Memorial Service

Todd Heston Martin
Born in Harrisburg, PA on Dec. 5, 2008

Departed on Dec. 29, 2008 at Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children

Memorial Service:

Friday January 2, 2009 at 11:00am

Mercersburg Mennonite Church

Graveside Service immediately following

We invite everyone to come celebrate Baby Todd's legacy.

Thanks for your support.

Dustin & Jerri

To see his complete obituary go to http://www.bowersoxfuneralhomes.com/

Leaving a Legacy

Tuesday morning we made our final drive home from DuPont Children's Hospital. The ride home was quiet, and full of mixed emotions. We definitely felt a relief and peace to know that we were going home, however there was an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Sadness at the thought of "leaving something behind". It was way stronger than forgetting where you put your keys, or forgetting something on the grocery list; which I've done countless times. I'm not really sure that there are words to express the emotions.

Several times during the drive I would look back at the girls, and see silent tears flowing down their cheeks. It was heartbreaking to see them hurting, yet their faith in knowing that Baby Brother is with Jesus, with a brand new heart, is very encouraging.

We both feel very blessed to have been given 3 weeks with Baby Todd, and memories we will cherish forever. We may never know the full impact he had on others, but we are certain that he has left a legacy that will never be forgotten.

Home at Last

Sunday took us backward a few steps. Due to Baby Todd being on so much support for so long, his kidneys and liver shut down and his lungs were not getting better. Today we reached the point of no recovery, so we had to make the decision to stop the support. This was a decision we hoped we never had to face, but had to be made. At 4:00 pm on Dec. 29 we told the doctors to stop support and a few minutes later Baby Brother finished the race and made it home. He is now in the hands of Jesus with complete healing and a brand new heart. There is no more machines, no more tubes, no more wires, and no more noise just PEACE! The kind of peace that can only come from God. The doctors and nurse said he was the toughest baby they have ever had and he was made of something special.

Thank You for all of your support and prayers. We will continue to update this blog.

Keep on Keeping on!

The doctors were finally able to take fluid out of Baby Todd the last 24 hours with the ultra filtration system. Before the system, they were putting in more fluid than he was putting out, thus making his lungs 'wet'. With the extra fluids out, they are hoping his lungs can recover. It was hard to see him today, if you can imagine a grape to a raisin you will understand. We can now see how sick he really is.

I took the girls back home today, and it leaves us here in the quiet once again. We look forward to each day we get to see them. We are praying that Todd will take a few steps forward, so we can feel more comfortable taking turns coming home. Continue to pray for Baby Todd's lungs to recover and we are keeping on keeping on! God is Good, all the time! All the time, God is Good!

Ronald McDonald House

For the past week or so, Dustin has taken over the job of updating the blog. He's done an amazing job, and I am now a huge fan of his writing. I wake up every morning and one of the first things I do is read his entry, since he typically writes after I am in bed the night before. Anyway, we both thought it was time for me to take a turn at blogging again.

I never imagined that I would be spending Christmas weekend at the Ronald McDonald House, and celebrating the Holidays with complete strangers. Then again, in the last three weeks, I've done a lot of things I never imagined myself doing. But, I honestly have to say that we have been having a great time together as a family...starting new Holiday Traditions. Those of you who know me, know that I am NOT a fan of fast food, especially McDonalds. However, I doubt I will ever pass up the opportunity to support McDonalds and the Ronald McDonald House again!

I was able to spend 2 hours with Baby Todd this morning. It was a wonderful visit with him. Because of my fear of losing him, I slowly detached myself from the experience all together. For the first time since we received his diagnosis in July, I felt like I was finally starting to allow my self to connect with him and "bond". He was awake most of my visit this morning, and was moving his hands and legs. He would squeeze my finger when I talked to him, and would look at me as if he was just soaking up every word I said. I talked to him about leaving a legacy, the importance of his testimony, and the amazing Gifts that God has given him.

While visiting with Baby Todd this morning, the nurses updated me on the adjustments they were making to his machines. His overall condition has not changed, and in the Doctor's words, "He is still a very sick baby". His tiny body has been through so much over the last 3 weeks, his organs are still in need of much rest. We are continuing to pray for improvement in his liver and kidney function, and restoration and healing for his lungs. This has been a very slow process, but through it all God has been very faithful...and His timing is perfect.

Thank you all, again, for your continuous prayer and support, and encouragement. I can not begin to tell you how much it means to us, to know that we have so many people praying and walking with us in this journey.

Three Weeks

We have been in Delaware three weeks, so I thought I would give a complete update of where Baby Todd is on Christmas day. He has the Berlin Heart doing the work for his heart, the VV ecmo doing the work for his lungs, and an ultra filtration system doing the work for his kidneys. There is at least 4 large machines and a total of 23 tubes, lines, and wires attached to him. This morning there were an additional 18 wires attached to his head for testing of his brain. The doctors are very impressed he is still "intact" in his head and the tests today, at first look, did not show any concern.

This is the Berlin Heart in the front and the Breathing Machine in the back.
This is the VV ecmo machine and the Ultra Filtration System

The doctors said a new heart would be a very good thing right now if one were to come available. Until then, they are doing every thing they can to keep his body functioning. Todd is still fighting even though the odds are stacking against him. We try to focus on the goods things and remember God has brought us this far for a reason.

Today Jerri and I felt more home sick than ever, but we made the best of the situation. We put up a small Christmas tree in our room and put many presents under it.


The girls didn't seem to mind the small tree because it still had the presents.

We added a tractor theme, to make it feel more like home (we are so redneck). Sorry dad, we couldn't find red tractors so we added red bows.

We had a great day opening presents and spending the day together. We went to the movies to watch "Marley and Me". It was a good movie for the girls and when it was over Kadenn said "the movie made my eyes water". So, take some tissues if you go to watch it.

Todd was here to squeeze my finger one more day, so I believe God gave us a Christmas Maricle. We continue to pray for complete healing one day at a time and thank God for a wonderful Christmas.

The Kitchen Sink

Ready or not we have to do it. This is how our day started this morning. It was determined the VV ecmo was doing more harm than good, thus making Todd sick. We had to take him off the VV ecmo and see if his lungs could do their job. A couple of hours later with his oxygen levels dropping, we knew his lungs were not ready. So, back onto another type of VV ecmo to help minimize the harm. They have also started a form of dialysis to help get rid of the extra fluids in Todds body. This is the last attempt to dry out his lungs and get them working. I guess one could say "We now threw in the kitchen sink". The next day or two we will know the direction we are heading.

We do have a room at the Ronald McDonald House and friends of ours (Mike and Stacy) are bringing the girls down tonight to stay a couple of days. When we checked in, they took us to Santa's Workshop full of toys. They told us to pick out five toys per kid and two for each of us for Christmas. The girls are going to have plenty of presents this year to help drown out the drama, and Baby Todd will have plenty also for when he gets well.

Despite all the drama Todd has been through, he squeezed Jerri's finger and looked her in the eyes. This was the encouragement we needed to make it another day. We are praying for a Christmas Miracle tonight. I know God is going to remain faithful, so I am remaining faithful also.

Merry Christmas to All and God Bless