First Annual Angel Day. GET INVOLVED!

Our First Annual Angel Day is planned for July 30th 2010.

On July 30th, 2009, Avery John Rauen left to be with the angels in the UNC Butterfly garden from his parents, Jared and Meghan's arms. His beloved family and amazing medical team looked on. He had fought heroically for 107 days against gastroschisis and his life has provided much unity, support and hope for a disease affecting many babies and many families all over the world.

We plan on honoring Avery and other gastroschsis survivors and victims every year on July 30th to raise awareness for the birth defect now affecting every 1 out of 2500 births in the US.

The event is to promote support and raise awareness of the members of your local community affected and how simple little gifts can mean so much.

There are events planned (location TBA) for the RDU area. They are listed below along with suggestions for events to promote, sponsor and put on in your area.

• Blood/Platelet/Plasma drive at area hospitals with NICU's (contact Meghan for NC area hospitals)

1 adult donation of plasma or blood saves 12 babies and gastroschisis babies require much during their surgeries.

• Please support the Ronald McDonald House by purchasing a Happy Meal or bringing your change in to a location or our planned potluck/picnic on the 30th.

The Ronald McDonald house provides access for parents to their children while they struggle through difficult diseases. However, they need your support! The houses tend to fill up quickly, while babies come in and have families who struggle to be by their side.

• On July 30th, Location TBA, at 5:30/6pm we will have a potluck/picnic.

Some food will be provided but please bring a dish to share.

• At 7pm we will do a butterfly release. (Suggested $2 donation to be part)

• At 8pm EST we're asking all families to light a candle or pause for a moment of silence to honor all survivors, victims, expecting parents and families enduring the journey.

You can also:

Promote and come up with a walk/marathon

Create a musical/family event

Promote your own blood/plasma drive at the hospital where your child was

Restaurant Promotional Event

If you would like to donate, get involved, volunteer your time or need help with suggestions please email us at meghanhall@averysangels.org

11,000 babies born today, 4.4 were born with gastroschisis. Let's do something about this. Let's take a moment to honor those families.

We hope you'll join us in our celebrations or have your own all over the world!

Love and blessings
Avery's Angels

Long time

So it's been long time for me to post.

Several activities since last time.

I miscarried in Febuary and was absolutly devestated. It rocked my world and I would spiral and not be able to grasp onto anything around me to pull me out. With some counseling and some meds I pulled through but was feeling very broken and alone.

I also was confronted rather sharply by a religious community I was part of devotedly through Avery's days and it also rocked my world. Jared's dad eventually told me, even through his own disappointment at the situation that "Don't let people who hurt you to rent space in your head or heart."

It's so true. I preach on it all the time. It doesn't matter how many hugs or kicks you did or didn't get, it's about this moment right now and what you're going to do with it and how you're going to live the rest of your life. I'm so glad that God took that moment to use him for those words.

Like everything in my life it's given me more fuel, more of a message and more passion. I was never lucky enough to be born into a Christian community and have always felt the brunt and coldness of the self-riteous who unknowingly look down upon those who aren't saved and speak with such condination and so little experience from being out of that world. I struggle, like anyone else who comes from my "outsider" experience of not feeling "good enough." Churches feel clichey often, and a place full of cookie-cutter people. I hope one day to grow a church where people genuinly can walk through the front doors and be taken in love at their pace in their lives with no strings and no expectations. I hope one day I can be the place where if it takes 80 years or 2 weeks to go down the journey, that you feel comforted and loved every step. Where God isn't the only person calling out, and you don't slip through the cracks, but that there are people consistantly calling and watching out for you. Just like I hope Avery's Angels to be.

I'm happy to say I am officially 12 weeks pregnant and due in Jaunary. It feels so very surreal and like a dream. I'm frightened and freaked at every cramp and pain and twitch. Jared laughs at me and tells me I'm a nut but I guess, granting my experience that it's normal and Mid-Carolina OBGYN has been so accomdating.

Avery's Angels finally has a functioning website! www.averysangels.org and we're growing in leaps and bounds. We suffer from lack of funding and have so many different families in need. I wish that we could strike it rich and get it all done.

We will have a Pepsi Refresh Project to vote on in August and God willing it will finally answer all of our funding needs!! Keep an eye out for posts and updates on voting and links to do so! It will only happen by vigelent people doing all the button pushing they can!!

Patience.......I'm learning again.....