Nicole

Nicole Soutee died last night. This is the young woman, 21 years old, with Blaze’s condition. Her parents adopted her at 11 or 12. She didn’t have her last surgery until the age of 12, because she had been in foster care and the state wouldn’t pay for it. And to be fair, it was a newer procedure at the time. Her condition was compounded with other complications along the way.

Her mother, Helen, works with Tim at the court house and has been a fantastic friend to our family during Blaze’s issues. We used the same cardiology office in Springfield and both had Dr. Huddleston for a surgeon. Helen has been such a blessing to Tim, a great resource and someone who understands his worries and frustrations.

We took Blaze over to meet Nicole at Christmas time. We enjoyed meeting her. Because of her conditions, she was very small for her age. Shortly after our visit she had her 21^st birthday and she had always wanted to go to a casino. She had the body of a 12 year old and was constantly carded. I laughed in delight of her getting to go and consistently having to prove her age. I bet it was a challenge for everyone, and a funny memory now. She had already lived longer at that point than expected. She constantly exceeded everyone’s expectations. I think she just wasn’t ready to let go.