Starting to get excited!

Well today is only 2 months away from when I'll be arriving to China! I can't believe after all of this time we'll soon be going to get those treatments! I found out this weekend that a friend of mine, Arjay, will also be in China when I'm there, and I'm so excited about meeting him in person. His mom and my mom have been helping each other throughout this process and being there together will truly be wonderful!

I know there is still so much to do! We are just over 1/2 way to meeting our fundraising goals, and hopefully the events planned for May will be successful. We also still need to finalize our travel plans, prepare my food and medicine for the trip, as well as figure out what we're going to take as gifts/tokens of appreciation for the staff in China. So much to do and with only 2 months left, I'm sure my parents will be busy, busy, busy!

So that leaves me to soak up all the love I can from my extended family and friends before we take off. Thanks to all of you who support my family and me...whether it's with love, money, time, or just an ear/shoulder for my parents to use...every little bit helps and is much needed during this huge transition in our lives! Talk to you all again soon!

Najib

Starting to Chew!

After 2 1/2 years of sucking my food back, I have spent the last 2 or 3 days actually beginning to chew! May seem like a small accomplishment to most of you, but for it's HUGE for me--this could be the beginning of better mouth control, possible speech patterns, not to mention the ability to actually enjoy textures and flavors of food in a whole new way! I know that after my trip to China so much will improve, and I hope that eating is one of them! I have a ton of food allergies....dairy, soy, egg, nuts, peaches, plums, peas, etc., and frankly I am sick of eating mashed meat, carrots, zucchini, pears, apples, kiwi ad banana....no wonder I don't gain much weight....that's what eating healthy will do!

We celebrated my sister's 5th birthday this weekend! I love her sooooooo much! I was laughing a lot with her, and I was very happy to see her so happy! She's my favorite person in the whole world! I can't wait for the day to come when I can run around with her, and even get her back for all the "love pats" she gives me! Prepare yourself, Soraya, life after China will never be the same for you!

My mom and dad are quite busy getting everything ready for the next fundraisers (another day out at the gym on April 18th and a dinner/dance on May 2nd), so things around the house have been a bit crazed! Hopefully with the good weather around the corner we'll be able to sneak in some family walks here and there! I love going outside and feeling the wind against my face as we walk! I even get excited when I see my coat or shoes because I know what's coming next!

Ok, well that's all I have for now! Hopefully the next fundraisers will be a huge success and my family can focus on enjoying life to its fullest!

A little bit of history...

HI! My name is Najib Puerto-Khalil, and I am the proud son of Felipe and Naomi, and brother to Soraya. I arrived to this great family on January 21, 2006 and was happy to join such a great bunch of people, not to mention my 13 cousins, many aunts and uncles, and my loving, devoted sitoo, Christine!

Although I am a very happy, gentle 3 year old, I face many health challenges that have limited my quality of life. I have suffered from seizures since I was 4 months old, have MANY severe food allergies, terrible acid-reflux and digestive issues, not to mention a cerebral palsy diagnosis that reflects my inability to move independently or form any type of speech pattern. I do get my point across, however! My parents know when I am hungry, happy, sad, frustrated, mad, etc! The rest will come in time!

My mom and dad do all they can to help me out and to improve my quality of life. We go to tons of doctors, receive therapies, and take meds and alternative supplements to assist with my healing so that I can enjoy life! My favorite thing to do is to play with my sister, Soraya, but I long to be able to tackle her, run after her and give her all the loving she gives to me! So to that end, my parents, sister and I will be traveling to China this summer so that I can receive 5 umbilical cord stem cell transplants. It will be quite an adventure and undertaking, so we need everyone's help and support. My parents have been fundraising to make the trip a reality, and soon we will be prepping for our long journey to China!

I would like to invite you along on this journey...a road paved with hope! Stay tuned because we'll be departing soon!