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Dear
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December
2006 Newsletter
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Determination: The foundation for a career is built from many bricks. Determination is one of those bricks that can be easily misplaced by a need to take short cuts to success. Some of us have the luxury of being granted shortcuts, whether it is wealth or connections. Still, if you understand that hard work must be the basis of your craft, if you master the tools necessary for your success—you will have a stable base from which you can build your book of business, and you will never feel the need to rely on shortcuts. There will be times when your determination will be tested and your resolve will weaken. When you wonder, “Is this really worth all of the effort I am putting into it?” When those times come and they will, you must look inward and make that judgment for yourself. A couple by the name of Jeneen and Tim have been faced with that question many times. Just over two years ago Janeen and Tim found out that she was pregnant and like most all couples finding out that they where going to be parents, they where thrilled. However this normally enchanting time turned out to be the biggest test of their lives. On the day Jeneen went in for her first ultra-sound everything went great, they heard the little heart beat and it was quite an experience. When it came time for the second ultra sound, Tim joined her so that they could both experience this wonderful event (if you’re a parent I am sure that you remember) but this one did not go quite as well as once they began, there was no heart beat to be heard. They where rushed to the hospital to save the baby. When they arrived and the ER doctor immediately checked again with another ultra sound and the heart beat was there. But there was also something else. They discovered a spot on the back of their baby's head. This required a specialist to look at it in case there was anything that they needed to be concerned about. After the specialists reviewed all her tests they informed Janeen and Tim that they thought that their little girl had a genetic disorder that causes dramatic deformation almost to the extent of being unrecognizable, and that either during or soon after birth she would die. To conduct further tests the Doctors instructed Jeneen to have an amniocentesis done. Tim asked the doctor if they had ever been wrong by looking at these ultra sounds and in the case the doctor said, never and that "he would bet his paycheck on it" that this diagnosis was correct. When the amniocentesis results came back, they showed that the diagnosis was in fact in-correct, however that there where other problems. The baby was what is known as a "frozen baby", meaning that it was trapped in an area where it could not move, this caused organs to be underdeveloped and for limbs and joints to be misaligned. The doctors encouraged her to abort the baby, regularly but they would not. Tim and Jeneen agreed that they would see this through, even if it was to just kiss their daughter on her face before she passed away. So as Jeneen continued to carry the their daughter, she continued to grow but could not move. And, at 25 weeks, Jeneen went in to labor. In the delivery room after being there for a while (and dilating to 2 centimeters) the nurse came in and removed the heart rate monitor that watched the baby. When the parents asked why? The nurse informed them that they where there to save her and not the baby. While in labor, Jeneen got up and left that hospital with her husband, they where not going to stay in any hospital that was not going to save their daughter. After that, she quit her job and for thirteen more weeks she stayed at home, with her feet up and on medication to prevent the labor from coming, so that the baby could develop more and she could have a better chance at making it. She made it to 38 weeks, almost all the way, and then they went in to the hospital to have their daughter for a scheduled c-section. In the delivery room they planned to have their baby baptized immediately when she was born and made all the arrangements (as they did not plan on her surviving). As the doctors bought here daughter in to this world, Jeneen said to her husband, "let her die in your arms, make sure that she dies in your arms". Then, something happened that was not supposed to, the baby cried. Unbelievably the baby made it and they named their daughter Faith. Since her birth though, it has not been an easy road for the three of them. Since Faith had blockages in throat she required a tracheotomy and needs to be on a ventilator multiple times a day. She has been through 13 surgeries, gone in to cardiac arrest and flat lined, been through pneumonia and has more surgeries to come. She also has lived at the hospital for the last 17 months. Tim works harder than he ever has to support the family and they are both constantly back and forth to the hospital to spend time with faith. All the nurses at the hospital say that Faith is the happiest little girl that they know and that she loves to have fun. Her parents have taught her sign language and they are hoping that sometime soon, they will be able to take her home. Has it been easy on the whole family, no way. Do they keep going and continue to try harder every day, of course they do. They are happiest together and because of their un-wielding determination, each and everyone of them, they will always be a family. You will have failures and you will have successes during your career. Challenges will be plenty and how you handle these will determine how long you will stay the course. The secret to keeping going is your determination to succeed. The American writer IK Marvel (1822-1908) wrote: “We have briefly reviewed being Determined, doing the hard work necessary to master your craft. There is no substitute to the resolute determination that is necessary for you to forge this critical foundation piece. You will be amazed at what you will accomplish once you are convinced that you will devote the time, energy and determination to realize your dreams and desires. Resolve is what makes a person manifest; not puny resolve, not crude determinations, not errant purpose but that strong and indefatigable will, which treads down difficulties and danger, which kindles the eye and brain with the proud pulse beat toward the unattainable. Will makes all persons giants.”
Dale
and Ben Midgley |
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