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Frequently Asked Questions about Christian




We wanted to take a minute and thank everyone who stops by our page to leave a thoughtful message, words of encouragement, hugs and kisses, pictures and quotes or to ask how our family is doing.  We are so grateful for all of our friends who have been on this journey with our family since our video went viral and to all of our new friends who join our page daily.  Chris, my parents and I are so grateful for the love you have shown for Christian and his sidekick, Chandler.

Our friend, Marisa who helps me admin our page has mentioned that we are asked many of the same questions about Christian repeatedly, and thought we should put together a question/answer sheet of some of the most asked questions so that we can share as much about Christian as possible.  As always, we welcome any messages you may like to send in private and we do our best to try to get back to you all as soon as possible.  To all of our new friends who have just joined our page either through a friend or you found our video, we hope this will help you learn more about Christian’s past, present and for everyone, what is in Christian’s future.

Our precious Christian is three years old and was born February 18th, 2011.  His condition is very rare and there have only been around 50-60 cases ever documented.  Dr. Flores, his plastic surgeon said “he’s one in a million” and he really is “one in a million” to us.


Some of the questions go back to my pregnancy.  I had a very normal pregnancy and actually felt great the entire time.  On our 18 week ultrasound the doctors discovered that Christian had a cleft lip and palate.  

1. How old is Christian / When is Christian's birthday? 
      Christian's birthday is February 18th, 2011. As of today, 11/16/14, that makes him 3 and a half years old.

2. What is Christian's diagnosis? 
     Christian's diagnosis is Tessier (pronounced tess-ee-ay) cleft lip and palate, classifications 3, 4, and 5. Those numbers simply means the extent of the cleft and where cleft is located on Christian's face. The number classification for Tessier clefts run from 0 being the the midline of the face to fourteen with 4 and being the rarest. Because Christian's cleft is classified as two of the rarest, this is what makes his case one in about 50  in the world. What all that means is that Christian was born with many parts of his face and skull missing or underdeveloped, including the roof of his mouth (palate), his upper lip, both eyes and both bottom eyelids, and a piece of his skull on the right side of his head next to his eye.

Christian before his first reconstructive surgery! Sweet sweet baby!


3. How is Christian's hearing? Was it affected by his cleft? Why does he always have a headset on? How can he play on a tablet if he can’t see?
     Christian has great hearing and we are so thankful for that because he loves music so! Christian's hearing was not affected by his cleft. He does get recurring ear infections because of the cleft though. Christian's eustachian tubes (the tubes we all have in our ears that drain fluid off our ear drums) are not shaped correctly and so they don't drain fluid off his ears the way they should. He has had ear tubes since he was about 14 months old and will continue to have them in the foreseeable future.
     This little guy loves music!  Christian likes to listen to all types of music….classical, Christian and his favorite ELMO!  He is so much fun to watch and listen to as he can belt out some tunes!  He has a little music box with his favorite music downloaded.  We also have movies and books that he will listen to as well.   
Tablet: There are many games you can download on a tablet where he can play by touching the screen.  One he enjoys is Peek-a-boo Barn.  This plays "Old McDonald" and you can hear cats meow, dogs bark and cows moo.  So when you ask him how a cow goes, he will moo.  He has learned a lot from his touch/listen/learn games.

A little fact: Did you know that your senses heighten when you are blind?  Christian’s sense of smell is amazing.  We have noticed recently he will enter a room and take a little sniff.  He is learning his surroundings by his sense of smell and who enters the room.  His sense of touch and hearing has allowed him to start playing the piano at the age of 2.  We hope his sense of taste will come later…we are working on that.
     

4. Is Christian mentally impaired? Was his mental capacity affected by his birth defect?
     I think more people wonder this question than actually ask it because they don't want to offend me, so first I want to say that I am not offended by the question. It is definitely understandable for someone to be curious. In fact, doctors were confident that Christian would be mentally impaired. Christian, however, is not mentally impaired and is actually very intelligent. He picks up on things must faster than anyone expected and has a love for piano and other musical instruments far beyond his age level. Christian has surprised everyone with how smart he is and how fast he learns.

