From
Kay O'Connor: I wish you and all PPL members could know this young
lady. She is a tremendous inspiration to everyone around her. She
spends hours and hours sharing her pony with huge groups of autistic
children, children who are hearing impaired, children at Barksdale Air
Force Base whose parents are still in Kuwait, and residents at two
nursing homes, on a weekly basis....even
on days when she can hardly get around as she pulls her oxygen tank
behind
her and wears that great big smile of hers!!!!!! She's our Theme Child
for 2004!
Our
story began on November 16, 1988 when we found ourselves at God’s
mercy. You see, this was the day our identical twin daughters were
born. Madeline Grace and Mallory Louise were so eager to make their
mark on the
world that they blessed our lives ten weeks earlier than planned.
Although
tiny and frail, the girls were beautiful in our eyes. We saw such joy
when we looked at them. It wasn't until the second day that we had any
idea of what lay ahead for all of us. Even then, we could not have
possibly known where God was leading us.
The doctors informed us that our
precious baby girls were both born with identical heart/lung
defects….defects that would require numerous
operations to repair, if possible. Shocked and stunned, I could not
grasp
what this man, a pediatric cardiologist, was saying to me. “Tetrology
of
Fallot.” What strange words. Of course we wanted to know what this
meant.
How could we possibly understand statements like, “pulmonary artresia
with
a septal wall defect”? And medical terms like oxygen saturation, cut
down,
central line, shunts, and open heart surgery.
Our babies needed a surgery to
place
a cortex tube in their hearts to route blood to their lungs. How can
you perform surgery of that magnitude on children smaller than most
dolls and with hearts the size of a quarter?
It seemed as if our world was falling apart. This should be the
happiest time of our lives. Our other two daughters, Lacy 8 and Rachel
4, were expecting their Mom and Dad to bring two new sisters home. How
were going to tell them that the babies would not be coming home for
many months….if at all?
At three weeks of age the twins had
the first of many surgeries. They were critical for several months, but
managed to continue to fight. On
respirators, feeding tubes, and what seemed like every medication known
to mankind, the girls carried us on an endless roller coaster ride…. so
many ups and downs and twists and turns. Then they came home. Mallory
came first at 3 months old and Madeline followed at 4 months old. Our
house became a make-shift hospital.
By the time the girls were four
years
old, Madeline had undergone four open heart surgeries and Mallory two.
Then in the summer of 1993, shortly before the girls’ fifth birthday,
we were told that Madeline was in
congestive heart failure. The doctors informed us that she would
require a heart-double lung transplant and no doctor in their right
mind would even consider it. There would be no one to help us. The most
we could hope for would be a few months to love her and be with her.
After weeks of crying and feeling
physically ill, we decided we would give our girls, all four of them,
the best memories that we could. We spent the next few months focusing
on family time and giving thanks to the Lord that he had blessed us
with such a great family. We wanted Madeline’s time with us to mean
something. She had a way of touching your heart like an angel. That’s
exactly what my twins were. Angels.
Then on the morning of December 18,
1993,
just two months after their fifth birthday, God took our Madeline Grace
home with him. She ended her
journey at home, surrounded by family, friends, her favorite toys,
Barney movies, and Mickey Mouse music that she loved so much. The last
thing my baby heard before she left this world was her Mama, Nana, and
Godmother singing to her…..”Sally the Camel”. Her Daddy and I were the
last to be with her. We assured her that all the pain would be over and
we would all be happy together again one day.
They say the hardest thing in the
world to endure is the loss of a child. I would agree. I would also say
that it is watching your child lose her identical twin sister. Mallory
was now lost. She wouldn’t eat, sleep, or come out of her room. Her
depression was so overwhelming that the doctors were afraid that we
would loose her too. A broken heart is worse than a damaged heart. We
felt if Mallory did not have something to focus on, we would shortly be
reuniting her with her sister.
They
also say that animals make for great therapy. Maybe there is something
to that. We did not know, but what we did know was that we had to do
something. We took Mal horseback riding. She was reluctant at first,
but what we saw after only a few minutes of being around the horses was
unbelievable. She was smiling and having a good time. Maybe there is
something to this animal therapy after all.
A few months down the line, and
several trips to the stables, we found
ourselves owning a pony. A Shetland pony named Babydoll. It was not
long
before Babydoll became Mal’s best friend. This shaggy old pony gave her
a
reason for living. A very lonesome, lost, sad, little girl with a
broken
heart and an old furry pony with a crooked leg became the happiest pair
you
have ever seen. They went everywhere together. There was not a day that
Mal
was not at the stables with Babydoll. Until, it came time for Mal to
have
surgery. Mallory had five more surgeries over the next few years. And
Babydoll was there to welcome her home after each one. I knew in my
heart
that the shaggy old pony Mal lovingly called “B-doll” was my little
girl’s
only reason for living. For this, we loved that old pony dearly.
Then in January of 2001, we lost our dear little angel Babydoll. She
too
was heaven bound. That’s where all angels go. She would now be
Madeline’s
pony in heaven.
This was going to be devastating to
Mallory. How
would she handle this
loss? She had now lost her sister and her best friend. God has a way of
bringing people into your life for reasons we don’t understand. You
see, a few months earlier, I had the opportunity to meet two very
special ladies….Marianne Alexander and Kay O’Connor from a program
called Personal Ponies Limited. I had contacted them to introduce
myself. Because of our experience with Mal, we know exactly what the
love of and
the love for a pony can do for a person. We spend our days exposing not
only Mallory, but other children, to the joys that ponies can bring. I
had
read an article about PPL and just wanted to relay to Marianne my
mission.
Little did I know that in doing so, our lives would once again change
in a
remarkable way.
Mallory was not alone for long.
Thanks to the loving hearts of PPL
members, Mallory was blessed with a tiny black gelding named Sir
Magnus MacKay of Amazing Grace. It was love at first sight. These two
were
meant to be together. This little black butterball must have been sent
from
heaven. Just look at his name. Grace. Madeline Grace. ”Amazing Grace”
is
the song I have sung to my girls since the day they were born. But
something wasn’t right in Mallory’s heart. Mal would not call him
Magnus.
She insisted that he be called Mickey. After all, Madeline’s favorite
person was Mickey Mouse. How could she call him anything else?
“Mickey”.
It fit him like a glove. Mickey it will be.
He has been with us for two years
now. He arrived at our house via Kay
O’Connor on the weekend of Mallory’s 13th birthday. This is the time we
celebrate the birth of our angels. Mickey is an angel too. What a
blessing
his is. He brings so much happiness to her and many others.
Mallory shares him with
wheelchair-bound children and nursing home
residents. Being only 27” tall, Mickey is too small to ride, but that
does
not stop this furry little creature from spreading joy. Several times a
month, we load up and head out to visit four local nursing homes. Mal
and
Mickey spend hours visiting and wandering the halls. It is such a
rewarding
feeling for us when we hear the residents laughing and see them rolling
down
the hall in their wheelchairs to follow the little girl and her pony.
It is
truly a sight to see. How it warms your heart.
Back at the ranch, Mal and Mickey
are always playing. They play their
version of chase, called “I’m gonna get you!” Sometimes she sneaks him
in
the house to watch television. (Like we are not going to notice a pony
in
the living room.) Or we find her in the barn late at night in her
pajamas,
giving him the latest hair style, which he seems to always be
embarrassed
by, but lets her do it anyway. He knows it makes her happy. HE makes
her
happy. And that is what it is all about!
Mallory and Madeline are little
girls with special
hearts and Mickey is a gift from angels. We are blessed that he is
allowed to live at our house. A
place we call……………….
“Angel Heart Ranch”
