Natalie's Garden

We're building a memorial garden for Natalie, so we'll use this page to update our progress & post pictures as we go. We want it to be serene and peaceful, & a place friends and family can come to remember her.




Here's Natalie watching me at our last house during a project. Sure miss my little supervisor.



Here's the guys finishing up the curb edging on Natalie's garden.



Walking path mostly in, as well as mulch, rose bushes, and a heart filled with flowers.

 

Another tree in (thanks Paul & Barb!), and some ornaments.

More shrubs and flowers, and a little rearranging.

Natalie's Memory

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since we've posted anything. I'm amazed at the emotional energy it takes to get started doing these things, but we know that we have to at some point, so here we are.

We want to take some time to thank everyone. We never did get thank you cards sent out for those who sent cards and gifts for Natalie's funeral, and we apologize for that. Every time we tried starting......well, I can't really describe what happens, but you're emotionally drained. It's hard to explain, but thank you to all of you, we really do appreciate everything.

We want to give special thanks our family and friends who helped us when we had to be out of town. Lynn, Mary, Dustin, and Kaitlyn helped us more times than we can remember by taking Pharaoh home & watching our house for us; as did Cindy, Missy & Wayne, and Amanda & family. I have to thank Tom (my boss) & everyone else at MDU/CSG for their understanding and support, they went above and beyond to let me be with my family, and we are eternally grateful. Also, a huge thanks to Pastor Gordon, as he was with us throughout Natalie's journey, and he did an absolutely perfect memorial service for her. There aren't enough words to thank Barb for being with us through this and spending time with Heidi and Natalie, especially at times when I had to be away; also to Paul for braving the big city to be with us. Finally, thank you to all of you for your prayers, thoughts, calls, texts, and words of encouragement; we truly appreciate all of you.


We want take this time to tell everyone about a fund we are starting in Natalie's memory. To ensure that Natalie's memory lives on, we've decided to start a non-profit organization called "The Little Red Wagon Fund," (Natalie loved her rides in her wagon). This organization will focus on helping families who have to be away from home to stay with a sick child. We know first-hand how hard it is, and how expensive it is, to travel back and forth so that you can continue to provide but also be with your child and spouse. This fund will help people by paying for airfare, hotels, or other expenses, so that parents can spend as much time as possible with their child. We're still in the process of getting all of the proper paperwork filled out, but we will update you all as things progress, and when we can begin raising more funds and taking applications from families who could benefit.

We are also in the process of building a garden area in Natalie's memory. We were going to include it in this post, but we'll do a seperate post so we can track progress and include pictures along the way.


Update:

After a long wait for the stone to get here, Natalie's monument has been placed at the cemetery.

Front side of the monument



Back side of the monument.....and my finger over the lens, of course. I'm not a photographer.
 

Update on schedule for services for Natalie

Hello everyone. We have a slight change to the schedule for services for Natalie. The funeral schedule was correct, and will still take place at Century Baptist Church in Bismarck at 10:30 am on Thursday, October 9.

However, the schedule for the visitation will be changed. It will be at Parkway Funeral Home, at 2330 Tyler Parkway in Bismarck. It's over in the Lowe's area, tucked in behind the fire station. Click here for a link to a map. Hours for family to visit is from 4:00 - 5:00, and hours for everyone else is from 5:00 - 7:00 (although we expect to keep it open a little longer).

Everyone is invited to both the visitation and funeral service. We know Natalie touched many lives, even those of people whom we haven't met yet.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, phone calls, texts, visits, support, and encouragement. We truly appreciate it, and will continue to need it through these next days, weeks, and years without Natalie. Mostly, we want to thank God. We know that He used Natalie's life in order to draw people to Him, and we draw comfort from the promise that He makes that we will all be together again.

Services for Natalie

Hi everyone. The service to celebrate Natalie's life will be on Thursday October 9, at 10:30 am. It will take place at Century Baptist Church, located at 205 Colt Avenue in Bismarck ND. Click here for a link to the church on Google maps.

Everyone who was touched by Natalie's journey is invited to attend. If you'd like to attend, please do so.

We are still working on the details of the exact time, but there will be a viewing on Wednesday evening at Eastgate Funeral Home, located at 2302 East Divide Avenue in Bismarck. We will update tomorrow after we figure out the exact time.

Also, some people have asked for our address. It's 507 Munich Drive, Bismarck ND 58504. Thank you all for your continued prayers, calls, texts, and words of encouragement. We are very thankful for the wonderful people God has put in our lives.