5. What does Christian like to do? What are his favorite things? 
     Christian really enjoys music! That is probably is biggest and first love! He loves listening to and playing music. He likes kid instruments but he prefers real instruments for sure! He loves guitar and piano the most. We keep headphones for him (we go through quite a few sets) and he was gifts a little mini ipod that we loaded music onto for him. His favorite music includes contemporary Christian such as Chris Tomlin, Big Daddy Weave, Mercy Me, and similar artists. He also loves Sesame Street but especially Elmo. We have worn YouTube out with listening to every single Elmo song we can find. Christian also enjoys any kids songs type cd's as well. Christian also loves swimming and outside activities. He can literally sit a pool for hours and just play and entertain himself. Christian also loves to read and we have a large collection of children's books. He never tires of hearing stories and will sit and listen for much longer than most kids his age. He especially loves touch and feel books that he can interact with and we are starting a collection of braille books as well. Some people have asked me what they can send Christian for his birthday or holidays or just because. I made an Amazon wishlist for him at the request of a few friends that can be found here: http://amzn.com/w/1K7T6QF0UOFGV .  It is definitely not an exhaustive list, but it can give you some good ideas of some things he likes and needs.



6. What sizes does Christian wear?
      Christian wears a 4T in cloths and a 8 in shoes. He wears a size 6 in diapers or a 4t-5t in pull ups (they run kind of small.) Just FYI, Chandler is in 24 months clothes, size 4 diapers, and a size 6 shoes.

7. Does Christian has any vision? Is he blind in both eyes? Didn't you say he can see light?

     Christian's medical condition pertaining to his eyes is called micropthalmia. "Micro" means small and "opthalmia"  means eyes. When Christian was growing in utero, as his eyes were developing, blood flow was cut off to his eyes and they simply stopped forming. This is why Christian has "some" of the eye ball structure but that he is eye not like it should be. Both eyes are affected very similarly, but we have seen on a CT scan and just by looking at Christian you can tell that the right side of his face was more affected than the left. A CT scan showed that Christian's left eye was more developed than his right, and that his optical nerves were in tact. So it stands to reason that if he can see, it would be more out of the left eye. However, we have found that Christian can see lights if they are held up close to his eyes, and that he has that light perception on both sides. We also know that he can see enough to tell if a light is high or low, as he can reach up to grab a light that is high or down to reach a for a light that is low. Christian can see things like camera flashes, when a light is turned on in a dark room, sunlight, and my cell phone light when he holds it close. He can't, for example, see what is on my cell phone screen, that we know. This small amount of vision that Christian has still qualifies him as "blind" or visually impaired.

8. What about Hero the dog? Is he going to be Christian's seeing eye dog?
     Hero is our Boston Terrier pup who we got in March. His birthday is January 15th, 2014 and he is THE BEST dog we've ever had! He is definitely a member of the family! He will not be Christian's seeing eye dog, but we do plan to have him service trained for Christian. Seeing eye dogs generally have to be much larger than Hero because they have to lead their human around, so they need a little weight on them. Also, most humans don't get a seeing eye dog until they are at least teenagers, if not older. That is because it takes extensive training by the human too, and the human needs to be able to attend the school to learn how to handle his K-9 partner!

9. What surgeries has Christian had? How many more will he have?
     February 22, 2011 - Christian had surgery to insert his feeding tube and close the skin together over his skull where the skull was missing because the skin was also missing.
     May 23rd, 2011 - Christian  had his cleft lip reconstruction surgery and his club foot repair, known as a tendon cord lengthening. Although it takes only one sentence to describe this surgery, it was by far the hardest on Christian. He was much too small to undergo such a major surgery and it nearly killed him. If I could go back and make the doctors wait, I would do it in a heartbeat.
     April 24th, 2012 - Christian has ear tubes placed for the first time and also a ABR (Auditory Brain stem Response) hearing test while he was under anesthesia. The ABR test results sh.owed that Christian has no hearing impairment.
     June 2013 - Christian has his second set of hearing tubes placed.
     November 26th, 2013 - Christian had his first palate reconstruction surgery. This surgery was performed in Indianapolis, Indiana at Riley Hospital for Children instead of at our local children's hospital. It was a huge step but so worth it! We were treated like royalty and it was apparent in Christian's recovery how well he was taken care of. Christian's hard palate was closed. This is the hard part of the roof to the mouth near the front.
     May 22nd, 2014 - Christian has his second palate reconstruction surgery at Riley Hospital for Children. This surgery was to repair the softer tissue in the roof of his mouth that goes into the back part of his throat.  This was a very scary surgery for our family. The risks for this surgery were much greater than most of his previous surgeries because of it being so far back in his mouth and throat. It carried a risk of obstructing oxygen due to swelling. Thankfully Christian did really well and had no complications.
     October 13, 2014 - Christian (and Chandler) had ear tubes placed. Christian only had a tube placed in his left ear this time. His right ear already had a tube from the last surgery. His left ear did not have a tube from the last surgery because when they went in to place the tube in his left ear, they saw that his ear drum had a tiny perforation. They can't place a tube in an ear drum that is perforated. So, now the perforation is healed up, and Christian had a tube placed in his left ear as well.

