Pieces of a Puzzle

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Like everything in life, there are many pieces of our IVF and adoption journey that have to come together just right. We have to be able to afford it (likely $50,000 for both). We have to have a suitable home (closing in March, if all goes well). We have to have Krabbe-free embryos. We have to be matched with a birth family. There are many other examples, but overall we have to be patient and rely on the Lord’s timing.

In an effort to raise funds but also include others in our journey, we borrowed the idea to “sell” puzzle pieces for $20. The giraffe puzzle is 500 pieces, so that represents $10,000 of the funding needed. More importantly, it will be a physical display of all those who made it possible for us to have more children join our family.

We’ve had a great response so far and we are so encouraged!

If you would like to be a piece of the puzzle that helps build our family, here’s what you can do:

  • Send $20 via PayPal to Lesa.Brackbill@gmail.com OR
  • Mail a check for $20 to:
    P.O. Box 406
    Hershey, PA 17033

Once we have all 500 pieces claimed, we will put the puzzle together and glue it together/frame it. Someday we will be able to show Tori’s siblings all the love that was shown toward our family and who made it possible to bring them into our family.

Overall, we have already raised $1,100 and the auction hasn’t even begun! God is SO good!

The auction will take place here on January 20-25. In this group you will also see the other fundraisers happening (currently, Thirty-One; in February, LuLaRoe!). This is also where you will continue to see progress reports more regularly than on the blog.

Thank you all for the support and love you continue to show us ❤

Saying Goodbye to 2016

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Tori was physically part of our lives for parts of four years: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.

2017 will be the first year we will experience her absence, the first year we will have to say that she passed away “last year” and not this year.

We cannot stop time, nor would we want to do so. Every day that passes is a day closer to seeing our girl again in Heaven. Yet, at the same time, my heart aches as we enter a year she will never know, a year we are forced to experience without her.

2016 was a bittersweet year filled with transitions for us. To name a few:

  • Bitter: Tori went to Heaven;
    Sweet: She was healed from Krabbe.
  • Bitter: We sold our first home, the home Tori knew as her own;
    Sweet: We paid off Brennan’s student loan.
  • Bitter: I was left without a “job” as a mom, a role I treasured;
    Sweet: Finding a new position where I see Brennan and other friends daily.

While it is difficult to say goodbye to 2016, we are hopeful about 2017 and all that is on the horizon.

In 2017, we hope to:

  • Buy a house in Hershey (March) – can’t wait to tell THAT story!
  • Pay off the rest of Lesa’s student loan and be DEBT FREE
  • Publish my book (will pitch to publishers in Spring)
  • Save/raise enough money to do a round of IVF
  • Begin the adoption process
  • Host an encouraging event for those who have lost children
  • See PA make Newborn Screening for Krabbe mandatory for ALL babies
  • Succeed in raising funds for Hunter’s Hope through a pilot program
  • Plus many other smaller goals

Brennan and I both feel encouraged and we feel hopeful for 2017. The Lord has already opened doors that excite us (ones that we couldn’t even have dreamed up) and we know that He has great things in store for us.

Years will continue to pass without Tori here with us, so while this first one is the hardest, we recognize that the heartache will never fully go away. Instead of dwelling on what we cannot change, we choose joy and hope. We choose to continue to fight for Newborn Screening so that others will never know the pain we have known. We continue to be grateful for all the Lord has done in and through us, knowing that He isn’t finished yet.

As we enter 2017, we pray that the Lord will continue to guide us and show us the path He wants us to take. And we pray that for all of you, as well.