A decade of Yvie

This is my friend, Yvie.


I met Yvie a couple of years ago, but we didn't become really good friends until last year, when her baby sister was born. It is funny how a series of events change the course of the path of your life when you least expect it.

Yvie has many medical issues and requires constant round-the-clock care. As her mother always says, "It takes a village to raise Yvie," and this village, while it changes over the course of time, has grown bigger and stronger in the last year alone. That is when Yvie's baby sister was born.

I work part-time at my church where Yvie and her family are active members, and I can remember the day I found out a baby was expected. I remember thinking how great it was and prayed for a healthy baby for the family. Sarah arrived in late February, a tiny infant weighing less than 6 lbs. Everybody knows babies love to be held as much as people love holding babies. And with Yvie's needs, her mom expressed the need for lots of baby holders. So whenever I went to work and somebody mentioned Karen and asked if I minded going over to hold the baby, I jumped at the opportunity. See?


Well, I visited when I was needed, happy to help out when I could, and over the course of time, my time between Sarah and Yvie was split, and when Sarah was in somebody else's care, I'd sit with Yvie and we'd read or watch DVDs or color. I couldn't help it; without even trying, she stole my heart and there was no getting it back.

I started to visit with the boys, who adored baby Sarah, and who would spend time with Yvie, too. It got to the point where they were begging me almost every night to go to Yvie's house. By then, we were coming and going without the need for an invitation. We were always welcome, no matter what kind of day they were having, and the boys loved going over to play or eat or just visit.

Yvie turned 10 last month. Her doctors didn't expect her to survive this long. And while she is not going to get better, and it seems every illness sets her back a little more than before, we celebrate every day she is here with us, no matter how bad the day may turn out to be. Raising a child with special needs, compounded with complex medical issues, along with trying to balance the rest of the family, is in and of itself an unbelievable challenge. Hence the need for a village, and I am so thankful to be a part of Yvie's village.

Want to know more about this special little girl? Go to her website
and read more about her. If you wish to donate towards the ramp and lift that are needed to modify her home and give her easier access to the second floor and in and out of the house, then you can be part of the village, too. It's a really cool village to be in. I know. So do my boys. You can even ask them.