AL-Pal

This is my best friend Alli. I know many of you who read my blog don't know her but she is basically my hero.

A little over two years ago I did a series of posts about my best friend Alli and her adorable little boy Grant. Post#1 and Post #2. Grant was born Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and is an absolutely amazing little guy. He has had multiple surgeries and procedures and has come through everything like a champ. But in a little less than a week he is entering the hospital for possibly his most important surgery, The Fontan. It's a surgery that allows one side of his heart to pump the blood for his entire body. Please keep them in your prayers this coming week, I know this is a very exciting and scary time for their whole family.Pardon the very pregnant picture but it is the only one I had with Grant and I.

If you would like to follow updates of Grant's condition, she has beautifully chronicled Grant's journey at her blog, http://grantmeaheart.blogspot.com/. I can't express how much I love this little family. Ally spends everyday caring for this phenomenal little boy, she is one of the most selfless people I have ever known. I love her!

Best of Luck this week Alli, Kyle and Grant.
You will be in our thoughts and prayers!

Also,

During Grant's pre-surgery heart cath a few weeks ago, Kyle and Alli got a taste of what recovery might be like with this next operation and found surgery with a toddler is very different than surgery with a baby. This is when my friend Jane got an idea. She wanted to do something special for Alli and Grant, something to let her know that they are loved and supported. So we came up with the idea of setting up a PayPal account where others can go to contribute to a gift for Grant. An iPad is something impractical that they would never buy for themselves but we could give them. It's something that could really change the type of recovery Grant has. It is something that Alli's friends could get for her to let her, Grant and Kyle know that we are thinking about them and are there for them and possibly also raise a little bit of money to help with Grant's medical expenses. We set up a link to the PayPal account on her blog.