Hello friends and family....It's been a LONG week, even though it was a "short," 4 day work week. I have LOTS to blog about this weekend, but just for today I wanted to share a true story that one of my student's shared on her personal newspaper.
This is K, I'm just not going to use her name, for safety reasons. . K is a model student; her writing is fantastic, she is currently reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (and has read all 6 previous books by herself), she is so kind to others, and she loves school; however these aren't the only reasons K is the apple of this teacher's eye.
K and I share something in common, we've both had transplants.
She had her liver transplant as a baby. I knew this when I first met
her, and then her parent's quickly shared this information with me when
I met them for the first time. I shared with them that I had had a
heart transplant and there was undoubtedly an immediate bond and
understanding between us. Well that's just a part of K amazing story. I will let her words from her personal newspaper tell you the rest...
"K was born on February 21, 2001 in Galveston, TX. Sadly, she was born very sick and it took a while to find out what was wrong. The doctors figured out there was something wrong with her liver when she was six weeks old. They tried every thing to make her better but nothing worked. In the end they said only a liver transplant could save her life.
When she was six months old she was severely ill, sick in the hospital waiting for a liver transplant. One bright September morning K's parents and doctors learned that a donor liver was available 800 miles away (in Nashville). However this was no ordinary morning, it was September 11, 2001. America was under attack, and as a result all airplanes were grounded. K's liver could not be flown to her in time. But nobody wanted to give up on K's liver. Many phone calls too place between Houston, Nashville, and Washington D.C. The Pentagon gave permission for the Air National Guard to fly the liver to Houston on a giant C130 military plane.
As a result K's life was saved. This heroic act saved one life on a day when thousands of others died. On the 8th anniversary of 9/11, K is a 3rd grader at Falcon Pass Elementary."
I know we all remember where we were on this horrific morning. I was teaching 1st grade when Brian called my cell phone to tell me that planes were flying into buildings. By the end of the day I think I had 5 students left in my room (the rest were picked up early by parents). That night I remember sitting in my apt with Brian and Carrie Beth glued to the television thinking "it just looks like something that would happen in a movie."
I love K's story so much because it just shows you that when horrible things are happening around us there are still miracles happening. K's dad came to Open House last night and as we were chatting he said with tears in his eyes "you know tomorrow is a very special day for our family! It's just so amazing that 8 years later she is living as a normal child." In K's writing a few weeks ago she was telling about a special small moment to her....when her parent's sat her down last Spring and told her that her mom was pregnant. (K is the youngest.) She ended the story by saying "I guess praying and going to church does work!" Bless her heart. Several times today she would say things like, right now is when my parent's found out there was a liver for me, or it was right now that the terrorists were attacking, or right now I was in surgery. I am so blessed to have her in my room.
