.
here is the "Letter to Kim" she wrote. love you Grandma Vickey. sue
http://www.swycaffer.com/summer/forkim.html
UPDATE: 5-13-04
wanted to let you know kim went to U of M today for her 3 week post op
checkup. they did xrays and compared them to the preop xrays, showed tim
the difference already and the doctor is amazed at the progress in such a
short time. he did adjust the right side lower pin as it was going downward
a little. he explained that her headaches and earache she complains about it
the bone "stretching" is the easiest way i can explain it. the doctor did
say there may be one thing to watch for and that is the rod that is with the
ribgraft poking through the skin. if this should occur we will take care of
it immediately. her next appt is June 9th and they will do another xray. he
did say since this is going so quickly he may have to take her back into the
OR and put longer pins in. thank you all for keeping her in your prayers
she is such a little trooper. sue
UPDATE: 5-6-04
our medical miracle. if you can see Kim's distraction is already producing
results. note the little piece of bone that sticks out on the right side.
also her little lip is starting to come out. imagine what she will look
like within another couple of months. modern medicine and our Father are
awesome. sue
UPDATE: 4-30-04
small update. today we go downstate for the ped. neurologist appts. brent,
brianna, sean, heather, makenzie, patrick and aaliyah will all been seen for
follow up. will be staying overnight as tomorrow morning we have to be in
Detroit for finger printing for Gabriel's adoption finalization. also hope
to see our newest grandson while we are down there. he is a week old today.
praying for all and Christian love, sue
UPDATE: 4-24-04
just wanted to thank all for their prayers. kim and i
are home. her doc appt. this am went wonderfully and he showed me how to
turn the pins twice daily and she returns for a checkup in 3 weeks. she is
such a little trooper.
a very exciting piece of mail was after almost 9 months we received
kim's new birth certificate in the mail. she is one of our precious adopted
children and her adoption was final last july. she was so excited when i
showed her "this piece of paper that says her name and mine and my hubbys."
she said "mom you are my mommie and daddy is my daddy why do i need a piece
of paper". out of the mouth of babes.
again thank you all. love and hugs, sue
ok my dear friend is at it again and wrote this poem for kim and made this beautiful graphic. i love you Peg and thank you so much. sue
A horse is a horse, of course, of course;
And no one can talk to a horse, of course,
Unless, of course, the name of the horse
Is the famous .... HORSESHOE!!
Now what can that Horseshoe do for you?
Oh, what can he do, yes do, oh do?
He can make all of Kimmie's dreams come true
'Cause he's that famous horse, HORSESHOE!!!
(Y'all DO watch Mr.Ed, don't you? LOL)
ok yesterday before we left the hotel following kim's surgery she "found"
this lucky horseshoe...hehe it is a stuffed horse i got her at the hospital
in her shoe....she called it a horseshoe. kids....lol sue
UPDATE: 4-22-04
Sue Tolin asked me too write and thank everyone for their prayers for her daughter Kim. Her surgery was successful yesterday and she was released this morning. They are staying in a hotel until Friday when the doctors will teach Sue how to turn the screws that are on both sides of Kim's face. The appointment will last three hours and then they will head for home.
Praise God for the masterful hands of the surgeons who are going to grant this beautiful child her wish to eat a french fry. Can you imagine something we take for granted she has to look forward too for the first time in her life. She is such a sweet and loveable child. I wish all of you could meet her. She is truely a gift from God.
Sue will contact all of you when she gets home and update you on Miss Kim.
Love, Sandy mom to Jonathan S.
UPDATE: 4-18-04
Just wanted to send a note. i was going through some of kim's notebooks and
old medicals and found the enclosed picture from when she had the
distraction procedure done in 2002. i also ran across the report from the
first hospital where she was dx. with severe Pierre Robin syndrome and also
the cause of her missing limbs were questionable if the birth mom tried to
abort her early on in the pregnancy. this little girl has been thru so much
yet she still smiles. preparing myself and her for next tuesday's surgery.
Christian love, sue
Keep Your Fork...the best is yet to come!
