Everything seemed to be so perfect, then at Michael’s first check-up we received some terrify news. Our Pediatrician told us that Michael had a heart murmur and needed to be taken to a Children’s Hospital for tests to find out what was causing the murmur. We finally learned that our bright eyed baby boy had a partially blocked artery which required heart surgery to correct. This was going to be the first time Michael showed everyone that nothing was going to come between him and his love for life. He was six months old when the Doctors attempted to correct the blockage in his artery. We were told what to expect after surgery and that if everything went well Michael would have to remain in ICU for three or four days then he would be moved to a regular room for and additional three or four days. Michael suprised everyone when he rapidly recovered from the surgery and was released from the hospital in five days. Not only was the surgery a success, Michael made a full recovery in less than one month.

Michael learned to crawl and walk at a very early age. He was a very busy toddler, always on the go and curious to see how things worked. When he was five we learned why he was always so active and curious, he was diagnosed as suffering from ADHD. Being active and hyper became a serious problem for him in school. He knew that in order to get through those long school days he had to take medication daily. Michael’s life didn’t get much easier. Through the years he suffered from constant colds and at age eight he was hospitalized for Asthma. We were terrified as we helplessly watched Michael gasp for even a small breath of air. Even though he had an IV in his arm and oxygen tubes in his nose all he could do was talk about what he was going to do when he was released to go home. He really suprised everyone later this same year when he received the Governors Golden Sneaker Award for running over 300 miles during the school year.

Michael and James at Christmas playing their first Nintendo

Michael’s life basically remained the same over the next three years. He still suffered from ADHD and was hospitalized again for Asthma. He still didn’t let anything stop him from living life to the fullest. He was a whiz at video games and loved to play on the Internet searching for information about his favorite Warrior Princess “Xena”. He was also an animal lover, his dog Anna was his shadow and best friend. Michael would sleep with her, share his food with her and give her a hug and kiss when he got home from school.