Philadelphia 2010

Last month I traveled to Philadelphia for the first ever CDH Summit.  It was an honor to be invited to such an event and it proved to be more than I could have ever expected.  For those who don't know CDH stands for congenital diaphragmatic hernia.  It's a rare and often fatal birth defect with no known cause and it took the life of our only child, Parker Reese in May 2006. 

I had never been to Philly before so I was super excited to what all it had to offer.  It's a beautiful place.  So much history.  Many gorgeous photo opportunities.  

The summit was amazing.  I learned so much about what's being done to find a cause for CDH.  The speakers were all so kind and it was so nice to put a face to a name.  They had two CDH research centers there and it was exciting to see the families participate in their studies.  I love meeting CDH families.  I never imagined that my life would become what it is today.  Running a CDH nonprofit and dedicating my life to families diagnosed with CDH.  I love what I do.  And I've met some of my best friends from our journey with CDH.   We truly are blessed that God chose us.  It's taken us some time to discover that but I have come to accept that I may never fully understand the path God has chosen for my life, but find great peace in simply knowing there is one.

I am looking forward to dinner with our friends tonight and a weekend without any children.  We are keeping two of our nieces and a nephew during the week.  We love them to pieces but it's nice to have a break!