UPDATE: 4-15-04
Monday around noon we are leaving to go up to Univ. of Michigan for kim's
facial surgery. she is very anxious and even the thought makes her smile
and giggle. this will be the beginning of the long road but we are ready as
she embarks on having "a mouth like mommie". she will be out of school a
minimum of 2 weeks following surgery and then will only return if the pain
is tolerable and there is no risk of her being bumped in the face as she
will have external pins on each side of her jaw (the graft much like
distraction pins when lengthing a leg). mom is starting to have some very
anxious moments but know with God all will be fine. went to walmart's and
kmarts yesterday (only stores we have here as we are very rural) trying to
find tops and jammies that button instead of going over her head and never
dreamed these are nonexistent. oh well found one pair and it will have to
do. thank you all for all your love, support and prayers for our precious
children. God's love and mine. sue
UPDATE: 4-8-04
my hubby called and he and kim are on their way home following her pre
surgery physical and CT scan. other than giving us instructions to please
bring a spare trach she is ready for surgery on the 20th.
thank you all for all your prayers for our children. have a wonderful
evening. Christian love, sue
UPDATE: 4-7-04
also our daughter, jessie kim goes to the Univ. of Mich (3 hrs away)
tomorrow afternoon for her presurgical physical and ct scan for her
craniofacial surgery on april 20th. they will be doing reconstruction of
her lower jaw (she was born without one)
UPDATE: 4-2-04
kim goes to the Univ. of Michigan for her pre surgery physical and ct scan
on the 9th and then her craniofacial surgery is scheduled for the 20th. we
will be going to the hospital on the 19th and staying overnight so we are
ready for "her big day". she is so excited and can't wait for the surgeries
to all be over with and she can have her trach removed. she is such a
trooper. again we are the blessed ones to be able to be her parents and
family.
UPDATE: 3-31-04
had to share. kim got her electric wheelchair yesterday and she is so
excited. now we will never be able to keep up with her. sue
UPDATE: 3-9-04
ok switched sports. a couple more showing kim's versatility of her
disABILITY. she is one awesome little girl and never ceases to amaze us.
our inspiration of what life truly can be. we are blessed. hugs, sue
ps. she is wearing her pjs as today was pajama day for Lutheran School Week
celebration. she is playing "KIM POSSILE" on the computer. *S* she knows
no IMpossibles.
UPDATE: 3-08-04
had to share the news that i called the mobility company and after 8 months
they have gotten approval for kim's electric wheelchair. they have just
ordered it and she should have it within 2 weeks. Even though she is a very
active little girl being a triple amputee she does tire easily when going on
"long" walks with her class at Zion Lutheran school to the local library on
fridays and on any long ventures that we take. now the next thing will be
to equip our van with a wheelchair ramp somehow with all these kiddos and
their chairs.
UPDATE: 3-5-04
we are just home from the Univ. of Mich. and kim's craniofacial and denistry
appts. it has been a long ride, overnight but all so worth it. her dentist
visit is NO CAVATIES...doing an excellent job with oral hygiene and her
surgery for her lower jaw is scheduled for April 20th. she will go on April
8th for a history and physical checkup presurgery and also a 3D CT scan.
the surgeon feels she will only be in overnight following surgery and he has
alloted 4 hrs of OR time for the procedure. she is so excited and we are
overjoyed watching this little angel with her anticipation. following the
surgery she will probably have home based schooling for a couple of weeks as
we will be making biweekly trips back and forth to the hospital for the
distraction pins. thank you for your concern, love and prayers. hugs, sue
and kim and family
ps. we have rescheduled her prosthetic appt. at Shriner's for the 19th of
April til May and also the day of Kim's surgery is her sister's due date for
the birth of her 1st baby. Ok Mindee let that little guy out before or
after and Grandma can be there *S*
UPDATE: 3-3-04
just to let all know i am leaving around noon tomorrow to take our kim to
Univ. of Mich. craniofacial clinic for her visit with denistry and the
surgeon. her appts. are on thur. but we are going up the night before. i
will not have computer access at the Med Inn where we are staying. will let
everyone know when we return (probably late thur. night) and her surgery
date to do the distraction for her lower jaw. all this little girl wants is
a mouth like mommie's, to be able to eat and to get rid of her trach. with
God's blessings her dreams maybe a reality soon. thank you for keeping us
in your prayers and thoughts and will write as soon as i can. hugs
sue
UPDATE: 3-2-04
wed. afternoon i leave with kim as her appts. for the craniofacial clinic
are thursday and we are staying overnight rather than driving the 3 hr one
way trip all in one day. her first appt (surgeon) is at 10am thur. morning
and the second appt (densitry) is at 3:30 pm. thur then we will drive back.
