Lucky.

The day I was born, my Dad brought me a little pink stuffed elephant. It was part of my stuffed animal family throughout my childhood. My mom sold it at a yard sale while I was in college. It didn't have any sentimental value or anything.

I started officially collecting elephants around that time. It started with a sweet little jade elephant pendant I found at a flea market, I wore it for years.

Little figurines would find their way to me, from yard sales, and flea markets, gifts from friends and family.

I learned about what the elephant symbolized around the world.

In India they symbolize strength, royalty, fertility. Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom and success, is depicted as an elephant's head.

In China, they symbolize strength and wisdom. Buddha is often seen riding an elephant.

Thanks to Animal Planet, I got to learn about elephant society. How the females are the leaders, the males are banished when they reach adulthood. They have a strong sense of family and community and mourn deeply the loss of any member. They remember and respect those that have died, passing their enormous feet gently over the bones of elephants they happen to find.

I couldn't find the origin, but everyone knows the elephant is a symbol of good luck.

Once I started meeting other 'elephant people', I learned things like; the trunk should be always be up, and you should face your elephants toward a window or door. I will graciously accept the gift of any elephant, but if that trunk is down, you won't see it displayed. And yes, my elephants all face windows and doors.


They are with me where ever I go; 6 of them marching around my ankle.


I found this book, The Secret Language of Birthdays a couple years after college, after I'd gotten my tattoo. Look at my birthday;





I know, the trunk isn't up, it bothers me a little, but come on now.

I like to think that the luck has worked. Luck is a funny thing. My mother likes to say to me;

"If you didn't have bad luck, you wouldn't have any luck at all."

I don't know what she's talking about. I engaged in some pretty risky behavior during my college years. Bad stuff could have happened, should have happened. I made it out alive, sane (stop laughing), and somehow managed to not get knocked up or thrown in jail. I got seriously lucky, many times.

What I lost in Vermont is nothing compared to what I've gained through my experience with Graham, how lucky that he not only survived but has thrived. And the CDH community, I'm lucky to be in the company of these women, children, and angel babies.


One angel baby and her mother are changing the luck of some CDH families.

Parker Reese Singletary fought for 20 hours before she earned her wings. I've been in touch with her mom Jessica on and off for the past couple years.

Jessica started the Parker Reese Foundation, to honor her daughter and help other families affected by CDH. A couple who was touched by Parker's story donated a house, in North Carolina, for families to stay in while their babies are in the hospital. This is a huge gift, as these babies can be in the hospital for months.

Jessica had asked for pictures of CDH kids to put up in the house. She wants the house to be all about the kids. I found some pictures, a couple of Graham as a baby in the hospital, and one as he is now, put them in a frame to send off to Parker's House.

As I was looking through Graham's ICU pictures, I noticed a little something, a thought popped into my head, and I had to do it.

I don't remember doing this, but Dennis tells me that I bought this stuffed elephant for Graham the day we got to Children's, the first thing I bought for him after he was born.

It was in his bed in the ICU every second. The nurses would use it to position tubes, IV lines, his arms, his legs. Once he got home it went up on a shelf in his room. It's been on a shelf in the play room now for a couple years.

And now it's going to be in Parker's House. A good luck charm from Graham.

Some families are lucky to have their CDH babies with them for hours, some lucky enough to have days, some even lucky enough to bring them home.

It makes me very happy to give this to Parker's House. A lucky place indeed.