Starting a Scholarshop foundation in Mari’s honor.

To find out more about the foundation I plan to start, please click on the page at the top of the website titled "Scholarship". If you would like to donate to this cause, please click the donate button.

I have included a meter to show the progress we are making towards one full scholarship. To find out more details, please see the "Scholarship" page at the top of the website.
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Her Hospital Story

For those of you who are wanting to know exactly what happened to our daughter or you already know but want to read the story again, I have included it on the following pages.  I won’t say I hope you enjoy it as this story is heart wretching and sad.  However, I do hope it helps to show you why I started writing in the first place.

Mommy’s Angel In Heaven

Click here to start the story on Day 1.

23 comments to Her Hospital Story

  • I am so sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing your story. I will read more.

  • bonnie

    I’m heartbroken for you and your family. Ur in my prayers.

  • Neeka

    I just read Mari’s story and it touched me so deeply. There are no words to explain how I feel for your family. You and Keith are the bravest people I know. I don’t know how I would be if this happened to my daughter. I cried through out the whole story and even made my husband and neighbors read it. I am praying for your family that you pull through this. I hope to one day meet Mari in heaven. I will also pray that she might find my two babies up there and keep them safe with her till I get to see them again one day.

    • Neeka, wow, your reply has brought tears to my eyes. It always touches me so much to know that my writing has touched another person. I know that Mari is up there playing with your two little ones. We will all one day be able to seem them again.

  • Tami

    As I finished reading your beautiful daughters heroic and heart breaking story, I could not stop the flow of tears…My heart breaks for you and your family at the loss of such a beautiful child…I know and understand your pain in many ways.I pray that God hold you and your family especially close in His loving hands…May He fill your hearts with comfort and your souls with peace as only He can,.,..
    HUgs,
    Tami
    Mom to angel Davis

  • Jade

    Hello,
    I am from Australia. I read your comment on the WillowTree website which led me to this site and your story. I just want to say thankyou for shareing it.

  • I have to say, it was heart-wrenching to read your story. You are such a strong woman to be able to document everything that happened. I have an 11 month old daughter and she is the most precious thing that has ever happened to my husband and I and I couldn’t imagine going through what you did. As I read the last page where you and your husband held her in your arms as she passed away I just balled for you. I pray that the Lord continues to give you strength and that you reach many people with your story and touch many hearts. God Bless!

    • Sharon, thank you for taking the time to write what you have. It means so much to me. It always amazes me when someone tells me that my writing has touched them to the point of tears as before what happened with my beautiful daughter I never would have thought I could do something like that. To know that others, whether they have lost a child or not, can relate to my writing means alot. Thank you.

  • bethany

    heart breaking! And this was all caused from a e-coli strand?

    • Yes, this was all caused by e-coli. E-coli 0157:H7 to be exact. It is a very dangerous strand. We still do not know to this day where she contracted it from because due to her autism she did not eat fruits, vegetables, and meat (as this is where you typically contract it from). However, I have done some research and found that petting zoo’s and farm animals can be a place where you can contract it at. We had gone out to my husband’s sister’s farm the Thursday before she got sick (about 5 days before she started to show any signs). She was all around the animals and due to her autism she constantly put her hands in her mouth. It did not matter how closely either. I would take my eyes off her for just 30 seconds and she had climbed out my sister-in-law’s open window to get right back outside with all the animals. It is the only place we think it could have happened as no one else in the family, in her school, at her camp, or any other place we had visited during that time had contracted this E-coli. All I can say is it sucks. I miss her terrbily but someday we will be able to be reunited again in heaven. Thank you for your words.

  • Laura Mankowsky

    God bless your baby girl. I hope the two of you are healing and are able to find strength in each other to continue your journey in this life. It is wonderful that you have the courage to write a book about Mari. She would be so pleased and proud of her mommy! Mari was blessed to have such beautiful parents. What a wonderful life she had!

    • Laura, thank you for your heartflet comments. They mean the world to me. My husband and I are doing good. I am working now and we have taken custody of our niece and nephew. They have been such a blessing in our lives. Our daughter Mari will always be missed and I wish she was still with us everyday. However, since she can’t be it is good to have these two beautiful children in our lives. Mari’s death created a hole that will never be able to be filled but with these two kids they have helped to fill that hold back in some just in that it helps us to not always think of her all the time. Our mind are able to focus on more positive things in life. I still miss her terribly but I think that is to be expected. Again thank you for your comments. They mean the world to me.

  • Wow, my heart aches for you and your family. I have no words that could adequately express how sorry I am that you lost your daughter. Thank you for sharing your story. You are all in my prayer.

    Blessing,

    Kym

    • Kym, thank you for your heartfelt words. For me sharing our daughter’s story helps me to know she continues to live on through our memories. I will always miss her but I couldn’t imagine it any other way. God works in mysterious ways and has shown me that through such a terrible tragedy that I could find something beautiful out of it through my writing.

  • Dianelys

    My English is not very good, I’m better reading it than writing it, but I read every word and I cried making it, I’m sorry, I feel their loss, because as a mother can not imagine the pain of the loss of my daughters.
    God give you strength to go ahead and accept this painful conformity of loss and may God bless the beautiful Mari sitting next to him, as the beautiful angel of light it is.
    you are loved and brave parents who love their daughter and she loved forever and you lived and fought with her until the end.
    You and she will always be in my prayers
    God bless you.

  • I’m still crying as I try to process your story. Thank you for sharing it. I clicked over from ACFW/Facebook after I liked your page. I’m glad you are able to heal through writing. My daughter was born 2 years before Mari with seizures, but her last one was age 5. She is now 14 and just had a seizure 2 weeks ago. She fell on the track at school, bruised and scraped her knees, hands, elbows, shoulders and hip. They took her by ambulance to the hospital. They did a CT. Next week she has an EEG and the week after an MRI as they try to figure out what is causing it after 10 years. As I was reading your story, it gave me chills, reminded me of all of Celina’s hospital tests during her 3 1/2 weeks when she was born. My hubby also stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. They are such a blessing! I’m so sorry for your loss and will be praying and thinking of you and Keith. I hope the best for your writing, as well. God bless you.

    • Jennifer, thank you so very much for your kinds words. We seem to have a few things in common. It is comments like yours that tell me I am write in making her story into a book. I had the first draft complete but have realized that it is not right and need to start completely over. Now I just need to find a good Christian group or a few people who would be will to help me critique it so I can make it the best I can make it. I know it is God’s hands and it will be just the way it needs to be when it finally gets published. Thank you again for your kinds words. They mean the world to me.

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