Re: Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

[Guest guest]

To the Costello family,

best wishes, our prayers are with you for a fantastic surgery! We have an Ethan also, he is 13, and our only child of 3 w/ BPES. I'm sure all will go well, kids are so good with these things. Take care!

The Barrow Family

Georgia

Emalee Barrow

From: leanne30nz <tltne@...>Subject: blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!blepharophimosis Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 2:54 PM

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY

DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

we will be thinking of you on that day... hope all goes well and keep us all posted Tonikka & (lynden)Canadaneed a photographer?tmareephotography.comtmareephotography.blogspot.comspecial occasion? wedding?updotoyou.com On 17-Feb-09, at 12:54 PM, leanne30nz wrote:HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, ,  and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

The very best of luck to you and your beautiful Ethan!Looking forward to hearing how everything goes.Best wishes,Machaela (oz)From: leanne30nz <tltne@...>Subject: blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!blepharophimosis Received: Wednesday, 18 February, 2009, 6:54 AM

HI ALL!!!

Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, ,

and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that

our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST

surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is

ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use

his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing

that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that

will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE

him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it

will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look

to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great

outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they

will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue

eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)

* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's

excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just

for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to

have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a

little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but

anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a

pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's

ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk

soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

Make 7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find out more.

[Guest guest]

Hey Leanne this is Karla Mesman from Michigan and we have talked before and shared how our boys look so much alike! Marcus had his 2nd surgery in June of this past year and it all went well, but his first surgery was to widen his eyes at 1 yr old and this one at 7 years old was the sling lift and it went better than I expected. They are such tough little angels and they handle things sooo much better than us old farts! Anyways, it was very tough for me to see him right after surgery and he was cranky from the sedation meds, but he finds it funny that he was strong enough to fight his daddy and hit him in the face.....lol. Daddy says its okay and doesn't hold any grudges, but after that wore off, wow.....he was sooooo tough and was a little leary at first, but a few

hours the next morning he was acting like nothing was even done. He did realize that he looked a little scary to his little brother as Luke my youngest did not like to see his big brother that way ---he really though that Marcus was hurting and soon realized that he would heal and be fine! Long process, but it worked out fine and he is doing exceptional now. He looked different at first and I had the same feeling you do about changing them, but really they still have their special look and it just ends up helping them not lift their head so much and hurt their necks. (Marky did start complaining about his neck hurting a lot before this surgery, so we knew it was in his best interest). I will post some more pictures of Marcus and you can take a peak at what your son will PROBABLY look like too! I finally showed Marcus a picture of Ethan and he thinks its pretty cool to have a twin so far away!! Let me

know how it goes and my prayers are with you and your family, God is with you and he will be your same little angel!!

Love,

Karla Mesman

Hudsonville, MI

From: leanne30nz <tltne@...>blepharophimosis Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 2:54:13 PMSubject: blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY

DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

Hi Karla,

Now I know who that e-mail belonged to that I deleted! You have mesman in your e-mail correct? I had no idea who it belonged to for the longest time so I deleted it...anyways....glad everything is well with you guys:) We are just waiting anxiously for this surgery date...kinda excited but mostly nervous:( I know he will be fine, he is SO excited to be going into hospital! Guess that's a bonus at this age.... Yes, I would love to see some pics!!!! Send them over tltne@... Anyways....Not much new here....went back to Hawaii for Xmas for one month! It was lovely to finally be back there, our eldest boy Tyler was born there and he was 2 years old when we left, so everyone was shocked when they saw him at 10! My husbands father lives there and has colon cancer so it was nice to spend time with him although he wasn't feeling to good....We arrived back in NZ Jan 9th and 2 days later my father had a seizure, they did many tests and it has come back that he has a Grade 4, cancerous brain tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme) !!! NO warning at all...He had no indications until the seizure and now it's to late:( He started chemo and radiation 4 days ago and does it everyday for the next 6 weeks...this will hopefully shrink it a little and relieve some of the pressure....So not a nice start to the new year for us....Our dad is the rock and it is extremely hard to see his life change so suddenly! He can't be by himself, he can't drive, he owns his own business doing stainless steel fabrication and worked alone now he can't be there so my brother has stepped up and is trying to keep the business afloat....his speech is affected and his right arm/hand aren't working....it's so cruel!!! Anyways....we just have to take one step at a time.... Will talk soon ok...

