I 've never felt less self-absorbed than I do right now — a blessing in and of itself — and I see so clearly that the changes in my life, including my decision to move on from Milagro House, are truly insignificant. Self-centeredness has completely given way to thoughts of a young woman named Ashley and her beautiful children, Lavontae and Kialie.
Lavontae was born when his mom lived at Milagro House two years ago; Kialie, when Ashley left Lancaster to give "home" in the Midwest another try. Ashley and I have kept in touch, and I was overjoyed when she returned to Milagro House to complete nursing school. She had been a good resident, intelligent, eager to learn and devoted to her son.
When we met this time, it seemed as though she had gathered the weight of the world into her arms along with her two children. It took only a few minutes for Ashley to confess that she had returned to this area in the hope that the doctors at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center could save the life of her precious little girl.
When she was just 15 weeks into her second pregnancy, Ashley learned that the baby she carried was in trouble. It was almost immediately after Kialie was born that Ashley knew that her tiny baby had, in addition to the most beautiful eyes in the world, brain tumors that would threaten her life and turn Ashley's upside down.
After Kialie's birth, Ashley spent months trying to find a doctor in the Midwest who would diagnose, and treat, her daughter. She found no answers, no professional who was willing to risk treating the tumors that had invaded Kialie's corpus callosum, the wide, flat bundle of nerve fibers that connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Ashley is a strong, determined young mother who refused to accept the advice of several doctors to "just enjoy your time with your daughter."
Although she has no family in our area, she remembered that Milagro House had been home during her stay here. The need for support and nurturing for herself and her children led her to return to this area and to people whom she knows still love her and her kids. She's doing all the things that she must to change the direction her life had taken; her son is thriving at Lancaster Day Care Center and Ashley is attending HACC.
The bulk of her time and energy, though, is spent commuting to and from Hershey, where Kialie has had innumerable appointments. Despite the hundreds of dollars she has poured into her gas tank, the minivan Ashley drove across the country has been a real blessing, one of the few things Ashley had going for her. It was heartbreaking for all of us when, this past week, the transmission in her van gave up the ghost. It will cost $1,700 to fix it and, after that, who knows? In another of many downturns in her life, Ashley and her family no longer have the van that made her return to Lancaster County, and the commute to Hershey, a bit more manageable.
There was a small victory for Ashley and 1-year-old Kialie just last week when a call came from Hershey. The brain surgery that terrifies Ashley, but also gives her hope, is scheduled for Aug. 8. Ashley is fearful that the doctor's exploration of the tumors, at least one of which has been determined to be cancerous, may bring more bad news. But she still believes in miracles. And we all have to believe with her.
I wish each of you could meet Ashley and hold Kialie, for just one moment, in your arms. You would fall in love with this special baby girl and you would be in awe of the 23-year-old woman who is her mother. While Kialie is at Hershey Medical Center, Ashley will be at the Ronald McDonald House just across the street, praying for her daughter's life. Please remember both of them over the next week in your prayers and, if you can, take just a moment to send your support, love and prayers to Ashley, Kialie and Lavontae, at Milagro House, 669 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, PA 17603. Thank you.
Renee Valentine is founder and executive director of Milagro House, a long-term, education-based, transitional program for homeless women and children. E-mail her at renee@milagrohouse.org.
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