{Maverick}

Remembering
Go ahead and mention my child,
The one that died, you know.
Don't worry about hurting me further.
The depth of my pain doesn't show.
Don't worry about making me cry.
I'm already crying inside.
Help me to heal by releasing
The tears that I try to hide.
I'm hurt when you just keep silent,
Pretending he didn't exist.
I'd rather you mention my child,
Knowing that he has been missed.
You asked me how I was doing.
I say "pretty good" or "fine".
But healing is something ongoing
I feel it will take a lifetime.
~ Elizabeth Dent ~

I copied this poem from my friend Juli Clark's blog. Some of you locally may have heard mention of the Clark family and their incredible little fighter Maverick. Maybe you read their story in the newspaper, heard a radio interview, or heard of them at church or through a friend. You might have read my post here last February when Maverick went on to heaven. Perhaps you haven't heard of them at all so let me begin...

My friend Juli and I used to walk in the mornings together (when I'd get my behind out of bed...it was still dark out...and cold). As women do we talked and talked...and me wanting so desperately to will Mr. Quinn to have one more child came up VERY often (as it does on my blog). And every time Juli would tell me I was crazy....and she was done!!. Except one morning she told me she was pregnant! I was sooo shocked.....and sooo happy for her! Over the next few weeks we talked about nursery themes...names ...things..and all the details that go into preparing to bring a child into the world. One morning Juli told me about a possible irregularity on the babies heart that had been found through a sonogram and how she had scheduled a follow up visit. Turned out Juli's baby had a congenital heart defect. On September 12, 2008 Maverick Donovan Clark was born....a beautiful baby boy with the longest eyelashes I've ever seen. A sweet faced angel with transposition of the great arteries, ASD, and VSD. Juli and Greg (her husband) expected to have a baby boy to bring home to his 3 siblings...three to four weeks after his surgery but instead Maverick had numerous complications after his arterial switch and fought through many many more procedures that would have taken the life from an adult. Maverick battled for 5 1/2 months before he passed away February 24, 2009 - without ever even going home.

According to The Children’s Heart Foundation, “Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with congenital heart defects and most will undergo at least one surgery, if not many, in their lifetime.” These precious children born with heart defects, such as Maverick, are in need of the miracles that research can bring.

Now let me tell you some chilling facts:

Congenital heart defects are America’s and every country’s #1 birth defect. Nearly one of every 100 babies is born with a CHD.

· Congenital heart defects are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths.

· Congenital heart defects are the leading cause of all infant deaths in the United States.

-Each year approximately 40,000 babies are born in the United States with a congenital heart defect. thousands of them will not reach their first birthday and thousands more die before they reach adulthood.

-In the United States, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects each year than from all forms of childhood cancer combined, yet funding for pediatric cancer research is five times higher than funding for CHD.

-Only one penny of every dollar donated to the American Heart Association goes towards congenital heart defect research.

-Of every dollar the government spends on medical funding only a fraction of a penny is directed toward congenital heart defect research.

NOW YOU KNOW!!

In memory of their son, Maverick, Juli and Greg Clark have teamed with (me) Dejah Quinn Photography and the Oklahoma Blood Institute to create the (1st Annual) Maverick Clark

Memorial Event, “Art for the Heart”, in Shawnee, Okla. on February 13, 2010.

Please join us from 9am to 1pm

to raise funds and awareness for the Children’s Heart Foundation. Me and my staff will be taking photographs for a recommended donation of $15.00 per photo. We have a really cute "heart themed" set. Photos will be taken on a first-come basis. BEST BUY is donating a printer, paper, and toner for the event so photos will be ready that same day.

Baby Maverick needed a lot of blood in his little lifetime. Thanks to blood donors it was available for him. There are many CHD babies and children with this same need. The Oklahoma Blood Institute will attend "Art for the Heart" with TWO blood vans. To sign up for available slots please contact Aaron at the studio, 405.273.2779. Walk-ins are welcomed as well.

There will be a Heart-Shaped goodies bake sale put on by Maverick’s siblings Maddie, Carter, and Chloe... and many more fun ways everyone can give to this cause.

At 1:00 PM we plan to have a balloon release in memory of Maverick Clark. We are revamping the look of baby mavericks blog sometime this week to include a button so that if you cannot make the event but would like to help join us in raising funds you may purchase a heart shaped balloon in memory of your loved to be released as well. Please check back soon for that.

I know many of you that read my blog are wonderful photographers with a gift. Many of you far away.....who cannot attend our event...many who can in spirit. If you feel inclined to share your talent and take a photo of a balloon(s) being released for baby Maverick...We all know the power behind a photograph! I have created a flickr group http://www.flickr.com/groups/babymaverick feel free to upload and share your artwork.

Juli and Greg Clark hope this event will not only raise money for a cause they hold so dear to their hearts, but also bring awareness to everyone about The Children’s Heart Foundation and the Oklahoma Blood Institute, who has been in dire need for more blood in the last few months.

This event is also published on Facebook if you would like to join the group http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=151834&id=590195835&comments=#/group.php?gid=273536843026&ref=mf.

Please visit www.childrensheartfoundation.org for more information on CHF.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PASS THIS ALONG...COPY AND PASTE OR LINK TO HERE.

We have a financial goal set and secretly I'd LOVE to double it! PLEASE HELP!

http://www.babymaverick.blogspot.com/


If you are a business owner and would like to donate supplies for the event or if you are media and would like to cover the event please contact our PR rep Amanda Clements artfortheheart@gmail.com