Some of you were very kind and caring when I shared this before, so I thought I would do a follow-up for anyone interested.

So a few weeks ago I shared some family stuff regarding my niece's challenges with her first baby, Parker, now about 8 months old.  You may recall my niece lost her father just three months ago (my sister's husband).  Since that time, Parker, who was born about a month early, was diagnosed with Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL), Vision Impairment and Microcephaly.  He started experiencing infantile spasms, which progressed into something called West Syndrome.  Doctors have been trying every combination of medications to control the seizures, and all of these medicationss are also causing adverse effects for Parker.  Simple milestones are rare and setbacks are too frequent for this beautiful baby.  That being said, my niece and her husband have been nothing short of amazing in their mission to get their boy the best medical attention and therapy they can find.  They are a wonderful, young, hard working couple in their late twenties...fighting a battle they didn't expect nor sign up for.  But they are doing it with courage, dignity, unconditional love, and with the humbling and unexpected love and support of so many people both known and unknown to them.  Some of them came right from this website.

Just yesterday my niece posted a video on facebook that brought tears to my eyes...Parker was, with verbal encouragement, able for the fist time to roll from his side to his stomach in an effort to reach for a toy.  These actions that we have all taken for granted with our own children and others are a big deal for this family.

Their biggest hope right now rests upon a trip (hopefully, if seizures are controlled) to Duke University in September for a transfusion of his cord blood (that they thankfully had stored). The transfusion of his cord blood will hopefully allow the stem cells to attack the damaged parts of his brain and regrow some of the lost matter or, if nothing else circumvent the damage.  They are waiting anxiously for word they can make the trip.  Fingers are crossed and prayers are aplenty that that can happen and the results will be anything close to what we hope for.

Here is a link to my niece Allie's blog for anyone interested http://www.peaceforparker.com/ .  Some of you were so generous with your contributions and prayers and well wishes...I just felt I'd like to post an update after seeing the encouraging video.  Thanks for reading and for your ongoing support.