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OUR MIRACLE, CHEYENNE
Steve and Sherry Chandler |
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1 YEAR AGO
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Jun 17, 2008 06:42am (EST)
Hello to all family and friends,
It’s been a year this week. A year since our world was changed and flipped upside down. This week a year ago Sherry went in for her a routine checkup, which led to a follow up the next day on her blood pressure, to hospitalization for severe preeclampsia and then the news that we were going to most likely lose our daughter. Her chance of survival was less then 2%. The heart monitor volume was turned off and we spent the loneliest and emptiest of nights just clutching each other. It was a whirlwind and a summer that followed unlike any before it.
We spent the whole summer in the hospital everyday. Scrubbing in every time for at least three minutes at the NICU and putting on the robes and face mask before visiting our tiny daughter who was the size of a dollar bill grow, stumble, fight and forge a path forward. We went through blood infections and infusions, skin infections, heart surgery, 2 eye surgeries, little scares and big ones. We prayed and we watched and we waited. There wasn’t much else we could do. It was 90 days in the NICU.
So it’s been a year and today Chy is doing more and better then we could have ever imagined. She most recently had her eye appointment with the doctor who performed the first surgery and he said that it was nothing short of a miracle. She looked to him to be completely healed. He honestly thought Cheyenne was going to be blind in one eye and or have severe vision problems.
Last week, Chy cut her first tooth on the bottom. Michael fond out the hard way while playing with her. We heard a scream and then heard him yelling, “Chy has a tooth!” This morning I was playing with her and I saw she has one coming down from the top. Leave it to my girl to be different. She is rolling and scooting and so close to crawling. She loves to just lay on the carpet and explore the living room. I can’t wait literally for the day that she starts toddling along. I’ll take her to the mountains and the trails and show her the deer, the butterflies and the views.
She loves to be with people who take an interest in her. She loves to be outside, to take a walk in the neighborhood or in the park. She has this thing these days where she knocks on things. I don’t know if it is to hear the sound or what the deal is. She closes her fist and just gently raps on whatever is in front of her or near her. She sleeps all night, she recognizes things today like certain people, her bottle of milk and her brother especially.
As I reflect on the year and what has happened, what has changed and what might be to come I can only imagine. I spend most days this year wondering how much better life could be. Wondering what we did to deserve such blessings and to have the family we do. I haven’t found an answer and I don’t know that I ever will. I only know that I am eternally in debt to the staffs at Johnston Willis and Chippenham hospitals who loved her just as much as we did. I know that our family and friends who stood by us and cried with us and prayed for us made a difference that will never be forgotten. I also know that the love and commitment Sherry and I have today is built so much on what our hearts shared and experienced last summer. Most of all I know that Cheyenne’s successes were not possible without the Good Lord.
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Posted by Steve and Sherry Chandler | Comments: (1) | Permalink
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29 APR 08
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Apr 29, 2008 12:04pm (EST)
Greetings form soaking Richmond,
Our second rainiest month on record here in Richmond has foiled lots of attempts to play baseball, wash my cars and host of other great things that we have planned as a family to do outdoors. However this afternoon the sun has finally come out and maybe we will have a softball game after all this evening.
Some may not know it, those of you who really know me best can’t deny it, I an am outdoors kind of person. I love to hike, jump rocks in the James River, camp, and most of all; taking the kids to experience it and challenge their notions that they can’t accomplish the very feat in front of them that they are about to conquer. Cheyenne will get to experience all of that I hope and more importantly enjoy it.
I have been reminded of a few very important things this past couple weeks that Cheyenne has been down in Georgia visiting Sherry’s parents. Sherry and I wanted to give Cheyenne a chance to spend time with Nana and Poppa and vice versa. We also thought it might serve as a break for us. We had one day to sleep in since we dropped her off nearly three weeks ago. Even with one less around we are still just as busy. It usually ends up being one free night for us that we aren’t traveling to ball games, entertaining the kids or doing something else that has to be accomplished.
So when do I have time to hike, camp, experience the outdoors? I find the time, or more descriptively I drag my butt out of bed earlier or take a little longer lunch to enjoy something outdoors (like the rock jumping) or lastly I stay up later and do something after its dark. Mostly though I incorporate our family time into an event outside and combine the two.
