Some people think we are crazy for spending our retirement years changing diapers, giving more than 60 doses of medicine each day and at least 8 breathing

 treatments but this is the life we have chosen and we love it.  We cannot imagine doing anything else.  It is not easy and it is certainly not for everyone, but it is perfect for us.

 Our children all started out as micro preemies from their pre natal  exposure to drugs and alcohol.  Their birth weights ranged from 21 ounces to 2 1/2 pounds.  They were born at 23, 24 and 26 weeks.  
Today our children are healthy but do have many mental and physical issues. 

 Shawnee was 12 in June and can now propel his own wheel chair and is beginning to use a walker.  He just graduated from 5th grade and will enter middle school next year.  He is, as are his sisters, in Special Education.

 Kenya will be 12 in July and attends a special school for children too medically fragile to attend regular schools. She has a trach, feeding tube, is oxygen dependent, legally blind and 90% deaf.  But she is a little clown.  I think she is planning to be the 2nd Houdini.

 Kimberly is 10 1/2 and we were told she would only live a few months when she was born.  God and Kimberly had other plans.  She has a feeding tube, is legally blind, has sleep apnea, has Hydrocephalus and Microcephaly and is on oxygen prn.  She is the happiest child I have ever met.  She jabbers all the time even though we rarely understand anything she is saying.  I call her my "heartbeat".  Her first real words were "my mama". 
She had spinal fusion surgery last August and came through that surgery smiling and throwing kisses just as she has the more than 20 other surgeries she has endured.   

 Kiley, our 4th, went to Heaven in 2006 and she remains in our hearts and is in our thoughts every day,  We had her cremated and she travels everywhere with us.

 We are now adopting Colton (we call him EZ because he is so easy to love).  He was 2 on Easter Sunday and has Hydrocephalus, Microcephaly,  a Trach, is on oxygen, has a feeding tube, is legally blind and like all the others is confined to a wheel chair.  He sleeps most of the time but when he hears my voice and feels me touching his face and kissing him, he wakes up because he knows mama is there. 

 We travel in a 38' motor home towing a 12' trailer in order to carry all the wheel chairs,
oxygen, diapers, formula, etc.  We take the children to Disney World every Christmas and stay in the campground there.  We take them to the mountains (Tennessee) every Thanksgiving.  We save up to make these trips because the children seem to

love the lights, sounds, characters, etc. 

 We have given and received medical supplies and equipment from other families on this web site and we think it is the greatest source of information and help on the internet.   Judy & Ken Hammett krhammett@aol.com