Natalie Jean Henke 06/07/2012 - 10/02/2014

Natalie went to be with God today. She went peacefully and without pain, surrounded by love in our arms. We are thankful for the past two days as we've been able to hold her close and have some last moments together with lots of hugs and kisses.  She gave us two very special days. She even had a talk with the new baby. We have a huge empty spot in our lives and in our hearts. It is made tolerable only because we know where she now is, and it is a better place than any of us can imagine. We pray that God will continue to fill us up with his grace and the memories of Natalie's love.

She now has a perfect body, and is with her Creator in heaven. No more pain, no more discomfort, no more IV's, and no more surgeries. She can drink all the water she wants, and can run and play like she was never able to do on earth.

Natalie touched everyone she came into contact with. She exemplified God's love as she was here on earth, and we know that she will be remembered by so many. It was amazing that the hospital staff who see thousands of kids a year all remember Natalie. They all seemed to have a special place in their hearts for our little girl. We thank God that He gave Natalie to us to care for. We wish we could have kept her longer, but we will always cherish the past 28 months for as long as we live. Our memories of her are happy, and they will not diminish for as long as we live.

Thank you all for your prayers, and for the prayers we know will continue. We have been blessed beyond belief by the people that God has put in our lives. We will update again with information about the service and other things that we will be putting together to remember this precious gift from God.

God promises blessings in our lifetime.  We just never know how long they will stay with us. We love you Natalie Jean.  Our joy lies in knowing that we will see you again someday soon!

 

From today

 

When she was 3 months old, cheered on dad

Beautiful smile

 

The dog really loved her, too

 

Beautiful smile again. She wore it a lot, even though her body was always hurting a little.

 

Go Vikings!!!

 

She loved her iPad

Yesterday, we got news that we'd known was possible all along, but were hoping would never come. We met with the entire team, and they are at a point where there is nothing else they can do for Natalie. Her kidneys and lungs are not going to recover to a point where they can support her body.

From the time all of this started, every decision we've made has been with Natalie's best interest at the forefront. We would both do or give anything in order to give her the best chance at a full life. Now, we have to make decisions that will help her live out her remaining days in the most peace and comfort that is possible. Please pray for comfort for Natalie, we want this more than anything.

We draw comfort knowing that she will be in the arms of her Creator in heaven. She will finally know what it feels like to be comfortable and have a healthy, heavenly, body. She can walk, run, and play and do whatever she wants to do, without the limits she had on earth. I pray they have an endless supply of water for her to drink, and someone to pull her in her wagon.

She brought joy to our lives that we could have never imagined, and to the lives of everyone she came in contact with. It seems that everyone remembers her, even though some of the hospital staff see thousands of children. They remember her piggy tales and her constant need to be on the go.  She traveled miles in these hospital hall ways and every one would want to stop and talk to Natalie.  She is so loved., and she loved so much!

We are spending time snuggling her and loving her. Singing Itsy Bitsy Spider and If You're Happy and You Know It.  She loves those songs.

We will try to update again, right now we're pretty emotionally drained.

Thank you all for your prayers throughout these past couple years. Thank you also to those who have helped. Friends and family for being here with us, and for watching our dog and our house for us when we're gone. Everyone who has prayed, called, and texted; these words of encouragement help more than you can imagine. I would name everyone, but it would take a long time, and I'm afraid I'd forget someone. So, we'll just say thank you everyone for now.

Update from Boston

It has been a very long day and a half in Boston. Natalie got here on Tuesday, and was taken to her new temporary home in room 19, ICU at Boston Children's Hospital. She was doing well, all things considered. That same evening, out of nowhere, she spiked a fever of 107, and her blood pressure dropped. They're still not sure what the cause was.

I flew out as soon as I could, and finally got here yesterday just after lunch. Natalie was hardly recognizable with all the fluid that had built up within her body. Her fever subsided, but her body was unable to shed fluid. After several discussions with the surgical team, we decided to put Natalie on a heart & lung bypass machine called ECMO. This seems to have helped, as she is starting to look better, her blood pressure is back within normal range. The machine is helping her heart do its job, and the hope is that she can recover to the point where they can take her off the machine at some point. The time you can stay on the machine is limited, so we're praying that her body will recover so that she can wait for her heart.

There is still a lot of uncertainty, and the outlook is very uncertain. But, at least we're moving in the right direction, and we're in a MUCH better spot than we were 24 hours ago. We really appreciate all the prayers, and they're needed now more than ever. The next days will be very important, as she continues to shed fluid, and we find out if her kidneys are going to recover. We'll do our best to keep you all updated.