There is nothing to me as pretty as the early morning sunrise in my neighborhood. I find running as the sun is rising and most people are in their bed is a great time to get my day started. I can order my day; sometimes even “write” letters in my head. Indeed many mornings I “wrote” this blog in my head before putting it on paper. All this serves as a little time for me. At night after the day is gone is another great time to run some miles. It’s dark and I can sneak under dark skies, lost in thought. Mostly these days though one if not all the kids are with me and it is always memorable. There was the sunset on Ft. Myers Beach this past February with Michael. There is nothing like the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico. Standing over his shoulder, smelling his sea salty head was a never forget moment. There is the morning last July when I got all the kids up early and drove to the Blue Ridge Mountains and planned to have breakfast with them on top of the mountain and watch the sunrise. Three-quarters of the way up we encountered a couple bears and hastily made our way back to the base. We still enjoyed our breakfast, just at the base of the mountain instead of the top. This past weekend Sherry and I took the older kids to the river and Maddie reminded me of the challenge I had issued to the kids in that same park. We were going to scale a 10 foot rock formation in the middle of the river. It was tough, they all three told me they “couldn’t,” however a short while later all four of us stood with a confident pose on top of that formation.
When someone says you can’t, when someone says that is impossible, and most of all when doctors tell you there is no way, I love that. I know, it sounds weird. I live for being told you can’t, because I am going to try that much harder. In my mind it is how life and people succeed in this world. Its how I have made my life. I find added motivation in being told I can’t do it. I guess my point in all of this is that maybe Cheyenne had that too. She wasn’t going to live, she wasn’t going to be pretty, she wasn’t going to be normal. She loved it, she kept plugging along and now she is 16 pounds, 24 inches, growing, living and exploring life and best of all here to experience it all.
Sherry and I have missed her deeply while she has been away. It’s been 11 months since she came into our world and I can’t imagine life without her. My LL Bean carrier is waiting by the door and ready for more adventures with Chy as the pilot and I can’t wait.
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Posted by Steve and Sherry Chandler | Comments: (2) | Permalink
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3 APR 08
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Apr 03, 2008 07:34am (EST)
Hello All,
Greetings from Richmond, where spring is in full bloom! Temperatures are finally rising and it is nice to have the sliding door and windows open. Last night Sherry, Chy and I went for a walk and enjoyed the milder weather. Chy is growing like crazy, this month she will turn 11 months old! She is approaching 15 pounds and the hair on her head is finally growing. She had her physical 2 weeks ago and she is on track at this point with a 6 month old. She discovered her hands about a month ago. Watching them, admiring them… In the last two weeks she has also discovered her toes. Sherry and I think her teeth are about to start coming in as she spends some significant time munching on her fingers. Last night I played with her on the floor and she is not quite scooting but she has her head up, and rolling around. I love it when they start exploring the world and interacting with adults!
The kid’s sports are in full swing. Opening day for the older girls is this Saturday, the 5th of April and they are excited. It is their first year playing softball and I can not wait. Maddie sees the game as a social event, a time to hug friends and such. Katie, the younger at 5 is fiercely competitive and loves to play. I enjoy watching her practice and she always wants to practice with dad away from the field. Mike has an excellent coach and he is really, I think turning a corner in his development as a ball player. We have all the game schedules on a spreadsheet and right now we have 40 games between the three starting on 5 April and ending on the 31st of May, so our second home will be the ball fields.
Otherwise life is good. Chy is healthy and moving along and we continue to be so thankful for her miracle. We had Easter with all the kids and my dad who visited. Last weekend Sherry, Chy and I had dinner with both my parents and it was fun. My parents are in the process of slowly moving down to this region from Massachusetts. They bought a house about 2.5 hours away so it will be nice to have them so much closer. On the 12th or 13th of April we are dropping off Chy to spend some time with Nana and Poppa in Georgia. They are excited to see their little grand daughter again. I believe it will be about 2-3 weeks in Georgia for her. I like her spending time down there because I want her to be just like her mom, a wonderful Georgia Peach! That’s it for now. We love and miss everyone!
Steve and Sherry
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Posted by Steve and Sherry Chandler | Comments: (0) | Permalink
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13 MAR 08
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Mar 13, 2008 06:53am (EST)
Hey Everyone,
I know, I know, I know…..I said I was gong to try and update every week and that was two months ago. I always wanted a big family and Sherry and I have that. Don’t be getting any ideas though, Sherry and I don’t plan on having any more! I could not though imagine that we would have no time to complete all the things in a day that we need to.
Spring sports are here in Virginia and the big three as we call them are all involved in sports. Michael is in baseball, the girls; Maddie and Katie are in softball. This means practices every night Tuesday – Friday and then three practices on Saturday. The kids live in Powhatan and us in Glen Allen, so its 30 minutes to grab the kid who has practice and then 15 minutes over to the field. An hour or 2 at practice, then driving them home and then finally myself home. Sounds easy but I usually have at least one if not all of them with me at practice or jumping on me at arrival or before I leave to shower me with kisses and love. I leave everyday after work at 4:30 and get home about 9 or later each night. Mondays aren’t much better as I have to drive out to Powhatan to pick up Michael for his night with us at our house. So 6 days a week right now we are busy. Add in drill weekends and preparing for those (I am in officer school and have to spend a considerable amount of time studying) and weekends with the kids which are always spent on some new adventure to test their confidence and horizons and you can start to see that we just don’t have a life beyond them! Even with all this activity I think Sherry would join me in agreeing that life could not be better. The kids love the sports, love the adventures that we come up with and the memories that we try to build.
