Conversations with Ashley

As Dr. A was examining Ashley and measuring her spleen and liver size, I heard the following conversation.

Dr. A: "Ashley do you do anything other than go to school?" "Do you go to Girl Scouts or play a sport?"

Ashley: "The only thing you will let me do is dance." "So I dance...a lot!"

Dr. A: "You can play softball if you promise not to slide into the bases."

Ashley: "What's the point in playing softball, if you can't slide."

Dr. A: "Okay what about swimming?"

Ashley: "I don't like water."

Dr. A: "Okay what about track."

Ashley: "I don't like running."

Dr. A: "So you like to dance?"

Ashley: "Yes, it's the only thing that makes me forget I have this stupid disease."

Dr. A (looking at me with a sad look): "I'm sorry but I bet you are a great dancer."

Ashley: "I am pretty good but I want to be better and want to compete again."

After that conversation, Dr. A and I had a conversation about Ashley's spleen size and her activity level. He reminded me and Ashley that even though she has restrictions that she can do other things but with caution, supervision and common sense. She is doing so well we don't want to risk her health so dance is the safest activity for Ashley.

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Ashley's Story

“Although Ashley’s liver is failing, she isn’t sick enough to be placed on the liver transplant list. We were told that Ashley would need a new liver by the time she reaches puberty." Ashley was born at the end of July in 1998, but her story doesn’t start there;her story begins when she was just a little peanut in my womb. At 24 weeks gestation we learned we were having a girl, but our little girl had something wrong with her. Imagine sitting in the examining room, and the excitement of learning you are having a girl, then at the same time you hear the silence in the room when something is just not right with the baby. We were told that Ashley possibly had an ovarian cyst. It was normal and not to worry. But something told us it was more than just an ovarian cyst. As soon as Ashley was delivered she struggled to live. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice, and she was blue. Thankfully the doctor cut the cord immediately and although Ashley was still blue; she was b

Answers lead to more Questions

In great Ashley fashion, she did very well with her trip to the hospital and recovered well from the procedure. Right now, Ashley is off with her Grammie getting spoiled by shopping. With no one in the house but me and the pets, I am off to my own devices which usually means I have to much time to think, to research, to worry, to vent, to hope and to pray. Today Ashley had a broncioscope to find out why she has been coughing for six months. After getting up at 4:30 am and at the hospital at 6 am, the scope began at approximately 7:30 am. The procedure itself took less than 30 minutes. The outcome of the procedure left me with more questions than answers. We do know why Ashley is coughing, Ashley has a vocal cord dysfunction, enlarged adnenoids and tonsils. Finding out why Ashley is coughing is good news, however, we also learned that Ashley may have other issues involving her lungs. There was 60mL of fluid in her lungs. Some samples of her lungs were sent for a cell count, bacterial cu

It's been a while. Did you know...

that Ashley was in the hospital after Thanksgiving and before Christmas? She had a bleed. She has varices. Just a little reminder that she is not healthy and has a life threatening liver disease. that we lost our beloved beautiful puppy, Sarge, on January 2. It was sudden, shocking, and sad. We think he had leukemia based on his symptoms. Not sure if we will ever get another dog. Sarge was one of a kind and a perfect fit for our laid back, drama free family. that Ashley made the Principal's Honor Roll her 1st Semester of high school while taking all honors courses. She is beautiful and smart. that Ashley is still dancing for her high school dance team minus a solo this year. She loves being part of the team but really misses competing in her favorite style of dance, lyrical/contemporary. that after a couple years of not having a dance studio to call home. We think we may have finally found just the place. Maybe someday Ashley will compete on a stage again and not

Love For Ashley

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