Trinity.Melinda.Adams: March 2010

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In honor of our precious daughter, since her passing, we do the "Angel Trinity Christmas" every December. Whether it's money donations or toy donations, we give 100% of the donations made to the precious children in the hospital. We will continue this tradition in hopes that Trinity's spirit of giving will touch sick kids and people in the community every year.

To participate in the "Angel Trinity Christmas", please email us at adamsfamily97@yahoo.com and we will add you to the updates. Thank you for keeping Trinity alive and remembered in your heart, especially when it comes to participating in this special tradition.

Love always,
Barrett and Melinda Adams
Proud parents to Angel Trinity

Sunday, March 21, 2010

GREAT NEWS!!!!

During the fall of 2009, we started the 3rd Annual Angel Trinity Christmas. We chose to fund raise $6000 for the Children's Recovery Center (CRC), to help build a snoezlen room (a multi-sensory development room) for the chronically ill kids. By the end of 2009, with donations from people during the holiday season, we raised just over $3000. So exciting, but yet, only half way to our goal.

After the new year started, I came up with other ideas to help fund raise money. I work at Macaroni Grill and spoke to the management about fundraising money through the restaurant. For an entire month, we had our guests color hearts for a $1 donation towards CRC. We posted the hearts up at the restaurant to show off the beautiful artwork from our guests. We also did a "JEANS DAY" where all Macaroni Grill employee's wore their jeans to work for a donation of $5 each. In total, Macaroni Grill raise just over $1500!!!! AMAZING!!!!!

My last fundraising idea was to do a Charity Garage Sale. Throughout January and February, I collected donated items from several people. Not everyone has the money to donate, especially in this economy, but everyone has something in there home they no longer need, want, or use...and can get rid of. Hundreds of items were donated. With the help of my wonderful mother and hubby, we did a 3-day Charity Garage Sale at our home. Here's my mom helping me sort through all the items

It was a lot of work to organize all the donated items, but we slowly worked through everything and got the garage set up

After 3 days of selling most everything that was donated, along with selling my mom's homemade crescent rolls (THANK YOU MOM!!!), we cleaned out the garage and took the rest of the stuff to goodwill.

It's a nice feeling to park the cars back in the garage

From all the sales we did at the 3-Day Charity Garage sale, we made just over $2000!!!! For a grand total of....drum roll please....just over $6500 raised for the Children's Recovery Center!!!

Thank you to all of you who donated money, donated time to help, and donated items to sell. There is no possible way we could have raised the money we did for CRC without all of you helping us out! Once again, Trinity's amazing legacy lives on throughout our hearts as we continue doing what we can to "Pay it Forward" and help improve the lives of the chronically ill children at CRC. I'll post up pics as the money is given to CRC, along with the stages of the snoezlen room being built.

WE LOVE YOU FOREVER, TRINITY MELINDA ADAMS!!!! YOU ARE REMEMBERED IN OUR HEARTS EVERY DAY!!!!!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Charity Garage Sale March 12-14

Our Charity Garage Sale will take place March 12-14th (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). I'm still waiting for more donations, but overall my garage is just about set up and ready for the big 3-day garage sale. Here are just a few pics of what I've got set up so far...

Strollers, High Chairs, and other baby stuff

Hats, Costumes, and Dress up clothing

Backpacks, hand bags, and purses

Shoes (Mens, Woman, and kids)

Stuft Animals and Toys

Books (children, adults, cookbooks)

Decorative Knick-Knacks and Bath stuff

DVD's and Movies (children, adults, religious)

Active Lifestyles (excersize, camping, and yard)

Lots of Kitchen Stuff

Electronics (both old and new)

TV's...both old and new (thanks to the donations from my family)

Scrapbooking items and crafts

Holiday Decorations

Not pictured are larger pieces of furniture like desks, lamps, a baby crib, book case, dresser, etc. So if you're still wanting to donate items, please contact me and get your items to my house as soon as possible. If you are an avid garage sale shopper or know of someone who is, come to our 3-day Charity Garage Sale. Remember 100% of all money made at this garage sale is going to the chronically ill children at the Children's Recovery Center. Spread the word! I'm advertising this garage sale in our local paper and on craigslist.com as well. For anyone who wants to volunteer their time to come help with the garage sale, I would love to have you come join me. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO'VE DONATED and THANK YOU TO MY MOM WHO HELPED ME GET MY GARAGE SET UP!!!!

Trinity's Story

Trinity was born at Stanford Children's Hospital (LPCH) with a severe heart defect called Hypo-plastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). This heart defect is fatal if it is not corrected by a 3-stage surgery process or a heart transplant. We chose the 3-stage surgery in hope for Trinity to survive.

At 36 hours old, Trinity was wheeled into the O.R. for her 1st open heart surgery. Right before surgery, we found out from Trinity's surgeon, Dr. Frank Hanley, that Trinity's small birth size changed her previously better odds of 80% chance, to a 20% chance of survival.

At 1 week old, Trinity went into Cardiac arrest. Dr. Pirooz and Dr. Pettigrew massaged her heart for close to 4 hours before she was put on the ECMO bypass machine (which lived for her for 5 days).

After 3 open heart surgeries, 3 cardiac arrests, numerous infections, numerous lung collapse episodes, 8 bronchoscopey's, 3 cardiac cathiderizations, 72 hour kidney failure, 3 failed attempts of getting her off the ventilator, tracheostomey surgery, gastric tube surgery, and 7 long emotional months of hard dedicated work from the staff in the hospital, Trinity was discharged on Sept. 9, 2002 and brought home for the first time in her short life. After being home for about 4 months, Dec. 31, 2002 Trinity went back into the PICU for 2 months fighting phenomnia. She was transfered to Children's Recovery Center (CRC) on March 4, 2003.

Sept. 9 2003, being 19 months old Trinity's lungs were strong enough to come off the ventilator. After having a trach for 22 months, May 6, 2004 Trinity's trach was taken out. After 14 months of living at CRC, Trinity was dischraged and brought home on Friday, May 14, 2004...exactly 27 month and 1 day old, and the "Healthiest" she's ever been.

As of June 2002, Trinity was the smallest surviving HLHS child that Dr. Hanley had ever done. In fact, he did not know of a smaller surviving HLHS child in the world. Trinity spent 3 1/2 years at home with us and just thrived. Her little life was filled with so much happiness and love.

At 5 1/2 years old, Trinity went through her 4th open heart surgery on Thursday August 30, 2007 at LPCH. Being unable to recover from open heart surgery, our precious Trinity Melinda Adams passed away on Sunday Sept. 16, 2007. Our hearts are broken and tears continue to fall. We are honored and saddened to have our precious daughter, Trinity Melinda Adams, be our beautiful guardian angel. Trinity we love you dearly, we miss you so much, and we will be re-united as we are a family Together Forever!