Me and Mommy have a Date!

Good News! Dr. Markert has set the date for my transplants! On May 8, Mommy and I will both have surgery! My Mommy is giving me a parathyroid gland that will help regulate my calcium levels for several months while my immune system builds. Also on May 8, I will also recieve a thymus transplant so that my body can make the "smart" T-cells I need to fight infections and other bad stuff.

The thymus I will recieve will be from a donor baby. In the next few weeks three separate families will be sending their babies for heart surgeries. During those surgeries it will be necessary for the surgeons to remove the thymus as a regular part of their surgery. The three families have agreed to donate that tissue for possible match for me! I do not know who these babies are but God knows so please ask HIM to watch over my friends and give them healing and blessings!

Also please pray that one of the donors will be a good match so that the scheduled transplants will be able to go as planned. It is also important that my body does NOT try to make its own t-cells until the transplant. So timing is very important.

Please join me in thanking God for the donor families, for Dr. Markert & Staff and for Mommy and Daddy. I will need to be at the Research Center for about six months after the transplants so we are still in for a long separation from Daddy.

Also congratulations and a prayer for quick recovery to my new friend Rocky who had his transplant recently!

So many of you have been so generous with your time and resources and again: I thank God for you! Love and Kisses, Little Coop!

Waking Up is Hard to Do....

Hi Everyone!

I am a little groggy from my long sleep but I am awake! I felt very grumpy at first and I told that physical therapist to leave me alone! So she did. Then I waited all pouty until my Mommy came!

And when I saw my Mommy, I was so happy because she knows how I like to be talked to and played with. She made my Lamb-kins walk and talk and cuddle me and I reached really far until I caught it and hugged it! Then we smiled and Mommy called me her "sweet little monster" and we laughed and smiled some more. Then Mommy pushed on my feet and talked about jump, jump, jumping and I pretended that I thought we were really jumping to make Mommy feel better since she can't really pick me up just yet.

My Daddy is coming to see us today! Then Mommy and I will be really happy.

I am not sure yet when we can move on to the transplants but for now I am awake and working very hard to show these nurses how I like things to be done.

Thanks for checking on me and taking good care of Mommy and Daddy while I have been resting.

Love and kisses, Cooper

Trachea Surgery Report

Cooper went to surgery around 4:30. The scope revealed the damaged area was healed so a trachea tube was successfully inserted! It is believed that it reaches past all the "soft" areas remaining from the vascular ring problems. This means that he will likely be able to come completely off the vent soon. Dr wants him to remain still for several more days (5-7). Then they will attempt to wake him up!

He has only been allowed to wake for short periods since January but he always responds and appears to retain his memories and always wants to play! Won't he be surprised at what it is like to be awake and playing everyday! God is truly good!!

Please watch for Cooper on WATE Channel 6 at 11 pm tonight!

Pancake Fundraiser Huge Success!

This is the story of my very own "Baby Cooper Pancake Breakfast." This is my Great Aunt Nancy Sartin (left), she had an idea. So she told my Great -Great Aunt Grace Hartzog. They talked to lots of people! Who talked to lots more people about me. And all of those people were so loving that when they heard about me that they decided to raise money to help my Mommy and Daddy with my hospital bills. And they did a lot of hard work. I am not sure what hard work is but I have been told that before my heart surgery I worked very hard to breathe. If it is anything like that well I am really impressed!

Now I do not know what a pancake is but they must be very valuable because by giving away free pancakes my family and friends raised $3750+ dollars for me!

I have not even met my "Adams" family yet but they show me so much love! You can see it on the faces of my Great-Great Aunts Nelle Schean(left) and Grace (right). Aunt Grace is really someone special because all of her good friends at First Baptist Concord have poured out tons of love and concern for me because of her great example; not to mention generously donating time, money and supplies.

Mommy and Daddy and I are overwhelmed with the love! I do not know about alot of things other 6 months old children know but I know love very well. It is what has keep me breathing when I was almost to tired to keep going.

My good friend at WATE Kristin Farley could not be at the breakfast but she asked Erica Estep to come as her reprentative. I have met Kristin several times and hope to meet Erica one day! That is Erica with my GrandmaRie (Donna Cooper) and Papa Z (Rick Cooper) and my beautiful Mommy (Emily Ogle)!

Thank you to all the sponsors! Wampler's Sausage, Fresh Market, Elm Hill, Weigels, Kroger, Food City, Rouser Corporation, and WATE Channel 6! I want to also mention my friends at White Star Market in Seymour who have raised over $300 since November by keeping a donation jar in the deli area. Thanks for the love! "Cooper"