Leanne and family NZ

-- blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

Gosh it sounds like our lives are so alike, my father just passed away well it will be 2 years this coming May and he was our ROCK also. I miss him soooo much and all my children were very close to him. He was never ever sick and then ended up going for a simple procedure and they found stage 4 lung cancer before he could come home! They did chemo and he was gone within 6 months, but we really made those 6 months memorable......so you'll have to do the same. My dad was 72 though and he was so grateful for a wonderful life and he made sure that all was taken care of before he left! It all worked out for the best, but I miss him dearly especially at hard times that he always kept us strong for! I will keep you in my prayers and do tell Ethan good

luck, if he ever wants to email to Marcus, he would love it too! Take care!

Karla

From: Costello <tltne@...>blepharophimosis Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:47:03 AMSubject: Re: blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

Hi Karla,

Now I know who that e-mail belonged to that I deleted! You have mesman in your e-mail correct? I had no idea who it belonged to for the longest time so I deleted it...anyways. ...glad everything is well with you guys:) We are just waiting anxiously for this surgery date...kinda excited but mostly nervous:( I know he will be fine, he is SO excited to be going into hospital! Guess that's a bonus at this age.... Yes, I would love to see some pics!!!! Send them over tltne@.... nz Anyways....Not much new here....went back to Hawaii for Xmas for one month! It was lovely to finally be back there, our eldest boy Tyler was born there and he was 2 years old when we left, so everyone was shocked when they saw him at 10! My husbands father lives there and has colon cancer so it was nice to spend time with him although he wasn't feeling to

good....We arrived back in NZ Jan 9th and 2 days later my father had a seizure, they did many tests and it has come back that he has a Grade 4, cancerous brain tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme) !!! NO warning at all...He had no indications until the seizure and now it's to late:( He started chemo and radiation 4 days ago and does it everyday for the next 6 weeks...this will hopefully shrink it a little and relieve some of the pressure.... So not a nice start to the new year for us....Our dad is the rock and it is extremely hard to see his life change so suddenly! He can't be by himself, he can't drive, he owns his own business doing stainless steel fabrication and worked alone now he can't be there so my brother has stepped up and is trying to keep the business afloat....his speech is affected and his right arm/hand aren't working....it' s so cruel!!! Anyways....we just have to take one step at a time.... Will talk soon ok...

Leanne and family NZ

-- blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY

DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

Thanks Karla:) It will be a hard road ahead but we just take it day by day...He is ok at the moment as the chemo/radiation hasn't kicked in yet but I'm sure in a few weeks he will be feeling pretty down...We are praying for a miracle though and hoping once the 6 weeks of treatments are up he will be feeling a little better and the tumor would have shrunken some!!! Heres praying though.....Talk soon ok, send me some pics of you guys to my e-mail that way we can keep in touch via that.... again it is: tltne@...

Leanne and family NZ

-- blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...

[Guest guest]

Hi Leanne,

Just reading some of the old posts here....best of luck to Ethan for his surgery and your father will be in my thoughts and prayers also.

Ontario, Canada

From: Costello <tltne@...>blepharophimosis Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 4:39:27 PMSubject: Re: blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

Thanks Karla:) It will be a hard road ahead but we just take it day by day...He is ok at the moment as the chemo/radiation hasn't kicked in yet but I'm sure in a few weeks he will be feeling pretty down...We are praying for a miracle though and hoping once the 6 weeks of treatments are up he will be feeling a little better and the tumor would have shrunken some!!! Heres praying though.....Talk soon ok, send me some pics of you guys to my e-mail that way we can keep in touch via that.... again it is: tltne@.... nz

Leanne and family NZ

-- blepharophimosis Re: ETHAN C, FIRST SURGERY + PRE op pic in his folder !!!!

HI ALL!!!Just thought I would let you all know (especially Maree, , and anyone else we have privately talked to in the past) that our Ethan (wearing pumpkin suit in pics section) is having his FIRST surgery in 3 weeks! March 9th!!!!! His opthalmologist said he is ready and because of his good height at age 6 will be able to use his own fascia lata for the lift...It is all very starnge knowing that in just a few weeks our little man will undergo something that will change the way he looks and what we are SO used to...We LOVE him just the way he is, his face is so untouched and angelic so it will be bitter sweet and VERY scary:( I know it won't alter his look to much, we just don't want the regrets so are praying for a great outcome...We explained to him in a way he'd understand that they will lift up his eyelids so we can see more of his BEAUTIFUL blue eyes, he said *JUST LIKE MY

DADDY'S! (with a huge smile on his face)* SOOOO cute:) He doesn't understand which is kinda good, he's excited about his first trip to hospital! Kid's are so funny...Just for you who don't know us, Ethan is the ONLY one in our families to have BPES, his big brother was not born with it so Ethan was a little mystery:) Just one of those things...totally sporadic, but anyways...We will post pics of him after surgery and will upload a pic now (in his folder, please view)that we took just a few day's ago so you can see him before his op...Prayers please and talk soon:) Love The Costello Family, New Zealand...