Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, photos of our lovely little girls, Rory and Danni, for your enjoyment below. Admit it: they are absolutely adorable.
They joined us at home at last last Monday, May 18, and my were we glad to bring them home after 42 days in the NICU. They are doing great, keeping us up late at night, and getting the hang of home. It's great.
The first picture of them below is of the first time we held them side by side, out of their isolettes, in the NICU. This is, in other words, the first time they met. And yes, the next picture is what it looks like -- the first time they met, they held hands. Life can sure be beautiful.
Also see these photos which we had placed on the hospital's iNursery.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Generosity
As described below, with Leo's passing, we decided to create the Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund in his memory. All contributions will be donated to help young children in need. We are thankful to all the generous donors that have already contributed to this fund and for the impact on young lives that your caring will have in Leo's name. We have been profoundly touched by these expressions of generosity, and wanted to share one story of this giving with you which perhaps sums up how kind these gifts are.
The maternal grandma of Leo, Rory and Danni is a teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Caledonia, Ohio. She and we were stunned to learn last week that her colleagues across the staff, from the custodial team to the teachers and administration, had organized a collection for this fund. They raised the amazing sum of $650. These gifts come from individuals who never had the joy of meeting Leo, yet, through his grandmother and family, became connected to him. Their sympathy and generosity will, through this fund, help other young children in need, and on behalf of our beloved son and his sisters, we express our deepest thanks to them for reaching out to touch other lives so thoughtfully.
The maternal grandma of Leo, Rory and Danni is a teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Caledonia, Ohio. She and we were stunned to learn last week that her colleagues across the staff, from the custodial team to the teachers and administration, had organized a collection for this fund. They raised the amazing sum of $650. These gifts come from individuals who never had the joy of meeting Leo, yet, through his grandmother and family, became connected to him. Their sympathy and generosity will, through this fund, help other young children in need, and on behalf of our beloved son and his sisters, we express our deepest thanks to them for reaching out to touch other lives so thoughtfully.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Leo Francis Mackey
On April 7, Leo Francis, Rory Marí and Danni Christine joined us on this earth. Their arrival was miraculous and beautiful, and hope and love never seemed to us so unending. On April 18, 12 days later, our little Leo, following his brave battle with a sudden and terrible intestinal infection, passed away. He had been born healthy and full of energy and life that were magnetic, and we, like the doctors and nurses, were shocked by what happened. We held him in our arms as he died, and as we had tried to say every minute of his brief life, had the privilege of telling him again we loved him. We will never forget him. Below are a few photos of him taken within a few days of his birth.
We are posting here a link to the video of the service held for Leo on April 25. Our goal with this service was to honor Leo, to provide some small measure of our love for him in a gift of remembrance that his sisters could one day view, and to stand together with our family and friends who have been so kind to us and so thoughtful of Leo, Rory and Danni throughout this tumultuous time and who themselves are mourning. The reason we videotaped this service was to share it with his sisters one day, and we post it here only for those who might value viewing it now.
Service for Leo Francis Mackey
We will never be able to thank sufficiently all those who have reached out to us with love, kindness and support. Please accept our meager thank you knowing it is far from the depth of feeling with which we express it to you. We have formed a charitable fund, the Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund, for those who would like to make a donation in his name. All funds will be donated to young children in need. The address and tax ID information are below.
The speakers in this service are
Timothy Dugan, Bucknell University campus chaplain and family friend
Kurt Thiede, Bucknell vice president for admissions and family friend
David Bonheimer, longtime family friend
Matt Quinn, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and family friend
We are grateful to them for the wisdom and presence of love they brought to this service.
We also are grateful to the singers, musicians and performers who beautified this service with their talents. Their names are shown in the program preceding the video. A special thanks to the Bucknell University Rooke Chapel Ringers and composer and conductor Bill Payn; Steve Gibson, a friend and colleague at Bucknell who kindly videotaped this service; and friends at Bucknell who prepared this video for viewing. Finally, our thanks to the community of Bucknell University that has reached out to us so warmly throughout these days.
The Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund
c/o Sam Lundquist
Office of Development
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Tax ID (all contributions are tax deductible): 26-4738082
We will soon post on this blog photos of Rory and Danni, and have decided for the time being to continue it with updates of the progress of our daughters. Rory and Danni are doing well, and we expect to be welcoming them home from the NICU soon. Our enduring thanks to the devoted caretakers at the NICU, who have given our children such loving attention.
We are posting here a link to the video of the service held for Leo on April 25. Our goal with this service was to honor Leo, to provide some small measure of our love for him in a gift of remembrance that his sisters could one day view, and to stand together with our family and friends who have been so kind to us and so thoughtful of Leo, Rory and Danni throughout this tumultuous time and who themselves are mourning. The reason we videotaped this service was to share it with his sisters one day, and we post it here only for those who might value viewing it now.
Service for Leo Francis Mackey
We will never be able to thank sufficiently all those who have reached out to us with love, kindness and support. Please accept our meager thank you knowing it is far from the depth of feeling with which we express it to you. We have formed a charitable fund, the Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund, for those who would like to make a donation in his name. All funds will be donated to young children in need. The address and tax ID information are below.
The speakers in this service are
Timothy Dugan, Bucknell University campus chaplain and family friend
Kurt Thiede, Bucknell vice president for admissions and family friend
David Bonheimer, longtime family friend
Matt Quinn, executive director of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and family friend
We are grateful to them for the wisdom and presence of love they brought to this service.
We also are grateful to the singers, musicians and performers who beautified this service with their talents. Their names are shown in the program preceding the video. A special thanks to the Bucknell University Rooke Chapel Ringers and composer and conductor Bill Payn; Steve Gibson, a friend and colleague at Bucknell who kindly videotaped this service; and friends at Bucknell who prepared this video for viewing. Finally, our thanks to the community of Bucknell University that has reached out to us so warmly throughout these days.
The Leo Francis Mackey Memorial Fund
c/o Sam Lundquist
Office of Development
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA 17837
Tax ID (all contributions are tax deductible): 26-4738082
We will soon post on this blog photos of Rory and Danni, and have decided for the time being to continue it with updates of the progress of our daughters. Rory and Danni are doing well, and we expect to be welcoming them home from the NICU soon. Our enduring thanks to the devoted caretakers at the NICU, who have given our children such loving attention.
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