Today did not go as planned because of the steady rainfall that at times dumped on your head like buckets of cold water but that won’t stop us. Gio and Isa’s Miracles is still holding strong and we will continue to fund raise and come together once again.
I want to take a moment to recognize someone that has been there for me from day one of when team Gio and Isa’s Miracles was created. She has been a constant every year. Standing beside me and carrying our team when it was small or large she was there. She always reaches out and always stays in touch. No matter what is going on in the world or what could stop us from forming, she is there. She creates beautiful signs, brings fun things and joins in all the games and fun with Giovanni and Isannah. When they were small she always had them laughing and staying busy and as they grew she never pulled away. She is always there. She is my aunt Cat and Giovanni’s Godmother. She’s my other half in many things.
There is someone else that stands by me and has been by me since it all began. Came to my rescue when I felt I was drowning and burying myself during the tough times alone at home with two babies on apnea monitors, one colic, and one that always wanted to stay awake. My mom has been my best friend and life support through it all. Days I would call her hysterically crying while she was at work and she would leave to come straight to me.
I have many incredible women in my life and I feel blessed. My cousins and aunts that have joined us for our walks, I thank you. Sometimes once or alternating each year, there is always family standing by us.
Thank you for always sharing my spirit to keep Giovanni and Isannah’s life continuing strong and honored.
To all those who donate, give support, and put up with my many posts, emails, and tags during this time, I thank you.
It’s almost here! March for Babies: A Mother of a Movement 2022
We have 4 more days until our walk. We would love for you to help us reach our goal. Every bit counts and brings us closer to our team goal.
The emotions are already sneaking up and beginning. The day of will bring back flooding memories of when it all began. The tears of joy, fear, love and happiness will be present. Listening to the words being spoken, the stories being told, the love and common goal surrounding us. Then I see my twins. I stare at them maybe too much for them to understand but I stare and watch how beautiful, strong and kind they are. I stare and see two miracles before me growing and fighting to be here and live a life they were given. We were given. And I cry. Inside I cry, outside I cry and I am so humbled for where I am and who I have standing with me.
Please share our story. Our journey and how it all started. Thank you to all those who have already taken the time to be present in our journey for donating and supporting us and for all the families your donations will help. Let’s go Gio and Isa’s Miracles!
I’m not sure where to begin so I guess I’ll start with the happy news about our March for Babies walk. It was a bit different this year as the walk was virtually going on all over. This year I decided to have our team walk around Prospect Park rather than go to the city. We were asked to film live, take pictures and then send it all in so it would stream live on the Experience page during the walk. I invited family and friends who wanted to come out and enjoy a fun walk with us. Really I just wanted to be surrounded by so much love on this special day which I definitely felt.
My dad was even there in a Gio and Isa’s Miracles shirt. As tight as it may have looked on him, he still wore it for us which was special to see in photos. I didn’t make this year’s individual t-shirts for our team like I do every year because I wanted everyone in a t-shirt from years past. I wanted each shirt worn that day to represent a year we walked leading up to our 10th anniversary. I still can’t believe we have been walking in honor of Giovanni and Isannah for 10 years. Team Gio and Isa’s Miracles is 10! It is a day of hope, faith, reflection, love, kindness and family. It’s a day filled with many emotions and this year didn’t fail.
Although my dad showed up, he didn’t walk. He stayed behind until we were done. He felt tired and it seemed like he was having trouble breathing. From a day of such love, joy and life the night turned a little different.
By the next day, my father was having problems with his breathing again and his oxygen levels were decreasing. It was a quick trip to his doctor’s, followed by an emergency chest x-ray. He was back home waiting on results while monitoring his oxygen level. Even on his oxygen machine his levels were struggling to stay above 88. Something was definitely wrong. Early in the morning his levels dropped to 64 and the machine was no longer helping him. Back to the ER he went. More tests and scans taking place. They heard fluid in his lungs and began treating him for pneumonia. My mom, who is Wonder Woman, got him to the hospital just in time against all his fussing. He was admitted and put on Bi-PAP. This has sadly become a common routine due to his COPD. This was all adding to the many emotions that were already floating around.
All this was going on when we were in the middle of preparing for Isannah’s return to in school learning. It was an exciting and sad time. She was finally ready to go to school and meet her new teachers but sad she would be leaving her remote teacher, whom she loves behind. The first day was a success and the smile on her face during pick up said it all. She was happy to be back in the building seeing friends and staff members faces. This motivated Giovanni even more and he became super excited to join his new teacher.
Day 2 for Isannah went well. During pick up Giovanni saw his new teacher and they spoke about his work, procedures and how excited they both were to see him in school on Thursday but that didn’t happen. A late email from Isannah’s ballet school shook all the plans we had. Someone in her school possibly tested positive for Covid. We had to explain to a very excited boy that he would not be going to school after all. He was heartbroken and literally dropped to his knees and cried. He didn’t even start and already he was not able to attend. We promised to make it up to him and do something special. At the time, it didn’t seem like that would work but things changed a little in the morning when they rejoined their remote classes. Familiar faces and voices kept their spirits up.
