Hello Friends,

Today was the first day of the prayer ministry offered by Lauren's Hope! This ministry will be called "Heroes of Hope". Your prayers do offer HOPE to these families in need....therefore you are our heroes!

I have had a heartfelt desire to offer a place for Sanfilippo families to voice their prayer concerns for their family; I hope that this blog can serve many purposes, but especially to outreach to these families through prayer.

What better time to make this ministry come into reality, than when Lauren truly needs your prayers.

Andy and I have been up since 1:30am with Lauren running a very high fever. I just couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to make use of this quiet time.

"Heroes of Hope" partners are complied of friends, family, Sanfilippo parents, and fellow supporters of Lauren's Hope. It is my passion to see this ministry become an outlet for Sanfilippo families to find hope and security in knowing that the creator of this universe hears our prayers. There are many of you who have personally requested to be added to the ministry and there are those of you whom I have chosen to include because you are already our prayer warriors.... or...... I just felt in my heart that you would be willing to become one. If you are interested in taking part of this ministry please email me and you will be added to the list: laurenshope@bellsouth.net

In our family's experience, we literally feel the prayers that you offer for our family...as real as the shirt on our back. Words can not express our gratitude!

Many of you have requested a quick update on the condition of our kids. To bring everyone up to speed....Lauren(our 9 yr. old Sanfilippo daughter) and Cayden(our 7 yr. old son) have both been suffering with pneumonia for about 2 weeks....Lauren more like 4 weeks. Cayden is doing MUCH better and will actually be returning to school on Wed.

However, Lauren's condition has been more of a roller coaster ride with ups and downs on a daily basis. Our biggest battle with Lauren right now are the high fevers....fevers induce seizures....seizures cause vomiting...the vomiting causes aspiration....aspiration leads to further pneumonia....you get the idea. Another factor working against her is her poor ability to swallow and move the secretions from her lungs, nose, and throat. This is all just a result of her neurological decline. Her brain just can't get the message to her throat to cough it out of the way. She is on her 3rd round of antibiotics. Just when we think that she appears to be getting better, we have a set back.

The month of January is always a difficult month for her and has proven to be such again in 2007. I often tease that it would be great if Lauren could go into hibernation in the winter and come out for the Spring thaw. I also tease a lot that Lauren could definitely benefit from a nocturnal mommy....and I know that many of you Sanfilippo moms can relate! :) Almost all of these kids love to stay up all night and cat nap through the day. It is truly amazing how these children have adapted to very little patterns of sleep. I certainly pray that part of our reward as parents will be to have REALLY LONG naps in heaven one day. :)

So, right now, what our family could benefit most from is: rest, strength, endurance, restoration, faith, and to witness the power of the ultimate healer....
all of these things I am confident will be granted through our prayers.

Another request is more on a personal note for my mother. Her ovarian cancer is now spreading. Her CAT scan this week has revealed evidence of cancer in her lungs, liver, spleen, and throat. God bless her.... she still remains secure that God is teaching her through these circumstances and is determined to serve Him through faith. Her unwavering faith has been such an inspiration in these 20 months of battling this disease. Please remember her in the coming months. She is most concerned about her decline in breathing. She witnessed both of her parents struggle with Lung Cancer which ultimately lead to their death.....she vividly remembers their suffering and is concerned of the unknown future.

Again, I express my gratitude to you all for your love, support, and care of our family. I'm not real good at writing individual thank you notes, because I just don't take the necessary time to do so. But, please know of our family's sincere thanks for ALL that you do for us. We love you all very dearly and hope that this letter finds you all in good health....may God bless!

In His service,
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Lauren's Hope Foundation
http://www.laurenshope.org/
P. O. Box 80081
Simpsonville, SC 29680
Phone: 864-862-8689