And so it begins...

A new chapter in my life that I figured would never open - blogging. While I enjoy looking at other people's blogs - especially those involving card or scrapbook ideas - I can't image who would look at mine. Now thanks to Paper Makeup Stamps and their new summer release, I find myself anxious to get on-line and show off the creations I've been making for Post Pals over in the UK - a wonderful organization being highlighted by Dustin Pike's blog candy give away. Wanting to participate in the chance to win more of Dustin's amazing dinosaurs from PMS, I randomly selected a 10 year old boy for my card. The result was:




While I enjoy making cards, truth being told, I really don't have much occasion to use them. A huge thanks to Dustin, whose blog candy not only gave me reason to create, but also purpose. After finishing the card, I was drawn back to the Post Pal website and started to look through the children listed and paused when I saw a child with Cystic Fibrosis. With renewed determination, I began to search through the listings for children my son's age with CF. Brennan was four months old when he caught his first bout of Bronchiolittis and received his first round of antibiotics. After that, he was on antibiotics every six weeks like clock-work. When he was a year of age I was at wit's end and requested a referral to a new pediatritian hoping to get the sickness under control. The appointment was stressful. The doctor examined Brennan, sent him for x-rays on site, and told me that my son was "seriously ill". Then he mentioned CF testing. I left the office in a daze because I really had no idea what CF was. Of course this was a Friday afternoon and the first thing I did when I got home was google CF. And then my world fell apart. How could my boy be sentinced to this life?! After all I went through to get him into this world, only to have him taken away?! My friends and family got me through the next two weeks as I waiting for the appointment and then the results. When the results came back negative, I knew that I had within myself the strength to deal with anything else. Turns out I would need that strength when he was labelled anaphylaxic to eggs and allergic to a multitude of other things and asthmatic. But it wasn't CF so I could deal with it.
Dustin's focus on Post Pals brought these emotions flooding back and I was determined to send a card to one of these children with CF. I ended up choosing two. A girl named Caitlin who loves purple will be receiving this one:


And Joe, a boy who just turned six, will be receiving this card:







Joe's picture reminded me so much of my son that my family will continue to send cards his way. His interests match those of my son, perhaps there is a Pen Pal in my son's future...