Hall of Hope

Aaron had a talent for running and also spinning straws and other things around.

“””Abby is my beautiful baby who was only 7 years old when she went to Heaven. She was born with Charge Syndrome. We love and miss her more than words can say. She was so sweet and such a blessing. I thank God for her everyday. We love you, mommy, Kayla (big sis), mama, papa, uncle Jeff and aunt Tammy”””

“Adam’s favorite scripture verse was “”This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it””,(Psalm 118:24) and that is exactly how he lived his life each and every day. Jesus called him home on Thanksgiving night and we can think of nothing more important to be thankful for than having our son enrich our lives for 11 years”

Lil Charlie
Charles Robert Dye, Jr. (Lil Charlie) was born January 22, 1987, to Charles and Becky Dye. When Charlie began school he was a healthy, happy child. A straight-A student, he was in the top 4% of his gifted class. He loved to read and wanted to be a plastic surgeon when he grew up.
By the time Charlie reached 4th grade, his behavior had changed dramatically. His loving family, the medical community nor school systems could find a cause or a solution for his erratic behavior. Finally, on November 21, 1999, Charlie was diagnosed with Childhood ALD, the most severe form of a rare genetic disease called adrenoleukodystrophy. This disease leads to abnormal accumulation of fatty acids in tissues, especially the brain and adrenal glands, causing nervous system deterioration. The movie Lorenzos Oil portrays a family dealing with this disease.
Over the next 2

Gods Gift – Our Hero

Chase was born at 29 weeks weighing only 2 pounds and 10 ounces. The doctors told us his lungs were extremely underdeveloped and did not give us much hope for his survival. Along with many area churches, our family began to pray for baby Chase. His breathing and SATs began to increase hour by hour. The doctors were quite surprised when a lung x-ray showed his lungs fully developed compared to the first x-ray, where his lungs only went down to his 4th ribs. God had performed a miracle in Chase. At 3 days old, we were told that Chase had a rare heart defect, an Arota- pulmonary window. The cardiologist did not believe he would survive until the surgery. Through many ups and downs, Chase made it to the 5 pound mark for open heart surgery. The surgery was a success and Chase\’s heart did not suffer any complications from the wait. God completed another miracle in Chase, which surprised the cardiologists. At 10 months, Chase developed seizures. When the seizures started, his delayed physical development slowed down even more. We continually prayed for Chase\’s healing, growth, and development.

Through a special diet we were able to control Chases seizures.

“Christopher’s dad says, “”Christopher came into this world weighing 4-lbs, 3-oz. As soon as he was born, the doctor knew immediately something was wrong. Christopher was born without several vital organs necessary for life. Although he was only here on earth that day for 15 hrs. he remains in my heart forever.”””

“””Elayna was the sunshine in our home, a sparkling happy girl whose pranks and giggles lit our everyday. She had many physical problems, but through it all was determined to enjoy every minute of every day to the best of her ability. Some of our fondest memories are of her riding her electric Barbie motorcycle wearing dads helmet, and stopping by her oxygen tank to pump up between laps… she loved Disney and especially the processes, and got to meet them all before going home. We miss her terribly, but all our conversation about her now seem to include laughter and celebration, taking the the edge off the heartbreak we felt when we lost her. She was and is the brightest light in our home, the sparkle in the stars, and the gentle moonlit glow in our quiet times… I miss you baby doll””… daddy”

“If you look up Evan’s name it means “”young warrior””.

I will see him again in heaven, because he was a twin and I have one hand empty waiting to hug him again.

“””The Child of my Heart”””

He had so much life filled inside.

“Holden’s parents say, “”Although severely disabled, unable to talk and confined to a wheel chair, Holden communicated his love with all those he knew with his joy and smile. He changed lives. He is missed by all who knew him, but we know we will see him again one day and what a joyful reunion that will be!”””

Hunter was a very special little boy. He died with no diagnosis. Hunter is always in our heart. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t talk about him or talk to him.

“Jazlyn’s parents say, “”Jazlyn had eleven “”abnormalities”” (including no arms or legs, just hands and feet attatched to her torso, hydrocephaly, 4 different heart defects, etc). She was not expecting to survive for a minute, not expected to cry when she was born, yet she survived for 6 glorious days and came out screaming her head off. She was put on this earth for us to cherish every minute with our children and she definitely accomplished it! She will forever be missed and loved!”””

“Jessica’s parents say “”We were blessed to meet her and have her with us for 7 1/2 hours.””

“Mom shares, “”All I had ever wanted to do was to be a mother!!

“Josh’s parents say, “”Josh was born with only the brain stem yet he learned to say mama, dada, and ya- He had the most beautiful eyes and loved being held.”””

