Following Dreams… nothing can stop me

I was diagnosed with Lupus in 1999, Fibromyalgia in 2002 and Kidney Disease from Lupus in 2005.   I became a mom in 2006.  The whole reason that I had Lexi when I did was because I was diagnosed with the kidney disease in late October of 2005 and was told that I needed to make the decision to start a family or to start chemotherapy medication and risk becoming permanently sterile.  Of course, I could not let Lupus crush my dream of becoming a mom.

I had a cesarean section the day that I had entered my 28th week of my pregnancy due to my kidneys plummeting out of control.  I had gained 90 (ninety) pounds of fluid, and we had learned that the placenta was slowly being destroyed by my body.  The kidney disease and lupus had been keeping most of the nutrients from getting to my daughter.

Lexi was born at 1 pound 12 ounces, very tiny for a 28 weeker.  During the cesarean section, the doctors had sucked over 4 gallons of water off of me.  There was a huge team of doctors there to make sure that I did not go into cardiac arrest from the amount of fluid that I had lost, to make sure that Lexi was immediately rushed to the NICU and taken care of, and to make sure that I was as comfortable as possible considering the circumstances.  After my pregnancy with Lexi, I had my tubes tied.  The pregnancy was far too dangerous for me to ever put myself through that situation again.

Lexi’s father and I were two totally different people and were separated within a year of Lexi being born.  I now have another daughter as well, and she was also a gift from God.  My husband and I have just gotten married after 2 years together and his daughter, Arianna, lives with us full time.  Her mother has decided that she does not want to be a regular part of Arianna’s life, which is just too bad, as she is an amazing little girl who has God in her heart.  She has taken Lexi in as her little sister and the two girls are inseparable.

No matter what illnesses I may have, I am so glad that I have continued to follow my dream to have a family.  Although it may take me a while, I always and forever will follow my dreams.  Hey, I may be sick, but I am human and you bet I will live my life to its fullest!