NOTE FROM THE MACS STAFF

Christine's story was written before she passed away. We will update her story as soon as we receive more information from her family.

Christine was born in Germany on March 31st, 1991. Her father was serving in the U. S. Army in Kitzigen, Germany, where we met and got married. When Christine was 8 months old they we to the United States and after spending some time with her Nana in South Carolina, we moved to Fort Knox, KY, where her sister, Alexandra, was born on June 29th, 1993. Later we were transferred to Ft. Stewart, GA.

In 2000 her father resigned from the Army and we bought a house in Hinesville, GA. In 2002 we bought another house closer to Savannah since it was where her father worked. We loved our new neighborhood, the schools, and the many good friends we made there.

From birth to age 12, Christine was just a normal child. Other than childhood illnesses, Christine appeared in good health until September 2003. She became nauseous, vomited after eating, and had a cough.

The family physician diagnosed her problem as allergies and treated her accordingly. She was not getting any better after four weeks, so she was admitted to Memorial Hospital in Savannah on October 17th, 2003. She had developed liver problems by that time. The next day she was flown to Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta, where they discovered the heart problem. She was diagnosed with multiple heart defects.

Because Christine's heart was not functioning properly, severe damage occurred to her other organs, and most specifically her liver. Her heart was functioning at 20%. She was highly medicated and placed in a drug induced coma. Unfortunately, her heart did not respond to the medication and on October 29th, the doctors determined that a heart transplant would be necessary.

On October 30th, 2003, Christine had heart surgery. On November 1st, 2003, she developed a blood clot and another surgery was performed to remove the blood clot. She remained in the drug induced state for several more days. She is connected to a large machine which performs the heart's functions. She is on the list for a heart transplant and must remain in the cardiac intensive care of the hospital until a heart becomes available. She presently is A1 status on the transplant list.

She is aware of her many physical problems and is very depressed. She does not say she is afraid, but she is very sad. She is in a scary place hooked up to a machine and waiting for an operation. After the heart transplant, she will remain in the hospital for approximately one month; then remain in Atlanta for several months for daily monitoring. The length of time there will depend on how well her body accepts her new heart. Her greatest desire is to be able to go home and lead a normal life -- being with her family, going to school, enjoying her pets and her friends. The family has a dog which her sister Alexandra claims hers and a cat which Christine claims as hers.

Some of her happiest moments are those when her mail arrives. She enjoys receiving cards and letters and while these will not get her out of the hospital faster, they will help her spirit while she struggles through this tragic and terrifying change in her life.

Normally Christine is a happy, upbeat individual with a beautiful smile; she is very outgoing, bright (straight A student), and extremely polite. Please pray for her!

Update - On Wednesday, December 3rd, 2003, Christine got a NEW HEART!!

(..... to be continued .....)