UPDATE: 2-5-04
kim's long awaited sheduled appt. with the craniofacial clinic at Univ. of
Mich. that was scheduled for the 26th of this month has been changed as the
doctor just had a meeting come up. we will now take her on march 4th and
this too will be an overnight for the all day appt as we are 3 1/2 hrs away
from this facility.
UPDATE: 1-17-04
just wanted to bring you an update from here. our kim (jessie kimberly therese) will finally be seeing the craniofacial team (they finally received all her records from Texas.) re: distraction osteogenesis of her lower jaw (what she has there is a rib that was grafted and they plan to put two pins in on each side and we will turn the pins 1mm twice daily as the "jaw" forms). the doctors feel there is enough rib bone intact to go ahead so we are ready. her appt. is feb. 26th at Univ. of Michigan and she will see the cranio facial surgeon at 10am then denistry at 3:30pm. will be a very long day as we are 3 hrs from the hospital complex also. it is my understanding they will set a surgery date at this appt. this is the beginning of the next surgeries so she can realize her dream, "wanting a mouth just like mommie's". thank you so much for all the prayers and thoughts for kim and all the children. He does hear and He does answer. love, sue
UPDATE: 12-12-03
Just had to share the manger Kim drew tonight. a Star and a Child. love, sue
ADDED: 10-27-03
Condition = congenital birth anomalies including missing lower jaw (mandible)and tongue, triple amputee. requires trach and feeding tube
prayers as she continues reconstructive surgery (a rib graft has already been performed) to form her lower jaw and God's divine guidance as she reaches daily for the stars.
History:
History:
Jessie Kimberly Therese Tolin was born September 25th, 1996 (sharing her birthday with her maternal grandfather who passed away just 3 days after her homecoming). Poppa waited for you to come home safely:) Jessie was born in Texas and received her first love and care from a wonderful, committed, caring, and loving foster mother who has formed her into what she is today with the hands of Our Father. Kim (her nickname given lovingly as it is her second name now) has surpassed and amazed all the professionals with her determination and love of life conquering many obstacles in her journey thus far. She was born with congenital anomalies including missing her lower mandible, tongue and a triple amputee. There isn't a detour she has not gotten through in her short years to this point.
Kim loves to ride her tricycle and she just got a two wheeler with training wheels that she has mastered. Her all time love after God is horses. She loves to play with toy horses, cuddle with her stuffed horses and watch her favorite movie video, "Spirit" and has even named her leg after him. There is nothing thus far that has stopped this litle package of dynomite. Her zest for life is contagious and touches any and everyone that meets and/or sees her. We are blessed as being chosen to be her earthly parents and could not be prouder as we watch our daughter bloom. Kim you are a very Special child and part of our family and we pray we can live up to the standards and responibilities God has given us in raising you. All our love, Mommie, Daddy, Sisters, Brothers and all the rest of your extended family.
Below is the poem Mommie wrote to her when we brought her home to Michigan to her forever family from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Jessie Kimberly Therese Tolin
It's been over a year, April 2001,
A call, homestudy sent-our journey begun.
A little girl-round little face, big dark eyes & hair with curl,
In need of a forever family and home-"Is this your girl?"
The call came, paperwork started and a lot of red tape,
Our minds and hearts-an answer-an easy decision to make.
Jessie Kimberly Therese Tolin is the name you are given,
After Grandma, your birth name and a special foster mother truly from Heaven.
A very special little girl-lots of responsibility and care,
God gives to us, we're chosen, your life and love to share.
From this day forward a Mommie, Daddy, siblings we are,
A family forever, only God can separate, either near or far.
So accept our care and love so unconditionally we give,
Jessie Kimberly Therese Tolin, today/tomorrow and as long as you live.
You are a very special little girl and we are truly blessed,
We are now family-mommie, daddy, siblings-our daughter FOREVER-
praying we live up to the test.
written by Mommie (kst)
May 27, 2002