Friday, June 21, 2013

A Heart for Josiah

Lacy is one of the most precious people I know! She has a beautiful, infectious smile and the sweetest heart. Her love for the Lord shines through to everyone who meets her.

She & I have known each other for most of our lives.  We grew up going to church together & have a special bond because we were both adopted and have similar stories. She has always been like a little sister to me & we have always referred to each other that way. Our moms are best friends too and we have always had fun mother-daughter outings, trips, etc. She & I were always a lot alike growing up. I could go dig in old pictures and find lots of funny ones of us in matching outfits & being silly, playing softball (we were both pitchers), acting in church plays, etc. My first “job” was working at her mom’s hair salon, & I let her share a locker with me when we were in high school. She was the coolest freshman having locker access on the senior hall! It’s been so much fun to see how our friendship has grown through the years and how we still have so much in common. She & her hubby are also in youth ministry & love to work out. Her friendship is so dear to me.

We enjoyed a trip to Hilton Head together last Spring Break with our moms….right before she found out she was expecting!

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I found out I was pregnant a few months after her, and it was fun to talk baby talk with her throughout our pregnancies.

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I also had the privilege of taking a few maternity pictures for this gorgeous couple.

Is this not the most BEAUTIFUL picture?!?!

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Josiah was born January 23, 2013. Lacy & Anthony were instantly in love with this sweet little man!

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Josiah has a defect called has a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome along with a restrictive atrial septum. He had to have surgery within his first few days of being born and this tough lil fella has already been through so much.

He is such a FIGHTER!!! You can read more of their story on Lacy's blog....

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They have spent the majority of Baby Josiah’s life in the hospital, and as of May 13th, Josiah was placed on the heart transplant waiting list. This procedure is incredibly expensive in addition to the medical bills they have already incurred. They are looking at nearly a million dollars for this procedure alone… 312167_172306302934333_1276046758_n

They are both extremely hard workers and have been very good stewards of their money. Anthony is also former military. They have already capped out their insurance on his other procedures and hospital stays, & I cannot imagine having to think about the financial burden on top of worrying about their sweet son.

I got to meet this precious little angel today, & he will absolutely steal your heart!! He has the biggest, most beautiful eyes (and longest eyelashes!) & is such a HAPPY, smiling baby!! You can tell he knows how loved he is…And of course Lacy greeted me with a big hug and that beautiful smile! Guess that’s where this sweet little one gets his strength…

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Before becoming a mom, my heart would ache for families facing this type of battle…

But now that I am a mom too, my heart aches in a whole new way. I just CANNOT IMAGINE what they are going through- their thoughts, fear, pain, uncertainty. My heart just absolutely aches for them.

Lacy & Anthony’s unwavering faith has been incredibly inspiring to me and so many others…& I know God has big plans to use their testimony in a mighty way.

I know they certainly appreciate your prayers…

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You can check out the video where they were featured on our local news station tonight:

Fox 5 Atanta Video: A Heart for Josiah

And if you feel led to donate to help with medical costs for this sweet family, you can do that by:

*Going to any Wells Fargo bank and making a donation to the Josiah Barfield Benefit fund.  (Ask them to look under Angel Lacy Barfield)

*Donating through PayPal HERE!

*Visiting Lacy's Blog or the Facebook page to make a donation.

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Thank you for your prayers and support of my sweet friends & their precious little miracle.

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