Comments:
thank you so much for an uplifting encouraging look at charge syndrome. i am a social worker and my newest client is a newborn with charge. his mom is so scared and needed words like yours.

Comments:
I'm from Italy I have a three years old child, Maurizio, who is affected by the charge syndrome. Kiss Kiss Kiss Ciao a tutti Luigi

Comments:
Melissa is beautiful! Lovely pictures! Good luck on graduating this year. Way to go! I look forward to the day, maybe in four years, that my Kim will also graduate.

Comments:
today i was gathering info on charge for a student without internet access. Becky asked if i could find any personal stories. Becky is a peer tutor and she is a junior in hs. thank you for sharing Melissa she's very beautiful..

Comments:
Melissa you are BEAUTIFUL!!! Your high school yearbook picture is just gorgeous! I love your hair! I found your website while browsing the CHARGE Webring.

You have so much to be proud of in your life! Good luck in attaining your drivers license!

Sincerely,

Judy and Camryn

Please visit us, anytime!

Comments:
My husband and I have finally got ourselves onto the Internet on our computer for the first time and believe me, what an exciting adventure we are having. I remember reading your article last year, that my husband got from the Internet at work, and it wa the first article I have ever read about another parent having a child with Charge. We have a beautiful son who will be twenty months old on Friday 21st July 2000. He is diagnosed with Charge Association and from the time of his birth and all of last y ar was the most horrible time for my family. It was a time of grief, anger, confusion and a lot of "why us?" This year has become a lot easier because we have become more experienced in dealing with our baby Conan's health problems. And it was such a t rill to see the latest photo of your daughter Melissa. She was beautiful at birth and growing up and now an extremely beautiful young lady. You must be so proud of her! Thanks so much for sharing her with us. With kindest regards, Lena Smith

Comments:
It is very encouraging to see how well Melissa has done over the years. She was obviously blessed with a wonderful family who didn't believe in giving up. I hope that I can be just as succesful with my son Mathew. He is only 3 months old. And we have alre dy been through a mini rollercoaster ride. I wish Melissa all the best in every thing she does. I hope she is really proud of herself. I don't know her but I am proud of her strength and determination. I look forward to following her progress. God Bless!< r>

Comments:
I also have a daughter with CHARGE and is doing well in school and at home. I am pleased to see your angel doing well too and hope to get messages from you and others with children with CHARGE. I am interested in sharing stories and ideas with others. I s on will put April's pictures and stories on the web but I'm new to a computer so it will take me some time. Thank you for sharing. Till next time Sonia

Comments:
Hi Melissa, My youngest daughter is named Melissa, also. You are a beautiful young lady with a lot of gumption. I can tell your parents are proud of you and your accomplishments in the face of trials and troubles. You know, each of us has troubles and trials, and it matters not what they are, but what we do with them. I do not have CHARGE, but have had many other problems. God has used them in my life to make me strong. He will do the same for everyone who will submit to Him. You can be proud of yo r accomplishments. May God grant that you always glide through life as an eagle, riding high above the storms and gales of life.

Comments:
Hi Melissa, My youngest daughter is named Melissa, also. You are a beautiful young lady with a lot of gumption. I can tell your parents are proud of you and your accomplishments in the face of trials and troubles. You know, each of us has troubles and trials, and it matters not what they are, but what we do with them. I do not have CHARGE, but have had many other problems. God has used them in my life to make me strong. He will do the same for everyone who will submit to Him. You can be proud of yo r accomplishments. May God grant that you always glide through life as an eagle, riding high above the storms and gales of life.

Comments:
Melissa, I had this page passed along to me by a dear,concerned friend. I have t admit,I cried after I read. You are a beautiful young lady, no matter what others may say to you. Some people don't understand or have the Love of God in them to see the real beauty in you. I commend you for keeping the faith and pressing forward and smiling even during the storm. I know a man who smiles with you. His name is Jesus. I appreciate the fact that my friend passed this along to me. Keep smiling for Jesus and keep u the wonderful page. I am quite sure the information you give to others will be a blessing in itself. I pray God's fullest blessing for you and your family and others with Charge as well. You sound like a real warrior. God bless you and your family in all that you do. Write sometime. I would love to hear from you and your wonderful testimony. In My Fathers Name, Gary Glass. †

Comments:
THANKS FOR YOU WEB SITE. MY NIECE HAS CHARGE. SHE IS 6YRS NOW. MY SISTER WAS WANTING INFOR ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT AS SHE GETS OLDER. IT SEEMS HER TEMPER IS GETTING WORSE AT SCHOOL AND WE WERE WONDERING IF THIS IS PART OF CHARGE OR JUST BECAUSE OF HER DE FNESS AND NOT UNDERSTANDING SOME OF HER LIMITATIONS FULLY. SHE IS A VERY BRIGHT CHILD AND VERY LUCKY COMPARED TO ALOT OF CHILDREN WITH CHARGE. THANKS AGAIN

Comments:
Thank you for enlightenment of a syndrome we'd not heard of. Melissa is a very beautiful person, lucky to be born into such a family. You are a very lucky family to have been blessed with Melissa. God Bless You!