Chy is doing great. She is eating food now; rice cereal, carrots, and LOVES bananas. She can kill a whole jar of those with ease. She is growing into 6-9 month clothing and closing in on the next size soon. While Michael and I were in Florida I got her her first Red Sox shirt and I believe I got a size she will outgrow by May. I am still amazed that she is as beautiful as she is after having gone through all the drama last year. But I guess I should not be that surprised because she gets all those great features from her mother.
Last night we were eating out after a practice and we were in mild disbelief that the basket the kids’ food came in could have held Chy 10 months before. I am so thankful that the nurses had us take pictures of her next to a pencil, dollar bill and other items so we will always have those to prove her size not only to others but even to ourselves. I almost forgot the most amusing thing with her of late. She loves to make what sound almost like animal growls when you play with her….She sounds like a little lion and it is so cute. She will be in Georgia again in mid to late April for a few weeks to visit Nana and Poppa. They can’t travel up to us because of Sherry’s grandmother needs (who turned 82 yesterday). With Howard gone that falls on Barbra and J.L. now. So Chy will spend two weeks down there, it worked really well last month.
Alright that is about it for now, take care and I’ll do my best to keep you updated!
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Posted by Steve and Sherry Chandler | Comments: (0) | Permalink
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28 JAN 08
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Jan 28, 2008 10:22am (EST)
Hey Everyone,
I am going to try and update on a weekly basis again as I received some great encouragement over the past week from people who still read our story.
As many now know we traveled to Georgia last Wednesday the 23rd and attended the viewing and funeral for Howard Woodall, the following day, the 24th. It was a tough day, especially for Sherry. I think a lot of the family and friends I met were in shock more then anything. Howard was so strong and so good looking and this was seemingly just so out of the blue. Sherry and I spoke about it on the drive down there and it was exactly a month from when we said goodbye to them on Christmas Eve as we headed home to Virginia to spend the next day with the kids. I shoke his hand and remembered thinking I would see him again shortly.
Howard’s wife told me a story on Wednesday night after the viewing that he had spent the last two days before being rushed to the hospital unable to even stand, splitting wood in the backyard in the rain and cold. He had come inside to ask his wife (a very strong, devout Christian) if God would really forgive him of his sins. He told her he had been praying the whole day. She of course answered yes and he went back out to continue splitting wood. The same thing happened the next day and Howard again asked if God would forgive him, this time in tears. She reassured him he would. She told me very sadly that was the last time she talked to him.
The preacher on Thursday during the service affirmed what I was thinking, that God had called Howard out to that wood pile, and he had a conversation with him and called him home. You would think that after the experience with Cheyenne, which Sherry and I went through, that we would be so firm in standing with our faith. The honest truth is we still feel at times we are standing in Jell-O. Cheyenne was/is in our mind nothing short of a miracle. We were told she had a 2% chance of survival. They muted the sound of her heartbeat so we couldn’t listen to it, because even they gave up on her living. The story of Howard was something I know I needed to hear.
Sometimes I think as people in this world we lose focus and can forget the realness of God. I know he is real, how else do you explain the calm he gave Howard? And how else can someone survive against all odds? He gave me a sense of peace the morning I walked out of the hospital wondering if I would bury my daughter or if she would live to see the outside of a hospital. I prayed about it and wondered aloud walking to my car, I remember him saying in a calm and reassuring voice, that Chy would be fine. I can’t underestimate the confidence it gave to me and allowed me to lend to Sherry who was very unsure.
Anyhow, it is difficult to transition from such a profound area to everyday stuff…
Sherry and I discussed leaving Chy with her grandparents for a few weeks and we thought for everyone’s sake (Howard lived with Sherry’s parents) that Chy being there with them might bring them some joy in this tough time. So she is spending time with the grandparents in Georgia these next few weeks. It gave us a break to some degree but also hopefully will give the house down there some joy.
We drove home Friday and picked up my kids and took them to a long promised trip to Massanuten, a resort in Western Virginia where you can go skiing, snow tubing and all kinds of stuff. Saturday we went to the indoor water park and Sunday we went snow tubing. They had an absolute blast. Both nights they feel into bed exhausted (as did we). It was a wonderful trip that was much needed and very much enjoyed. Our only wish was that Sherry had gotten to participate, as she was sick from Friday on. Here are a few pictures from the tubing on Sunday.
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Posted by Steve and Sherry Chandler | Comments: (2) | Permalink
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