Miracles Happen~Just Believe
written by Sondra Dubas
“Mom, I’m almost a teenager!” This is the phrase I’ve been hearing for the past year. And finally, June 28, 2014 my little girl will become a teenager. Oh, the journey it has been to get to this point of celebrating her entry to the teenage years! Her birth and all the events that occurred since then are such vivid memories. There are all the typical, wonderful moments. And then there are the challenging times that rocked our world.
Ashley was born in 2001 with Tetralogy of Fallot and absent pulmonary valve. At the age of three months, she had her first heart repair. She went home 2 ½ months later with a trach, and breathing apparatus. For 1 ½ years, her family loved her and watched as her airways grew strong enough that she no longer needed the breathing support or trach. A few years later she received stents via heart catheterization. And finally, in the summer of 2008, she would have her second open-heart surgery to replace the valve implant that does not grow as she grows. Tragedy struck when an air bubble escaped and went to her brain, causing her to suffer a stroke. Her family poured their love and belief into her during a 9-week hospital rehabilitation, and 6-week extensive out-patient daily rehab. Ashley learned to hold her head up, sit on her own, eat, talk, feed herself, walk, write, learn, and become a normal-functioning child once again.
Ashley’s family saw this traumatic event as a blessing, a gift, a life changing experience. They readjusted their lives to place more emphasis on family versus careers. Through this experience and the support and friendships they encountered with other CHD families, a nonprofit group called Heart Heroes Inc. was founded. The sole purpose of the group was intended to give Heart Hero capes to children with CHD in order to give them the courage they need to endure their challenging surgeries and frequent doctor visits.
Ashley’s mother, Sondra Dubas went on to publish “Miracle of Belief – The Story of a Six-Year-Old Heart Hero” in June, 2013, which details Ashley’s fight to gain her life back following the stroke. The family opened their hearts and shared their vulnerabilities about their journey, with the hope that other families could find hope and courage in reading their story and realizing that they are not alone in their fears and struggles when faced with challenging circumstances. More importantly, the family hoped that their story would provide valuable coping strategies and life lessons. Ashley’s family is a true testament to the power of simply believing that anything is possible. The book just received the Mom’s Choice Awards Seal of Approval.
Today, Ashley is an active, happy young girl who loves riding her scooter, spending time with friends, playing with her dog, cooking, eating ice cream, and laughing and singing. All the things that a young girl her age deserves to be doing! She fights with her 8-year-old sister, Nicole, as sisters do. But they love each other all the same. Nicole has always been Ashley’s biggest cheerleader through all her challenges.
Although another valve replacement looms in the near future for Ashley, we have learned to focus on enjoying the moment and not thinking too far into the future. Those “sassy” teenage years are upon us. I remind myself to be grateful as I reflect on the days of not knowing if we would make it this far. No matter what happens, I will always believe that anything is possible, if you just believe.