     It's hard to say exactly how many more surgeries Christian will have. There are so many factors that have to be taken into consideration, such as how well Christian heals from the previous surgery and how long it will take to recover, the amount of work that the surgeon is able to get done during a surgery (it can vary from what is planned), what things we opt for Christian to have done and what things we choose not to have done. We do know generally that there are a few surgeries that Christian will for sure have to have. Christian's palate is completely closed, however, there are a couple of small holes that will have to be closed later. This will be a comparatively small procedure. He will also have to have his top lip adjusted because it is too short. Christian will require some dental work, and also something will have to be done for his eyes, however at this point we haven't decided exactly what that will be. Christian will also have to have bone grafts in his mouth where there is missing bone due to the cleft. Several of these will have to wait until he is older because his little body is not strong enough for such big procedures. We don't have a future surgery date in mind and have decided along with his surgeon to put off any surgery for at least year for now. Christian has had his last two major operations in a six month period. That is hard on a little body. The best thing for him right now is to give his body time to rest and heal from these two big procedures so that when he has his next surgery, he will be strong and be able to handle it well.


10. What is the red part around his eyes?

     It is called conjunctiva. To describe this in a way you can understand, is it’s just like our eye lids but flipped inside out.  Due to his cleft lip going all the way up to where his eyes would have formed, his eyes also cleft.  This will be one of the many surgeries he will have in his future.  They will have to create upper/lower lids. The tissue is more sensitive than skin, but it has not been an issue for us. Please know his eyes do not hurt or bother him in any way.  He has never scratched or hurt himself.  

11. How do you protect his eyes from the sun/elements, how do you keep his eyes clean?  All great    questions:
     We keep sunglasses and hats on Christian to protect his eyes from the sun.  This is Christian’s 3rd summer and we haven’t had any issue due to the sun or wind.  We keep Christian’s eyes clean with water and a soft wash cloth.  He has working tear ducts, therefore his eyes do self clean some and stay moist. We are careful not to wipe too much because it could irritate the tissue. We also have lubricating ointment and antibiotic ointment as needed, but that is not often. 

12. Will Christian ever be able to see? Does he walk around on his own? Will he have prosthetic eyes?  This is a hard question to answer:
Will Christian ever be able to see: Wouldn't that be amazing if it was a possibility someday for Christian to see!?!?  Medical technology is evolving every day.  But, for now we have accepted and are at peace knowing Christian is blind and that there is no medical technology that can help him.  We will continue to work with him on a daily basis so that he can someday learn to read Braille, walk on a public street and flourish in our sighted world
Does he walk around on his own: When Christian enters a new room it usually takes him 20 to 30 minutes to become familiar with his surroundings. He takes everything in and memorizes things. He can learn, for example, how many steps before he’s close to anything sitting in the room. He has been known to use the edge of area rugs to navigate where he is as well. We have taught him by saying “put your hands out” when he gets close to something like a wall, TV etc. There are still times when he runs into things or trips, but he is doing really well with getting around. He is learning to use his cane, but his a typical 3 year old and doesn't always want to hold onto it. Again, there are no boundaries as to what Christian can do. Have you seen Christian drive around in his battery operated Police car? There is no stopping this little guy and the accomplishments he makes every day!
Prosthetics:  We have decided for now that making the decision of whether or not to give Christian prosthetic eyes is just something we can't answer. Since Christian has some light perception, we don't want to take that away from him. We also can't in good conscious put Christian through a dozen or more extra surgeries for the prosthetics unless he decides that he wants them. We want Christian to grow up with confidence about himself and who he is created to be, and we don't feel like we can do that if we are constantly putting him through surgeries simply to make him look better or so that other people thing he looks more normal. If Christian ever decided that he wanted to go ahead with the surgeries it would take to give him prosthetics, we would gladly support him.




