Hero is spelled Caleb Leach...

I always knew that my son Caleb was a kind, tender-hearted boy, but I had no idea just how much until my daughter Abby came along. When 3 1/2 year old Caleb met Abby for the first time in the NICU, he wasn’t scared of the tubes and wires like I thought he would be. Despite the fact that she had a tracheostomy and was 100% ventilator dependent, his first words when he saw her were, “Why, hello there, little sister!” He loved her from the very first moment he saw her.

Abby came home to us 100% ventilator dependent. We attempted to try out a bit of normalcy by taking our “Mega Stroller” filled with a portable ventilator, a suction machine, a pulse oximeter, an apnea monitor, an oxygen tank, a huge diaper bag filled with mostly medical equipment, oh–and a baby! We obviously got quite a few stares from curious strangers–especially when something beeped–but there was one time when a group of middle school boys were being extremely rude and disrespectful. I didn’t have to say a word. My sweet little boy marched right up to them, looked those big boys in the eyes, and said, “Don’t you know you’re looking at a miracle?”

Because of the rarity of Abby’s syndrome, the doctors didn’t have much hope for her. We savored every minute and thanked God for each day we had with her. One night before bedtime, 4 year old Caleb decided to let Abby sleep with one of his favorite stuffed toys. I asked him how long she could have it, and his reply was, “Until she dies.” Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, I joked that it would be a pretty long time for him to be without his favorite toy! To my dismay, Caleb burst into tears. When I asked him what was the matter, he just wailed, “How long? How long will we have her?” My husband and I couldn’t answer that, but we both held him and cried for a long time together. Now that our miracle girl is trach-free and doing amazingly well, five year old Caleb has taken on the role of therapist. He loves to do all of her speech, PT, and OT exercises with her, and I’m pretty sure he’s tougher on her than even I am! He loves teaching others sign language too. Working with Abby has inspired him to want to be a speech-language pathologist when he grows up.

I know that God created Caleb to be the absolutely perfect big brother to Abby. From the moment he greets her in the morning with a cheery, “Well, good morning, prettiest little girl in the world!” to when he thanks God for giving Abby to us every night before he goes to bed, he is truly a wonderful blessing in our lives.

This “How do you Spell HERO?” nomination was submitted by Caleb and Abby’s mom, Julie Leach. Julie blogs about the many adventures of a family impacted by complex medical issues at “Life as a Leach” http://www.lifeasaleach.blogspot.com/

Hero is spelled Erin...

My oldest daughter has a rare syndrome called LEOPARD syndrome. Due to this she has Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Growth Hormone Deficency. She has to take a beta blocker every night and a shot of growth hormone. My youngest daughter Erin, is the one I say is a HERO. She makes sure we never forget her sister’s medications.  She also holds her oldest sister’s hand each night while she has her shot. Erin tells Emma (the oldest) “hold my hand and look at me sissy I am giving you all my bravery”!

She is a little Hero.
Submitted by MOM Sherrie Grant

HERO is spelled Eli...

Eli was two years old when our daughter Molly came into this world. From day one he has been by her side.  At such a young age of six he is the most caring and loving person I know. He is quick to tell me if she is upset are if she is sick he will go get a towel for her. He loves her so much and always wants her to be apart of his life.  If she’s not with us the first thing out of his mouth is where’s Molly?  I am one very blessed mom to have such amazing young man.

Submitted by MOM Janie McNutt

Hero is spelled Dr. Jody!

Bobby thinks Dr. Jody ROCKS!!!

We just can't seem to find the right words to describe just how much "Dr Jody" means to our family.  She was the first one who really seemed to listen and validate the concerns I expressed about my son's development.  After talking with her about it one time, she got the referral in place to have Bobby evaluated by the Center for Disabilities and Development while others wanted to adopt the "wait and see" approach.  Thanks to her quick actions, Bobby soon received the tests he needed.  It was discovered that he has Holoprosencephaly and Cerebral Palsy.  Having these diagnoses allowed us to get the services in place to help him better progress in his development.  "Dr Jody" is always there for Bobby medically and has allowed us the privilege of being able to contact her at any time.  However, she has gone even further than that in that she is there for us emotionally as well.  There is no doubt in my mind that "Dr Jody" truly cares for Bobby and doesn't just see him as a patient.  The feeling is definitely mutual, Bobby always wants to go see her and says "I love Dr Jody."  She is an amazing person and we are wonderfully blessed to have her in our lives.  This nomination was submitted by MOM Tonya Seaberg, you can read more about Bobby's story at:

Coles Pages - Bobby's Story