| ABOUT CHRISTENA |
| Little George meets his "Cissy" |
| Mommy's Little Girl |
| Christena Gayle Gabehart |
| Christena Gayle Gabehart was born on December 7, 1988. She was welcomed into this world by her Daddy and Mommy, George and Debra Gabehart, and by her big brother George. On her fifth day of life she was tested for cystic fibrosis due to a blockage in her intestines. The test came back positive and life changed for our family from that day on.She spent ten days in the hospital after her birth and then we got to take our little bundle of joy home. While she was much smaller than her brother George, we could tell from the start that she was a fighter. |
| BEST FRIENDS |
| After finding out that Christena had c.f., we were told that it was necessary to have George tested also. While the doctors did not think he had c.f. we were still required to test him. He was tested three months later and his test came back positive also. While his c.f. has never been as severe as Christena's, his c.f. has manifested in his sinuses. He has been a major support for his sister. Through good times and bad, George has always been there for his sister and they have become the best of friends! |
| First hospital stay |
| Treatment time also known as fun time and snooze time! |
| Christena developed lung problems very early in her life and she had her first hospitalization due to lung problems at the age of six months. She was started on many medications and treatments and never fought any of the treatments she had to do. When we did therapy, while she didn't like it, she would always make a game out of it, by singing to the beat of the pats she was receiving on her chest and back. As she got older, we would play games, watch videos, or play cards. |
| Whether doing therapy, treatments or being examined by doctors, Christena has always found a way to make hosptial stays a positive part of her life. Special memories have been made during special times with her nurses and therapists, "playing doctor" or spending time with her friends. There have always been smiles. |
| Christena has spent a good portion of her life in the hospital or at home on i.v.'s. She had to have her right lower lobe removed when she was four years old as it had become so diseased that it caused repeated infections. At four years old she was such a trooper! She has gone through numerous surgeries and medical procedures including five sinus surgeries, liver biopsy, broncoscopies (too many to count), ng tubes,broviac placements, two port placements, and the placement of a g-tube. She has suffered with many bouts of pneumonia, double hernias, rectal prolapse, bowel blockages, intussusception (where the small bowel telescopes into the large bowel), mycobacterium in her lungs, colapsed lung episodes, and if all of this weren't enough she was diagnosed with occular myasthenia gravis at the age of eight, diabetes at the age of thirteen, she suffered from severe asthma, chronic sinusitis, migraines and joint pain. I have watched her miss special events at school, spend holidays in the hospital, and go through some very painful hospital stays, but with each one she has always looked for ways to make them positive. She has always accepted whatever she has been given and found a way to put a smile on her face! |