13. How does Christian eat, what types of food does he eat?
Christian is fed via a feeding tube.  For those of you who are not familiar with a g-tube, here is a short explanation - A gastrostomy tube (also called a G-tube) is a tube inserted through the abdomen that delivers nutrition directly to the stomach. It's one of the ways doctors can make sure kids with trouble eating get the fluid and calories they need to grow. Christian receives a blended diet through his tube. I cook up foods. blend them up in our Vitamix blender, and push them through Christian's feeding tube, 5 times a day. Christian used to take only formula/ The formula has all the nutrients he needs to live, but I decided that Christian would benefit greatly from having real food, so that's what I did.
      He has the feeding tube because before he had any surgery, Christian's cleft was so wide that he was simply unable to take a bottle or breastfeed. Feeding specialists tried every type of bottle they could, but nothing would work. Christian had to be able to eat, so the feeding tube was our best option to make sure that he could get the nutrition he needed.
     Since the last surgery, we have started allowing Christian to eat using his mouth. Since he has never eaten using his mouth, this is all new to him, and very scary. Many children with feeding tubes develop what is called an oral aversion, meaning they are averse to eating by mouth. Christian is making great strides in working to learn to use his mouth to eat. Right now, he will agree to eat yogurt and drink some from a sippy cup. He usually eats about a half a cup per day, which is huge for a tube fed kid! He does not like things that he has to chew or crunch or bite. He is averaging 10 to 15 ounces per day of formula by mouth as well, using his sippy cup.
     We can’t wait until he can eat completely by mouth, but for now he will continue to be fed through his g-tube.  Christian attends feeding therapy several days a week so he can learn to taste different food, feel texture and condition him on how to swallow and much later down the road to chew food.  Remember how we were just talking about our senses?  Christian’s sense of hunger doesn't come from smelling food which tells our brain we are hungry therefore to eat.  He does know when he is hungry by some of the same other cues that we have such as the hunger pangs we feel.  Lately he has been letting us know he’s hungry and will say “eat-eat”.  During the day Christian is fed every 3 hours and receives 8 ounces of blended up foods, plus 10 to 15 ounces of water, and whatever amount of formula and yogurt he agrees to eat by mouth.  
The roof of Christian's mouth before he had any surgery. A wide gaping hole. 


14. A little about Christian:  Christian is a happy, healthy and funny little three year old.  He stays busy and plays well by himself.  He is always digging to the bottom of his toy box for something new to play with.  And sometimes he just wants what Chandler is playing with!  He loves music and can sing almost every song.  His laugh is contagious and we love to laugh with him!  He loves playing outside on his swing set, playing in the pool and helping us in the garden.  He attends speech and feeding therapy every week and recently graduated from his physical therapy.  He has three cousins who live close to us that he plays with almost every day and they love each other very much.  He get super excited when his Daddy comes home, which usually means Christian get’s to wrestle with his Daddy.  And two very important people in his life are his Nana and Pa.  If there is one place he loves to visit it’s with them…ok and maybe Chuck E Cheese!

15. Can Christian talk? 
Yes and he does, and a lot, and he sings, too!  He has quite the vocabulary and it’s growing all the time! Christian's speech is very slurred because of his cleft. He has trouble pronouncing many sounds because of his cleft, but he attends speech therapy every week to help him and he will one day conquer that too!

16. How do you know when Christian is sleeping?
I get this one a lot. People ask this because, obviously, Christian can't close his eyes when he sleeps, and therefore, it can seem difficult to tell when Christian is asleep. Actually, it's not difficult at all. Christian does all the other cues when he falls asleep that you might see anyone else do. His breathing slows, his body relaxes and he gets very still and quiet. He even jumps or twitches a little bit from time to time right when he first falls asleep. Occasionally, but not often, he will even snore lightly. We can  also talk to him and if he doesn't respond, that's a good indication (but not fool proof) that he's out! :) We also have a little joke we do to people when they are around us and Christian is sleeping and they ask how we can tell. We pick his arm up, let it drop, and say "We do this. It's called the arm test. heehee"

17. How do I order a Team Christian shirt or bracelet?
I do not keep a large stock of t-shirts, simply because it's expensive. What I do is occasionally place an order for all sizes when I am running low on most everything. So, if you would like to order a shirt, you can send an email to TeamChristianShirts@gmail.com and let me know what sizes and quantities you want. If I have what you want, I will let you know and then send you a paypal invoice. As soon as that is paid, I ship out within just a couple of days. If i do not have some of the sizes you are requesting, I will let you know what I do have available and see if any of those sizes will accommodate. If i just don't have what you need, I don't hold onto the email and respond when I do get that size in, and I do that for several reasons. Sometimes, it is months later when I place a new order. I don't expect anyone to wait around and hold back funds for that amount of time for our shirts. Also, the volume of emails and messages that we receive on a daily basis simply doesn't allow me to be that organized. 

