~ Heaven Has Another Angel ~

Our family is heartbroken to hear that the most amazingly inspiring little girl, Kaitlyn, passed away earlier today. Kaitlyn persevered against Niemann-Pick disease (type A) and has had a profound impact on the lives of many; allowing people like us to refocus on the most important things in life: LOVE & FAMILY! 

I reached out to Kaitlyn's mom, Deanna shortly after receiving Jacob's diagnosis. I had come across a posting that Deanna left on the Niemann-Pick Facebook page about Kaitlyn's gene mutations. Coincidentally, Kaitlyn has the very same gene mutation that Jacob has. At that point we did not know what type of Niemann-Pick Disease (NPD) that Jacob had because one of the gene mutations (E352X) that they found was "unreported", which meant they could not classify his NPD type. Knowing Jacob's disease type would allow us to have a better idea of the severity of his disease -- the difference between a few years of life versus the potential to live until early adulthood. Needless to say, I was very anxious to speak with Deanna and began connecting with her via Facebook. At the same time I began following Kaitlyn's blog for regular updates on how Kaitlyn was doing. Over the course of the past six months or so, I have been inspired on a daily basis by the abundance of love and amazing strength that Kaitlyn and her family share. While it has been very difficult at times to read some of the posts, there have also been countless life lessons and inspirational messages that have been taken to heart. Most importantly, Kaitlyn's journey is an affirmation of the infinite love and devotion that exist in our world. 

Although we have never met the Bourgeault family, they have earned a very special place in our hearts and we mourn the loss of their beautiful daughter.

Sometimes we need a little reminder of how fortunate we are to have good health and the love of those around us, I encourage you to visit Kaitlyn's blog http://niemannpick.blogspot.com/ and be inspired!!