Comments:
Hi Melissa: Your Aunt at Quincy Hospital gave my Aunt at Quincy hospital this website. Pretty neat site. Glad to hear that you are graduating this year I am still looking forward to that day but I still have many years to go, I am 9 and a half years old with TOF,VSD,ASD,Pulmonary Atresia,with Collaterals. I have had numerous surgeries and doing fine. I am patient at Childrens Hospital, here in Boston. I am in a classroom all by myself due to my immune system not being able to handle flu's and that nature. Some days I don't like being by myself but then there are other days that I thoroughly enjoy it. I am like you that people stare at me and talk about my diformaties but I just look at them and laugh because I am a better person then they are. I have oxygen 24hrs a day, a pacemaker and one of those gross G-Tubes because some days I don't like to eat o it is to straining on my heart. i am from a family of five children and fall fourth in line. I have three dogs 2 sheepdogs (Maggie 16 months old & STorm 7 months old) and 1 Yorkshire Terrier (Tucker 7 years old) I love them all dearly I think sometime better then my siblings. I like to ride my Harley Davidson Motorcycle (Little Tikes Model) and someday would like to own one. I also rode a horse when I was six years old and was bucked off and shattered my elbow that it took the doctor 9 and a half ho rs of reconstructing it. He was not a happy camper and neither was I, so Horseback riding is out of the question for me right now. I also snapped my Femur (thigh bone) almost two years ago due to I wanted the front seat of my Moms car, well you know how that goes so now not only do I have a heart condition I have a shorter leg, but look at it this way it will be topic of conversation. Well good luck with your Graduation and Congratulations with your Driving Test YEE Hah. Good for You. Cameron Blizard (Aunt Cheryl Knell at Quincy Hospital)

Comments:
Thankyou for putting up this site. I have been looking for a Charge Syndrome Webpage. Because, I'm one of the few people I know who have Charge Syndrome. (Me and 2 or 3 others people I know)

Comments:
This is a first for me, Melissa!!!!!

Comments:

Comments:
Thanks for posting your website. Got a lot of information from it!

Comments:
Our granddaughter Berkley was born last May with CHARGE. I found your site very inspiring and informative

Comments:
I have a nephew who is 4yrs. old and is a CHARGEr. He also had a stroke at 15 mos. which causes him to have even greater difficulty. He is the most precious thing to our family and we thank God for each day he gives us with Tyler. Your story is encouragin and inspirational. Thank you!!

Comments:
Hello Melissa Greatings from France. We are the parents of a 3 years old girl with charge. We have a site in French on CHARGE SYNDROME. Sorry for our english. I know a word : KISS..... Site l'enfant Soleil : http://perso.club-internet.fr/lenob/

Comments:
Hi there! I've been here before, but I guess I didn't sign the book. The site is really great, and it does make me feel a whole lot better about the future. Melissa is so beautiful and well-rounded and it's easy to see that the love of her family has h lped her so much. Lots of love, and keep up the great work on the page... Lisa New Brunswick, Canada

Comments:
We have a 7 wk old girl with CHARGE. finding it very hard. Any info would be appreciated

Comments:
Your page and information was great. My husband and I have a daughter(6) with CHARGE. Thank you

Comments:
We live in Costa Rica and my grandchild has Charge. Thank you for sharing hope.

Comments:
Melissa has offered us a lot of inspiration at a time when we found it difficult to think postively about daughters future. Most of what we have read about CHARGE has been very negative and also very clinical, it's great to hear the human side. Please k ep updating your site and we hope others feel inspired to tell their story too. Sydney, Australia

Comments:
Our 5 week old daughter has been diagnosed with Charge. She had her first surgery this week when they put in the g-tube. It was inspiring to see that Melissa is doing so well and that she has overcome so much medically and socially. We hope that Berkele will do as well. Michele Hatfield Bakersfield, CA

Comments:
This is a test of the guest book.

Comments:
You have a very well designed and maintained site! Your coding is very clean and crisp! I think its fantastic that Missy is doing so well! I was just surfing around and found your page - what an inspiration!

Comments:
Our sweet baby Joshua has CHARGE syndrome. He is two months old. Thank you for the encouragment. After all the doctors and nurses it's nice to see how a family reacts to it all. Thanks again.

Comments:
Missy this page is great I always remember you as a little girl riding your pony Katie at Grandma Berts. You have grown into a beautiful woman hope to see you again sometime soon. Love Auntie Lisa

Comments:
Our grandson was just born March 25, 1999. He weighed 3 pounds, 13 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long. Today our daughter and son in law found out that he may have charge syndrome. We've never heard of it before, they did give them a booklet to read and they're still testing the little fellow. His f cial features look fine, they said his ears were a little low, has one kidney, heart murmur, may have a blocked nasal area, they're feeding with a tube at the moment. I'm sure our whole family will need a lot of help with the little one. It's nice to know there is advice from other parents. Thank you, Linda

Comments:
Hi Kathy, I remembered that you said you updated the web page so I came to take alook. It's great. You really did a great job with Missy and the page. Missy must love the camera too, just like KK. Hope all is well with you all. I'll be talking to ya s on...KK says HI! :0)

Comments:
kathy this is great, she is absolutly beutiful.

