Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him

Hey All,

I know this is supposed to be a post about our trip to Melbourne and our drive on the GOR; but that will have to wait.

There is a blog that I have been following for a while - My best friend Meaghan introduced me to it and I was hooked from the first entry I read.

http://www.jennepper.com/ - Please make your way over and check it out.  It's a very funny account of infertility... until she has a baby - then it becomes a very funny account of pregnancy and motherhood in general. The story turns sad though and Jen and her family need help - here is a link to her friend Andrea's blog with all the donation links and information - http://dixonsmakeitwork.blogspot.com/p/just-relax.html - Please go there and donate... And if you are living in Cleveland, please consider attending the fundraiser.

I would try to write my own synopsis of the sad story here; but I would do a horrible job.  So, I am going to unabashedly copy straight from her friend Andrea's blog:


I am lucky enough to have known Jen (you might know her as Jennepper!) for a few years and to be able to call her an "in real life" friend. Gianna even considers Oliva one of her BFF's

Jen is amazing. As is her husband Mark. And their girls.

It took 3 years for Jen & Mark to successfully conceive Olivia. Miss O was born on valentine’s day 2009 and has been adorable, dramatic and awesome ever since.

Last summer, Jen & Mark decided to add to their family and after a successful FET they found out they would be having identical twins. Unfortunately, her pregnancy wasn’t all roses & sunshine – there were lots of concerns and doctors and drama. In the end, Jen ended up in the hospital around 32 weeks with hopes of seeing her girls very soon. A c-section was scheduled and the wait began. 
Things went wrong. Very wrong. The girls were born via emergency C-section on December 29, 2010. Itty Bitty Baby, Ainsley, was small but mighty and taken straight to the NICU. Hog Baby, Evelyn, was just as beautiful but born perfectly still.
Ainsley is a fighter. A beautiful little girl who is surrounded by so much love, hope and prayers. She has been through a lot in her short little life – including spine surgery, G-tube surgery and most recently a tracheotomy. 

The road ahead is long and her family has been adjusting to their “new normal” that includes 2 full time working parents, spending time with Olivia and spending whatever time they can with Ainsley along with countless hours in the car coming to and from all of these places.

Who knows what the future holds, all we can do is focus on the now.

When someone is hurting, or in need, as friends we want to do SOMETHING. If we could take away their pain and their hurt we would, but since we can't we typically try to fill their bellies and put a smile on their face in any way possible.

A group of friends, and mom’s, have come together to do just that – support, fill bellies and make smiles. At first our small group of amazing women were able to provide them, amongst other things, a basket full of goodies including gas cards, parking passes, groceries and dinners.
With the long road ahead for the Knepper's, we want to do something more and we want to reach out to all of YOU – all of the wonderful people who follow Jen’s blog, know her in real life and just want to extend their prayers/thoughts/hope into action.

Please share this page, Jen’s story, and ALL of this information in whatever way you can.

Blog about it and link back here. Share the button we have created on your blog. Tweet it. Facebook it. Email it. Donate. Pray. Love. Hope.

We are accepting donations, of all shapes and sizes – there is no such thing as an amount too small.




There is also an event.

Myself along with several other "in real life" friends have put together a fundraiser dinner & Reverse Raffle where 100% of the profit will benefit the Knepper family.
There will be food, booze, reverse raffles, live entertainment, lots of goodies to be raffled off with a side of relaxation.

The event is planned for Saturday July 23rd in Northeast Ohio.

If you are interested in attending the event or if you would like to donate an item to be given away (we’ll take whatever you want to give us!) please contact us for further information.

If you have any questions at all – email us.
We can’t wait to hear from you!

No family should have to go through something like this. No baby should be in the hospital for this long instead of at home. No parent should have to experience loss and joy on the same day, and no one should have to travel this long road without support. As a mother, I can't imagine her loss. As a friend, I can't imagine her strength.

Please share this page, Jen’s story, and ALL of this information in whatever way you can.

Blog about it and link back here. Share the button we have created on your blog. Tweet it. Facebook it. Email it. Donate. Pray. Love. Hope.
Are You Listening


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