18. Is it really you answering messages or do you have admins?
I do have one admin who helps me with Christian's fan page. She is a close friend who I know personally and an honorary grandmother to Christian and Chandler. She answers MOST of the messages for me, and forwards ones to me that she finds are important for me to respond to personally. I do answer some messages myself when time allows. Unfortunately, raising two boys and making my way through law school just doesn't allow me a lot of time to answer messages. One day, I hope to make it through every message we've been sent (right now we are at over 5000 unread on the fan page and over 2000 unread on my personal Facebook page) so if you get a reply from me in 3 years, don't be surprised. However, if you ask and I say "This is Lacey," then rest assured, it really is me that you are messaging. :)

19. Where can I find your original video?
 The link to the original video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCbkyR0cy0&list=UUMtSA7wWHQMgxbCeTzMCwUA

You can also subscribe to my YouTube Channel and watch tons of adorable videos of Christian from the past 3 years. I also post video blogs on a variety of topics. You can find my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperChristiansMom/videos?shelf_id=1&sort=dd&view=0





Comments

  1. Very handsome young man you have. Thank you for sharing, you did a great job answering these questions!

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  2. Just wanted to say that you are such an amazing mama!

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  3. So Awesome! True meaning of a Super Hero!

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  4. That really answered alot of questions I have wondered. He is such a strong little boy with an amazing family to support him.

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  5. This was very informative. Thanks so much for all this information. I had some questions I wanted to ask but didn't quite know how to. This answered them. Like I have said before I too was born with a cleft lip. I had so many different surgeries. God gave you such a special little guy to love and share with the world.

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  6. Thank you for sharing your little blessing with the world!

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  7. I cannot tell you how much I love seeing your little man each time you post. It brings me so much joy to see his progress and hear that he's loving life, music and that God is helping him to grow and succeed each day. Thank you so much for posting and sharing his journey with us!

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  8. This isnt a question. I would just like to say that it makes me happy to share the same birthday with christian :D .and also you have inspired me since the first time you posted the video of you and christian. I instantly feel in love with him. I am glad i have that chance to see him grow even if its not in person i feel like i know him and yourself and his baby brother. God bless you and your family always.

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    1. I thought the same exact thing. I share his birthday too.

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  9. he is so beautiful and adorable! so wish I could meet him one day but im in uk :(

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  10. He truly is one in a million. He's beautiful. I love seeing pictures of him on my Facebook page. He's truly a blessing. I'm so happy to hear the progress he's making little by little everyday. I can't wait to see how he grows through out the years. He truly is loved and has an amazing mother and family in his life.

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  11. Thank you so much for being open and sharing. I share these with my kids so they can learn that being different is okay and to help their friends see that at school (ages 4&6) we have been talking about getting the boys Christmas gifts from your Amazon list and both kids are very excited to do something for their "friends"

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  12. Dear Lacey, I must say you have two very beautiful kids. The first time i saw your video was almost a year back I think on Facebook. Right about now, that same video was shared again and I told myself to check out and see how you are doing.

    Looking at your blog and Facebook brings me smiles as I see your family going in strong - Christian going on strong. In fact, I was happy to know that you have an addition to your family - Chandler. He has your beautiful eyes :)

    I agree you shouldnt let Christian go through so many surgeries right now. Let him recuperate and enjoy his life as a kid, playing with his family and friends and receiving love from everyone around him.

    My wish for you and your family now is for God to continue to watch over you and bless you. That Christian will be guided by God's light and that he will be blessed. Although this journey has just begun, I am sure your family can conquer it all. You can do it Lacey! You are a strong mum... continue shining! :)

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  13. "It" looks like Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre! This thing will haunt my nightmares! People just have these little freaks so they can collect donations and get rich off of people feeling sorry for them and these cyclops babies they give birth to! Unreal! Why would you not abort this gimp?, you would rather have this thing suffer through life and collect the money they make you! Wow!