Comments:
You are a real ham Melissa! Thanks for sharing this with us! Missy has been a student in our 11th grade English class since September. She works diligently and adds to the classroom activities and discussions daily!

Comments:
This is really exciting for me to see .I have known Melissa since eighth grade. She is one of my favorite students and her perserverance is to be admired. Her parents have done a wonderful job bringing up Melissa to be such a neat young lady !

Comments:
I have had Missy for a student for the past three years. She is a wonderful, intelligent and beautiful young woman. She should be very proud of her accomplishments. I wish her and her family all the best.

Comments:
We have two children with CHARGE a ten year old, Kevin, and a 14 month old baby named Ashlyn. Kevin has lived with us for 6 years- He continues to astonish us with his accomplishments! Ashlyn has been with us for 7 months and is an absolute joy! We enjoy d your pictures- Ashlyn resembles your daughter.

Comments:
My stepmom sent me to your site because my little sister has CHARGE. She did feel alot of hope after reading Melissa's story (as did I). Ive found many parenting sites do not include CHARGE in any of their support groups. I recently started a parenting site and will include CHARGE in many of the features. Your site is fabulous and it does bring a smile to younger CHARGE families! Thank You.

Comments:
I LOVED the mickey mouse ears on the toddler bike. it reminds of emma's tiny little head. What a beautiful young woman Melissa has grown to be. Jen Katapodis mom to my CHaRgErs emma-5-and diane-3-

Comments:
Great page...Melissa reminds me of my daughter, Maddie, who is 11, and also has Charge. She has dark hair and facial features just like Melissa. I am going to show Maddie this page so she can see how pretty Melissa is!

Comments:
Hi Brian and Kathy, This is so awesome. What a great Idea. This will be so helpful for othe parents and children. You should have Missy write a column to other children. Those pictures are great. They really touch your heart. This is such a great things that you guys are d ing. keep up the good work. Love, Paula

Comments:
Great page! Love the pictures, love the text! Melissa, you are a very active and bright woman! Goodluck to you and your family for the future.

Comments:
Wonderful to know of 'older' Chargers doing so well. Our Jaecob, 16 months, CHARgE+ is doing OK. God bless you.

Comments:
I love your pg. I was finally able to get to it, and I really like it. She is all grown up, ang very pretty. Looks like you guys did a great job. I'll talk to ya later, Korey

Comments:
What a wonderful site! Melissa is a beautiful young lady. We have a four year old daughter, Emily, with CHARGE, and you are correct that our kids are amazing! Emily continues to make steady progress and amaze us, as we were not given a lot of hope for er future when she was an infant. May Melissa continue to enjoy her journey! Thanks for sharing your story.

Comments:
What a wonderful website! Great Job! I have to forward the address to all of my friends so they can see what a beautiful young lady Melissa has become. She is an angel on earth setting an example for all of us to live by. I am so proud of you Melissa. Love, Nancy

Comments:
Thank you for taking the time to give hope and encouragement to those of us with young CHARGErs. You're right, the most valuable thing our kids can have is perserverance and the willingness to try. My kid perserveres like a real trooper, we are so proud of her. The pictures are soooo beautiful! Especially the one in the blue dress!

Comments:
I have a 2 year old daughter, named Nicole,with CHARGE, and I think that web-page is a great idea, and it gives me hope and inspiration.

mary lee millwood - 01/28/99 20:39:59
My Email:marylee618@aol.com

Comments:
you are definately an inspiration to us all. My daughter is six and i know i have a lot to look forward to. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING-MARY LEE

Jackie Kenley - 01/28/99 18:59:12
My Email:cdbsjk@sfsu.edu

Comments:
I am the Mom of Laura Kenley,almost 14 with CHaRgE. Would love to read more about your daughter! The photos are great!Laura is a cutie also. She is deaf with low vision. She uses sign language now and does lots of great things we were not sure that she would do. Thank you for the effort you put into develo ing this Web page! Jackie Kenley in San Francisco

Roberta Mellgren - 01/28/99 18:27:47
My Email:bertamellgren@hotmail.com

Comments:
Knowing the Durand family and the hurdles they all went thru. Missy is an inspiration to anyone meets her

Casey - 01/28/99 17:41:14
My URL:http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/1220
My Email:charge@saber.net

Comments:
Great page !!! An inspiration to those of us with younger CHARGErs. Thank you..

Toni - 01/27/99 13:33:01
My Email:flynnt@kendallhq.com

Comments:
Good for you! Thats Great!I have some ideas for you and if you need help let me know.