Let Me Introduce Myself

So, for those of you who may not know me, my name is Allison. I have been a nurse for 8 years and I am a wife and a mother of 4 children. I do have a family blog that was created about a year ago which you can also read to get to know us better. I have been married for 12 years and my children range in age from 11 years old to 16 months. My youngest son, Ethan, was born with a severe heart defect and has already had 2 open heart surgeries with a 3rd one expected next fall.

So, it goes without saying that I am VERY excited for this experience. After Ethan was born, we received a lot of love and support from those around us. I have always felt very strongly to seek opportunities give back or "pass it on" as some might say. I was made acutely aware that life can be short and we should experience as much of it when we can. And, although it causes me anxiety to leave my family for such a long period of time, I trust that it will be well worth it.

I've actually wanted to become a part this humanitarian group for some time now. It started with hearing all of Carie's great stories and the seed was planted. However, after Ethan was born and in light of his heart condition, I never thought that I would have an opportunity to fulfill this dream.

It was only a couple of weeks ago when Carie invited me to come along. After a lot of discussions with my husband and parents, we all decided that this may be my only chance(hopefully not)to give back in such a big way. We all felt that I should take advantage of this opportunity to serve others.

So, now the fun begins in preparing for such a big trip. Because of the recent invitation, I don't have much time to prepare. So far, I've filled out the paperwork for my passport and now I just have to go get my picture taken and turn it in. I also have to get the long list of mandatory immunizations and make a trip to the health department. From what I understand, someone in the group will work on getting all of our Visa's ready (after I get my passport of course). I've also been working on letters to send out seeking donations. For me, this is the worst part. It just feels awkward and I don't like doing it. But due to the short notice, I haven't had anytime to prepare. I hope people see that it is for a good cause and don't think poorly of me for asking. I guess I will just have to wait and see from the responses (or lack thereof) that I get.

So, anyway, there you have it. I hope you will find this experience an interesting one and will follow along with Carie and I on this amazing journey.

---Allison