Blessed... again.

I kept telling myself that I would make every effort to revive my blog. Unfortunately, it has taken me this long to inch up to finally blogging a new post.

Alas, I am here and I do hope to frequent this blog as I initially intended.

I suppose I should catch everyone up on the latest and long overdue news on my Blessed *Catherine Experience. Without further ado, we are having another BABY! As this good news came to our surprise, I immediately prayed for our sweet dear friends who have been TTC for quite some time now. I know that it must be difficult to have to go through such an incredible test and trial of faith and patience.

Although I have been blessed... again, my health has not always been the easiest. Some have wondered, but have never asked from fear of either embarrassing or upsetting me. I was born with a tumor of the tongue called Lymphangioma. Growing up with this birth defect was, in my opinion, more difficult for my family than it was for me. The hospital was not my mom's favorite place to be. She could barely go there to visit a friend, let alone stomach the pain of watching your own child being treated for a condition that almost no one knew about.

I was fortunate enough to have been treated by one of the best head and neck surgeons in the world, Dr. Thomas Calcaterra. He actually had treated another patient before me witht the same condition. The worst my condition ever got was after Dr. Calcaterra did a biopsy on my tongue to confirm its malignancy. Thankfully, the tumor was benign, however, my tongue took a turn for the worst. It was so incredibly swollen that I could not close my month. My speech was impaired causing me to communicate with only pen and paper. I was then hospitalized at UCLA's intensive care unit. I remember how hard it was for my family to see me like that. It honestly looked harder than it really felt. For safety precautions, Dr. Calcaterra decided to do tracheostomy to provide a more secure airway. The swelling eventually subsided with antibiotics and time. I was then moved to the observation unit and eventually discharged.

Although that was a major part of my extensive medical history, I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am with the life that has been bestowed upon me now. I refuse to complain. I am Blessed and shall remain blessed.