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    1. Julia Kirkland, i have so many things I want to say to you right now but let me start with the fact that YOU ARE AN IGNORANT PIECE OF SH*T. Who are YOU to pick on an innocent child that did not ask to be born this way YET is beautiful just the way he is! People like YOU is the reason why society is so judgemental and unaccepting of DIFFERENCE. If everyone looked the same this world would be one boring place! God made this little boy just the way he intended; beautiful, smart, loving, ect. People everyday tattoo/pierce their face and bodies in ways that look unnatural and its accepted. However someone is born and looks a little different and they get called all sorts of cruel and ignorant names for something they cannot control or help. NEWSFLASH!! LOOKS AREN'T EVERYTHING. Each child is special in their own way and should be considered a blessing, the only disability in life is a BAD ATTITUDE (like YOURS) One day you will answer to your maker and let me just say i hope you can justify to God your reasoning for criticising his work! There's a special spot in hell reserved for "people" like you!

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    3. In my opinion since i am a developmental disabilities pediatric nurse i believe his parents are saints and angels to keep him and care for him and love him..unlike vile creatures such as you who would want to abort him and never give him a chance because your vain and don't have a heart. how would you feel if someone blasted you for a family member for any of their struggles? no one is perfect INCLUDING you. it takes a special type of person to raise a child as special as him and THANK God he knew you were unworthy of receiving such a blessing in your life! i hope you never have children or grandchildren if you cannot handle difference.

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    4. I ageed with the "suffer"thing, I have been borned ugly and people, even spiritual 'guru' just talk behind ur back and insult u.Society is judgemental, sooner or later when he grows up, he has to faced judgement from society.But despite that, u guys are wonderful and loving parents and have done an exceptional job of bringing love to this world.The world need more people like u who act with love all the time.Good job!

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    5. Jo Jacobs,I believe when Julia state her opinion which u think is bad, she has suffered in life or has similar situation as this boy.The best thing we can do is just see that as an opinion and her point of view only.

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    6. Wow Julie You Feel Better Now That You've Picked On A Three Yr Old??? There Should Be A Special Place In Hell For You...

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    7. Julia Kirkland...I am in utter disbelief at your cruel and heartbreaking comments. My initial reaction would be to respond in outrage. Instead...I'm going to offer advice.. and pray for you. I am so thankful that most of our world does not share your narrow-minded opinion. I know this family and they are beyond wonderful. The challenges they face on a daily basis are incompehensible. Christian is an amazing boy; his talents are unbelievable. And I'm thankful that he will never read the words that you so coldly wrote. I pray that you will one day realize the pain that you have invoked on an innocent child and his family for no reason. I have worked with special needs children for 20+ yrs and have been blessed with seeing the uniqueness in each and every one of those children along the way. I pray that one day you may experience something to bring you this type of joy and fulfillment. Maybe then you will see what life is all about.

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  14. God gives special children to special people, they say. I believe this to be true in your case. I love seeing photos of your beautiful boys. I can tell both boys have sweet spirits.

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  16. Your son is absolutely beautiful. Don't listen to people who say cruel things. What they say says more about them than you. I loved reading your FAQ. It actually answered so many questions and I think you have a beautiful family. So blessed and Christian is so lucky to have you.

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  17. I just saw your little boy in an article on the online news. He is such a beautiful person and you are fantastic parents who clearly love him very much.

    His smile made my heart melt, absolutely inspiring. X

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  18. I have no religious beliefs. I don't think it's a prerequisite of being human.I do think compassion for all living creatures is part of what makes us human,and after reading what albeit a rotten minority have written about your beautiful young son I wonder what kind of miserable bitter lives these trolls have had to endure.I can predict from the good people that I believe you to be,that you have probably forgiven them already.Your beautiful sons will without any doubt in my mind grow into well adjusted good young men,you and everybody will be proud of.May your lives have all that is good. Michael O'Donnell UK

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  19. God bless you and your wee family!!! Way to go!!! Xxxxxx

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  20. You are awesome mama. You give all your unlimited love to him. Its very inspirational story, thank you and God Bless You


    www.idstudy.com
    erastusblog.blogspot.com

    From Indonesia

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  21. I saw your story in Mirror on facebook (I would be proud to be your friend) and I had to come here to comment. I am not an activist but I am a father of a 6 year old with a full bi-lateral cleft lip and palette and I am with you! We did not know until Richard was both that he had a cleft (not a defect!) and were stunned when the doctor sat us down before they would let us see him. Not because of the cleft, but because that doctor asked if we were going to keep him! The thought had never crossed our minds until the doctor asked and we replied in unison, and with out hesitation "of course!" God gave us our son, and God will have to take him away! We believed from the beginning that God gives us special children because he knows we will love them because they are special.

