Sunday, December 21, 2008

Pretty good for a 6 year old !


In my last blog you saw a picture of my son hugging one of the columns of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. He is also the dad of Faye, the sweet little girl that drew this picture.

What is particularly touching about this picture is that my son and his wife have been divorced for almost two years now. I am proud and happy to say that it’s been an amicable arrangement and they all three remain very close, emotionally as well as in proximity.

Both my son and his ex-wife are Type 1 diabetics so we’d been hoping that this would not carry over to Faye. However, just to be safe, they saved 2 ampules of her cord blood stem cells when she was born and have had them stored.

This has proved to be a very good choice. Just a few months ago she was diagnosed as a Juvenile Diabetic and started on insulin. My daughter-in-law did a bunch of research on the internet and came across this article: “New York, NY, June 25, 2007 -- Researchers supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation have found that transfusion of stored umbilical cord blood into a small group of newly diagnosed children with type 1 diabetes appears to have delayed the progression of the disease, possibly re-setting the immune system and slowing the destruction of their insulin-producing cells.”

BINGO. This information was enough to start the ball rolling and now Faye is part of a research project being held in Florida. She is one of just 15 children chosen so it is very exciting. It is way too soon to see if this can halt the progression of the disease but there have been positive and hopeful signs.

As you can see by the picture that she drew Faye loves her daddy and cherishes all the times that they are together. To me it proves that love comes in all forms and even those who cannot live together can still work together and change the lives of those around them.

13 Comments:

Blogger kenju said...

What a lovely post about them. Not many divorced couples can be that good to each other; it is especially good for Faye - I can see. I hope her cord blood will help her!

5:16 PM  
Blogger KGMom said...

This is the second positive item I have read about cord blood--I just read this week's Newsweek which featured an article about using cord blood.
So glad your son & his daughter are so close, and that along with her mother--they all work together well.

7:26 PM  
Blogger Syd said...

Bless little Faye and your son. I hope that all will go well for her. And Ginnie, you have a great Christmas. Is it cold in NC? It's blowing cold here today.

10:29 AM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

I hope it works for her.

11:50 AM  
Blogger Chancy said...

Ginnie
What great news about the research project and what a smart ex DIL you have. Isn't the internet wonderful when it can provide such invaluable information and research capabilities.
Faye is quite the little artist. I adore the pictures that little grandchildren make for us all. :)

4:44 PM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

I'm making the rounds to wish all of my blog friends a Merry Christmas!

8:47 AM  
Blogger possum said...

Wow! Won't it be wonderful if she can be helped? How brilliant to have even thought of it back at her birth!
Loved your pictures of your trip. Lucky, lucky YOU!
Have a wonderful holiday time!

12:55 PM  
Blogger Cazzie!!! said...

Good on Faye for a wonderful image that she did, all by her own self too!! And, for being part of what I dearly hope will be such a helpful research to somehow get a handle on diabetes. It is such a wide spread condition Worl wide. I can guarantee that when I take hand over of a ward of adult patients that at least 80% of them will be some type of diabetic. Which means finger pricks, and sometimes needles too!

7:29 PM  
Blogger Bud said...

I pray that it works Ginny. Merry Christmas

1:34 AM  
Blogger Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

Merry Christmas and much joy in the new year.

4:38 PM  
Blogger Suzy said...

Ginnie, I've been away from your blog for so long!

I want to send you holiday wishes. I hope that your Christmas was lovely.

Yesterday we were encouraging my mother-in-law to start a blog, as she loves to write and emails her essays and poems out to family and friends. I will send her the link to your blog. She'll like it.

Love to you from Suzy

9:02 AM  
Blogger dmmgmfm said...

I hope that the cord blood does everything you hope it does.

Merry Christmas, Ginnie.

9:53 AM  
Blogger Catnapping said...

This is a beautiful drawing. I'm glad you have it framed.

I wish I'd protected my daughter's artwork better. Most of it's gone now.

I'm glad your son's relationship with his ex-wife is friendly. I was devastated when my daughter divorced. I loved her husband like he was my own son, and for a good 4 years, they were at each other's throats. It broke my heart.

6:12 PM  

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