Love For Ashley

You may now order your Love for Ashley Cookbook. Please fill out the order form by clicking this link, Cookbook Order Form . Once we receive your order form, you will receive a confirmation email and payment instructions. If you have any questions, please email me at loveashley@loveforashley.com. Make sure you place "Cookbook" in the subject line of your email. Thank you, Laurie

As Ashley gets older she becomes more aware of her limitations due to her liver disease. As she learns what having a liver disease means for her daily life and her future, she hates life more. Her words to me today as tears fell from her face was, "I hate my liver disease, I wish I didn't have it, It's not fair." "I want a liver transplant now." Her tears started after I reminded her that tomorrow she is scheduled to have an ultrasound and a full set of labs. Usually, this is not a problem and produces excitement from Ashley. But I suppose now at 9 1/2 years old, going to the hospital is not fun anymore. I suppose after 9 1/2 years of needles, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRI's, medications and restriction, one gets tired of the drama. All Ashley wants to do is spend the night over at her friend, Rachel's house. All Ashley wants to do is play with her friends without being interrupted with daily medications, and trips to the hospital. As I explai...

It's been a while since I updated everyone on Ashley. As the saying goes, "No News is Good News". Also, no news means that life is normal. It's been pretty tame here at the Johansen home. It's rare but it happens; a few weeks of normalcy. Ashley's recent illness was short-lived, thank God. We didn't have to go the hospital or have labs drawn. Having a normal illess is an answered prayer! Ashley seems to get sick at least once a month, so we will see how long she will goes without her next fever. Pray that she makes it through the New Year without any sickness. Cookbook Ashley's cookbook is coming along just fine; we will begin taking orders soon. There will be an online order form available on Ashley's main website by the end of the week. The cookbooks will sell for a donation of $12. However if you'd like to donate more it would be appreciated. Remember, your cookbook donation will go to Ashley's current and future medical expens...

One thing about having a child with a chronic illness is that normal illnesses just love to hang around longer. Ashley came home from school on Wednesday complaining of a headache, I took her temp and it was 101. She had no other symptoms just a fever, so of course we knew she needed to go to the doctor. However, I tried not to panic and decided to just watch her for 24 hours. On Thursday, her temperature just hovered around 99.5; Ashley's normal is around 97. She did fine most of Thursday but started complaining of a sore throat by late that evening. We woke up Friday with her planning to go back to school and me back to work but not before we went to the doctors just to make sure she didn't have strep throat. Dr. Lacy, Ashley's pediatrician, examined Ashley and didn't see anything in her throat but they did a strep test anyway; it was negative. Yesterday, Ashley's temp was normal all day, it ranged from 97.3 to 98.6. We thought maybe she was over her cold....

Here is a copy of an email I sent out explaining our cookbook fundraiser. Dear Friends and Family, As you are aware our daughter, Ashley, will need a liver transplant in the next three years. Since January of this year we have been raising funds through the American Liver Foundation to cover the cost of her liver transplant and associated medical expenses. So far we have raised approximately $20,000 for Ashley’s transplant; our goal is $75,000. We are getting closer to reaching our goal but we still have a long way to go. That’s why we are starting a new fundraiser. The mom’s at the dance studio that Ashley attends have decided to create a cookbook to help raise funds for Ashley. What’s wonderful about this cookbook is that 100% of the sales go directly to Ashley’s Medical/Transplant Fund. However, we need your help. We need recipes and lots of them. The more recipes we receive the better Ashley’s cookbook will be. If you would like to submit a recipe, please follow the instru...

As you know Ashley is in a competitive dance company with Studio 5D in Winter Springs, Florida. We have only been a part of this wonderful and talented group of dancers for a few months, but they have taken us in as one of their own. Last week, they informed me that a few of the company moms have decided to do a fundraiser to help with Ashley's medical costs. They are going to create a cookbook with donated recipes from all over and then sell the book to raise money for Ashley. The cookbook fundraiser is the mastermind of Kendra, a long time dance company mom. Her husband, Will, a graphic artist, is donating his time and his talent to create this cookbook for the fundraiser. I am humbled by the generosity of people I have just recently met, I am thankful for their heart and their friendship. Ashley's cookbook is just beginning it's journey to publishing. We are still in need of recipes and we need to come up with the sale price. Will has a form that people will need ...

This journal is mostly about Ashley, about her struggles with liver disease and wait for a liver transplant. This journal was started mainly to keep family and friends who love Ashley informed on how she is doing but it was also started to help me cope with having a daughter with a life threatening illness. However, today, it's about none of of these things. It's not about Ashley, me, or how we as a family cope with her illness. Today, it's about other children like Ashley who need an extra prayer or two. If you look to the right of this website you will see a headline called "Liver Friends". Please take the time to visit some of these websites. But before you leave Love for Ashley let me briefly introduce you to those special children. Aiden is a sweet goodlooking blonde-haired boy who had biliary atresia. Aiden received a liver transplant when he was just a tiny baby. Although, Aiden's liver transplant was a success, he still struggles with life thr...