An Incredible Little Girl

Well, I have obviously taken a break from blogging for a while and I hope that you haven't given up on me. It has been a tough few weeks in my world as I was devestated when the daughter of one of my best friends passed away last week. Hopefully you won't mind, but I would like to tell you about this incredible little girl and the impact she has had on my life.

This is Isabelle.

Izzie was just 5 years old when I met her. At that time she was waiting for a multi-visceral transplant. (Liver, stomach, small intestine, and pancreas) She was spunky and adorable and full of personality. I met Isabelle and her family when I was working at Lifeline of Ohio which is an organization that deals with organ and tissue donation. I can still remember walking into her living room the first day and she stole my heart instantly. Izzie's mom, Michelle, and I just clicked. That's the best way that I can describe it. She is like a sister to me and I am a better person for having this family in my life! They lived in Pickerington when Izzie was waiting for her transplant and so I have lots of memories of spending time with them while hoping that she would receive her transplant. I watched as Isabelle grew worse with each day that she continued to wait. If you look close you can see how jaundice (yellow) she was in this picture with her older sister, Madeline.
Isabelle always lived life to the fullest and she loved those around her and found great joy in the simple things. She had a great laugh and I loved her silly faces. I can still picture her with a twinkle in her eye throwing her head back and laughing with such mischief. Even when she was so sick and waiting for her life-saving organ transplant Isabelle participated in dance and cheerleading. She couldn't digest food so she really looked forward to receiving her transplant so that she could eat like everyone else.

Fortunately, Isabelle did receive her gift of life on October 21, 2004 at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. She called me at 9:29pm the night before to share the news that she was going to receive her transplant and I can't even begin to put into words how excited and grateful I was that she would be given a second chance at life. Even now I get chills thinking of our phone conversation. (By the way - the yellow picture above - that was taken at Tuttle Mall 5 days before her transplant.)

Isabelle's kidneys had also been damanged so she ended up receiving a kidney transplant on June 9, 2006 and Izzie always lived her life with such gratitude for the two families who had said yes to donation allowing her to continue living her life.

Since her transplant Isabelle and her family moved to Pittsburgh so they could be closer to her doctors, but my friendship with them has remained strong. Izzie has had so many great experiences - a Disney Cruise, trips to the beach, skiing, ice-skating, Niagra Falls, but most importantly, she was able to perform in a Pittsburgh production of Annie. Now, let me tell you, Isabelle *LOVES* Annie! She has always loved Annie - she had Annie dresses, an Annie wig, and every other Annie related accessory that you could imagine (earrings, necklace, watch, t-shirts, etc.) So playing an orphan in Annie was absolutely a dream come true. I went over to see her in the show last fall and she was precious! I will never forget watching her on stage, but to be perfectly honest, the moments I loved even more came just before the show when she snuck out to see me and give me a hug and kiss. After the show I got her autograph and I will cherish the program with her "Love Izzie" signature always. (For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while I had posted about this trip last September.)

I was fortunate enough to have been able to make a lot of great memories with Isabelle - painting pottery with Maddie, going to Build-A-Bear with Izzie and my niece, Carly, making s'mores, having a "long-distance date," and watching her compete in the US Transplant Games earlier this summer. Let's just sum it up by saying that I loved this little girl! She was an incredible human being who lived her life with such passion and was such a survivor. I admire her for her compassion and her spunk!

Isabelle's underlying Mitochondrial Disorder caused a variety of health complications including the fact that she struggled at times to keep her potassium at a good level. So she went to the hospital on Monday to receive a blood transfusion and potassium. Unfortunately there was a medical error and she was given an inappropriate amount of potassium and she ended up going into cardiac arrest. Izzie did what she has done for her entire life and kept on fighting, but sadly, she passed away at 6:15am on Wednesday August 13th. The sadness that this caused for all of us who had the honor of knowing Isabelle and calling her our friend was more intense than anything I could have imagined. She certainly left a larger than life hole in our hearts! I know in my heart that Isabelle is in a better place and she is free from any pain, but I am devestated especially for her mom, dad, and sister as their family has forever been changed.

I spent last week in Pittsburgh with Michelle (Izzie's mom), Dan (Izzie's dad), and Maddie (Izzie's sister). It was sad, but also wonderful to be able to go through the pictures of Isabelle's life and help to put together items to help honor and celebrate a life that while short has had a larger impact than most of us will ever achieve even if we live until we are old. It was refreshing to hear clips of Isabelle singing Annie songs in her sweet voice, but made your stomach tie up in knots when you realized that you'd never get to hear her talk to you again. And it was a beautiful to witness as hundreds upon hundreds of people came to pay their respects to Isabelle and honor a life well lived, but it was heart-wrenching to know that this incredible little girl who brought all of us together was now gone. Her parents asked me to speak at her funeral and I was honored to help celebrate Izzie's life, but I have to admit, I *never* wanted to be in that situation... I wished that Isabelle would have outlived us all! And so, that was my week last week - honoring and celebrating Isabelle's life and this week I have been trying to get things moving at school when my mind and heart were still in Pittsburgh.

I'll close this post with Isabelle's obituary and the same message I shared as I ended my remembrance at her funeral and I promise to return to blogging later for the coming week...

Isabelle Rose Christenson, 10, precious daughter of Michelle and Dan Christenson, passed away at home on August 13th. Isabelle is survived by beloved big-sister, Madeline, grandparents Barb and Jim Shumaker and Paul and Karol Christenson, Aunts and Uncles Greg and Karen Shumaker, Zach Shumaker, and Stacy and Scott Weber, cousins Anna and Aidan Shumaker, great-grandmothers Ellen Altsman and Dorothy Woodfill, and other family and friends. Isabelle loved the movie “Annie” and was proud to have been an orphan in the Comtra production last year. Believing “you’re never fully dressed without a smile” Isabelle lived each day to the fullest and touched the lives of everyone she met. She always believed in miracles and was forever grateful for the two donors who saved her life with her transplants of 5 organs. You can “bet your bottom dollar” that Isabelle is singing “the sun will come out tomorrow” in heaven. Calling hours will be held Friday, August 15th from 2 to 8pm at Devlin Funeral Home, Rochester Rd., Cranberry Twp. A funeral service celebrating Isabelle’s life will be held at Cranberry Community United Presbyterian Church on Saturday, August 16th at 2pm. (Please meet at church.) In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, 1250 Waterfront Place, Floor 5, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. You must note the contribution is in memory of “Isabelle Christenson.”

Our sadness today is so overwhelming, but if we can just see beyond it to our memories of her spunk, her insights, and just her “Izziness” I know each of us will be fully dressed with a wide and wonderful smile! The sun will surely come out tomorrow – it just won’t shine as brightly without her. We love you, Izzie!