Born on April 23, 1983 to Eddie and Jenny Taylor of Nashville, Georgia, Justin was diagnosed with down syndrome and was only expected to live for 6 months but lived a life of 16 years. Justin attended the regular public schools in the special ed department. He participated in the Special Olympics receiving many awards.
Justin\’s hobbies included playing Nintendo, playing on computers and competing in the Special Olympics each year.
Justin relocated to his new home in heaven on August 22, 1999.

“Keri’s parents say, “”Keri was a cuddle bear.

“Mom shares, “”She was the most wanted baby in the world!”””

“Mom and dad say, “”Luke blessed our lives with his sweet little presence. He was a miracle baby and stayed with us longer than we expected. Although he only lived eight hours, that was more than the doctors said possible with Potter’s Syndrome.”””

“Luke’s parents say, “”Our little munchkin man was the sweetest, cutest, most amazing little man! We will always love him and he will always have a special place in our hearts. Luke was born with a seizure disorder (infantile spasms that later transitioned into complex partial), hypotonia, and developmental delay. He had 6 weeks of ACTH, he was on 7 additional medications, had 5 different types of therapy per week, and visited the hospital and doctor often but he always had a smile on his face. He never had a diagnosis from the doctors. The doctors were always dumbfounded when it came to diagnosing Luke because all the 100’s of tests always came back negative or normal or inconclusive. Every place that we went with Luke, people were drawn to him and just fell in love with him. We heard several times that “”there is something special about your little boy””. God’s love shined out of our little man and touched so many lives. He definitely knew his mommy and daddy; he would get excited every time one of us would walk into the room. He knew that he was loved SO much. Lukeman was a blessing from God and we thank God everyday for each moment we had to spend with him while he was with us. On the morning of June 27, 2007, God chose while Luke was asleep to take him to his heavenly home with Jesus. Although we miss Lukeman beyond what words can express, we have the peace of knowing that he is with Jesus and that we will see him again. Praise God!!! “””

“Madisyn’s parents say “”Madisyn had Aicardi Syndrome and suffered from multiple types of seizures on a daily basis. She wasn’t given any hope to even live, so to have her for over 2 years was quite a miracle. Madisyn suffered a stroke at 5 months and was never supposed to wake up from a coma…was given 2 weeks to live…then woke up a few months later. Her name means “”gift”” and “”strong fighter””…more fitting than we can ever explain! She had great impact on so many people…many that never even met her. Her funeral was attended by hundreds of people. Our son, Chayse, as well as 2 of his classmates, accepted Christ as a result of her “”home-going””! Although we will always miss Madisyn, we know that she is whole and healthy for the first time in her life. This was included in the paper with her obituary: Madisyn…Courageous fighter to the core. Though you never spoke a word, your life spoke volumes… Your smile brightened our days and your snuggles warmed our hearts. We will greatly miss you, but we know that”

Mark was born an angel.

“””Matthew was a blessing and a joy.

We have an Angel named Nathaniel
Sometimes I sit and wonder why Nathaniel is gone? But he is really not gone, he is still in my heart, and always will be. Nathaniel will always be my son.

“””A Treasured Gift of God”””

Steven Alan Bonney couldnt walk, talk or even feed himself, but he managed to bring joy to those who knew him, make others think about their own contributions and appreciate their own abilities.
He accomplished a lot just by touching the lives of people we could have never touched, said his father, Dennis Bonney.

“Vicki’s mom says “”Vicki returned home to be with our heavenly father. She will always be remembered but never forgotten. She filled our lives with joy and we will miss her terribly.”””

On July 21, 1998, a baby boy was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Little did we know how this tiny, precious person would be used so powerfully by God to forever change our lives and make clear our purpose. That purpose has now become Zachariahs Way. Zachariah Kyle Emerson arrived as a big, beautiful boy with the face of an angel. Over the next 24 hours, Zach was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (excess fluid on the brain) and underwent surgery to have a shunt inserted when he was just three days old. Like so many families with a special needs child, we brought him home with so little knowledge of or exposure to a special needs child. We felt that our dreams and plans for Zach were slipping through our fingers as, over the next few months, Zach was diagnosed with significant visual impairment, a brain malformation, severe cerebral palsy, and a seizure disorder. In just four short years, he underwent countless surgeries, hospital stays, doctor visits, and therapy sessions. We often lived day to day, too tired and afraid to think about tomorrow.

Zachariah went to be with Jesus on February 5, 2003. However, over those four and a half years that God lent him to us, Zach turned our lives upside down. We were totally and completely changed in ways that happen only when Gods blessing can be seen and experienced so obviously. As many special needs families experience, we learned to see life in new and better ways we discovered that we were blind in so many ways and that Zach taught us to see. Zach taught us that our definition of healthy , whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, does not define nor determine the quality, richness, or dignity of life. Zachariahs steady happiness, courage, and positive attitude were and remain an example to all of us. Zachariah knew the joy of just living each day and spent his short life creating relationships and reaching out to others.