    Don't give a second thought to people who are rude, disrespectful, or doubt your decisions because they clearly aren't worthy. You have done and are doing the right thing in giving birth and raising Christian. I truly admire your patience with those people because I can be hot tempered, especially when it involves my family, and would have had a much less peaceful response to those fools.

    Keep up the good work and know that you are doing God's work and doing it well!

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  22. Your sons are so adorable! I read your story on The Mirror (UK) website. Christian is a lovely, thriving young boy and I wish you and your family the best of luck <3

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  23. Julia Kirkland...I am in utter disbelief at your cruel and heartbreaking comments. My initial reaction would be to respond in outrage. Instead...I'm going to offer advice.. and pray for you. I am so thankful that most of our world does not share your narrow-minded opinions. I know this family and they are beyond wonderful. The challenges they face on a daily basis are incompehensiblel. Christian is an amazing boy; his talents are unbelievable. And I'm thankful that he will never reads the words that you so coldly wrote. I pray that you will one day realize the pain that you have invoked on an innocent child and his family for no reason. I have worked with special needs children for 20+ yrs and have been blessed with seeing the uniqueness in each and every one of those children along the way. I pray that one day you may experience something to bring you this type of joy and fulfillment. Maybe then you will see what life is all about.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I just wanted to say may God bless you and your sweet family!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I seen a video of you and your son on facebook which led me to your website which led me to here and I must say, my hat is off to you. Most people now days when they see something wrong with their babies they just kill them but you chose to give your child life and that to me is amazing. You have to very beautiful boys. You have done a very courageous thing. Something most others would not have done. God bless you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I don't agree with abortion, but if attitudes could be seen at birth people like Julia should maybe be aborted. We'd have a world full of better people. Not so hateful and petty. Oh, btw...Horrible things can happen in an instant and you could end up being disfigured from an accident or fire or anything. Be careful with your words. Lessons are often taught.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I am AMMA MARIA. I'm from america. I was going crazy when my husband left me and my two kids for another woman 2 weeks ago after 17years of marriage. We had a lovely marriage but he started a relationship with a co worker who chased after him. He is living away OUR home and refuses to talk to me or to come home. I was devastated and am finding it hard to cope . I wish I did not love him and that I could move on but I can't. I starting to feel ill. I have begged him to come home all to no avail. I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr Larry can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and so on. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and he did a spell for me. 4days later, my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promise never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. I and my family are living together happily again.. All thanks to Dr Larry. If you need a spell caster that can cast a spell that truly works, I suggest you contact him. He will not disappoint you. if you have any problem contact him, I give you 100% guarantee that he will help you, Email him at: assurancesolutionhome@gmail.com you can call or Add him on Whatsapp +1(424)-261-8520




    I am AMMA MARIA. I'm from america. I was going crazy when my husband left me and my two kids for another woman 2 weeks ago after 17years of marriage. We had a lovely marriage but he started a relationship with a co worker who chased after him. He is living away OUR home and refuses to talk to me or to come home. I was devastated and am finding it hard to cope . I wish I did not love him and that I could move on but I can't. I starting to feel ill. I have begged him to come home all to no avail. I became very worried and needed help. As I was browsing through the internet one day, I came across a website that suggested that Dr Larry can help solve marital problems, restore broken relationships and so on. So, I felt I should give him a try. I contacted him and he did a spell for me. 4days later, my husband came to me and apologized for the wrongs he did and promise never to do it again. Ever since then, everything has returned back to normal. I and my family are living together happily again.. All thanks to Dr Larry. If you need a spell caster that can cast a spell that truly works, I suggest you contact him. He will not disappoint you. if you have any problem contact him, I give you 100% guarantee that he will help you, Email him at: assurancesolutionhome@gmail.com you can call or Add him on Whatsapp +1(424)-261-8520

    ReplyDelete
  28. hi i seen your story on facebook and your amazing your little boy is happy and thats all that matters :)
    god bless

    ReplyDelete

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