During all of this and the possibility that Covid was close once again, my father was still in the hospital. The days were getting longer and I was becoming more tired but we all just kept going. Drives to and from the hospital. Calls to the nurses and doctors. Communication with insurance and social workers. My mind was all over and about to explode but there was no time to crumble and fall back, all I could do was keep moving ahead.
Remember when I mentioned doing something extra special for the kids? Well, on my way back from another appointment I stopped by It’s Sugar. Giovanni’s most favorite thing is a 3.5 ft long sour power strip. He only had it once and he absolutely LOVED it. I knew this would lift his spirits so I brought home two. One for him and one for his sister. He was so unbelievably excited. All I wanted was to see him smiling like that and it worked. They were both happy.
I watched them as they enjoyed and giggled at the length of this sour strip. It wasn’t until I looked over at Isannah and saw her spitting something out. She said there was something hard in that bite and apologized for spitting it in her napkin at the table. When I looked over at her, I noticed that the cap of her front tooth was missing. We looked in the bite she discarded and noticed right in the center was her cap.
I did something to put a smile on their face but now I took away Isannah’s smile. Her tooth was missing from a few years back but a cap fixed it until now. At this moment. It started all over again. This was turning into another one of those days.
We spoke to her and made her understand we were going to get it capped again and she shouldn’t worry but I could feel her fear just by looking at her. She was missing part of her front tooth. Her adult tooth was missing once again and she had to deal with it all over until it was repaired.
I immediately called the dentist who won’t be in the office for weeks. I know she couldn’t wait that long. I had to make an appointment with someone she’s never seen before. I’m staying hopeful that all goes well. In the meantime, masks need to be worn at all times in school unless she’s eating so it won’t be so bad.
Right now I’m sitting back thinking about how so many things could go wrong, and seem lately to do just that, but that one thing that goes right at just the right time can change the outcome of it all. This is when you have to search within yourself to find a better way to see it all. Try your hardest even at your weakest, or at times when you are most afraid, you need to reach deep within and let the love that fills you, carry you to the next moment.
Before I end my rambling thoughts here, let me say that daddy is back home. Healing slowly with the help of oxygen and machines and a wife that tirelessly gives of herself.
Isannah is smiling again despite the missing piece of her tooth. Giovanni found his excitement again for his new first day back to school and the sun was shining all day.
We are going to continue to reach within and find the positives and hope they outweigh all the negatives that keep coming our way.
There are no words that can possibly express the happiness, love, support and all the emotions I felt today. This was Gio and Isa’s Miracles 10th year anniversary. This was the first time since Walk for Babies 2019 that we were able to come together with family and walk as we did every year since our miracles were born.
Today we laughed and cried.
Today was another year of gratitude, love and acceptance.
Today was about two truly amazing people, Giovanni and Isannah, who came into this world fighting and continued to fight to be here.
Today was to help the fight carry on so that one day it will be won.
Today and leading up to today, and thereafter, is to raise awareness and show generosity. To donate and help so many families like us going through some scary times to find hope as we did.
Today is about growth and finding strength even at your weakest. It’s about love. This is all about love. I am humbled by you.
Thank you to those who, no matter what, are there. Those who through all the uncertainty show up. Thank you for always being by our side, whether to the left or right you are there. This year wasn’t like the many years in the past but we made it happen and we did it our way.
Thank you to all our supporters. We couldn’t have done it without you. Please remember although we completed the walk today, you can still visit our page and donate. Thank you for putting up with me during this time of year and allowing me to take you on our journey.
It’s the time of year when I ask family and friends to join us on our journey through March for Babies. It’s a personal, touch my heart pull at my strings kind of time. It’s meaningful and very emotional. It’s about strength, hope, faith and love. It’s about sharing losses with so many mom’s and families. While also sharing and honoring those that are growing and thriving each day. This year like last is very difficult for many of us. Last year with Covid increasingly growing and taking beautiful lives with it, I halted my fundraising efforts to allow people to grieve and grab onto all they could and needed to get by. I know we are still in this craziness of Covid, and I understand that you are limited in donating but I need to fulfill my duty in spreading the word and love to all that can hear me. I am sharing our story with you as I do every year. Most of you have taken the journey right along with us. Sometimes walking side by side with us or by your words of support, your donations and your outpouring of love. We thank you. This year we are going to try and walk that walk proudly and very far apart, if allowed. If this year continues to be done virtually we will be there as we did last year. We are honoring our sweet twins Giovanni and Isannah during this special time. Even though we are thankful for every moment of the day, even when they make me want to jump out the window, we support them. We honor them for their strength and determination to be here. To be present and live in this crazy world.
During this journey we remember infant lives taken too soon and we walk for them. We walk for friends and family who went through similar experiences as we did. We walk for the angels that are watching over us. We walk for friends and many others that go through it every day. We walk for hope that one day all babies win this fight.
Please read our story at https://www.marchforbabies.org/caramia626 and donate if you can. As little as a $1.00 helps. Share our page and believe in your heart that hope, LOVE and faith will bring us together.
Thank you for listening and taking the time to be with us. For those of you who have donated in the past, we appreciate you and thank you. If you have a company or work for a business that would like to sponsor our team, Gio and Isa’s Miracles, please let me know. Stay safe, healthy and well. Thank you!
