Fisher, McKynna Lorraine

[left:8cdb865d4e]http://www.cherubs-cdh.org/Album/new/fisher2.jpg[/left:8cdb865d4e]The first time we had ever even heard of CDH was on August 10, 1996 when our youngest daughter, McKynna was born. I had never heard of a Diaphragmatic Hernia before and from that day on, I told myself I would learn as much as I could on what our daughter was faced with. I remember one of the nurses at Children's Hospital in Denver making me copies out of a Physician's book so I could read up on it. I will never forget how I felt reading the statistics and looking over the pictures on the pages. I felt like I had just sank into my chair and the world just didn't exist anymore. McKynna was airlifted immediately after birth to Children's that soon became our second home. My doctor released me within 8 hours after the birth so I could go down and spend time with my newborn daughter. I hurt so bad but, that was not even on my mind. My focus was to get there and to get there quick. My husband left the same time the chopper did and our oldest daughter Jordyn left with her grandparents. She ended up staying there for 4 days while we tried to get our thoughts together. After all, we assumed that she would be going home with us the same way Jordyn did. To make this long and emotional story as short as possible, she underwent surgery within 12 hours of birth. Looking back at it now, it seemed like everything went her way. She was stable from birth on. She never crashed or came close to it. That's not to say that everything was perfect because it wasn't. She stayed on the Oscillator for about 2 weeks and then the ventilator for one. When they had her on the oxygen hood for the first 24 hours after the vent ... she decided to take herself off the hood. I knew in my heart that she was going to be the strong one. And I was right. It's kind of funny, being a parent you think that it's your job to teach them about life. In return, she taught me. There isn't a day that I don't think about those 6 weeks in the hospital but, I know now that I truly learned something. And it wasn't anything that I had read about from a book. She taught me about love, courage, strength, and how unfortunately short life really is. I look at things differently now and I can say that my children did that for me. I know now that they were sent here for me to do something good with my life. When people ask me what one thing is my greatest accomplishment in life? Without even having to think ... it's becoming a mom.

Her neonatologist at Children's still talks about McKynna. He calls her the "miracle." She advanced more than any other CDH patient he has had. We go back every year for reunions and he still is amazed to see her. We thank God for him. And we thank God for our two beautiful girls.


Written by McKynna’s family, Joe, Kim, and Jordyn Fisher (Colorado)
1999