It’s All About the Smiles: From the Hearts of our Medical Families

Please enjoy reading some feedback from the hearts of our medical families!

Emma “My son, Ben, was born with a severe congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He endured 6 open heart surgeries, 7 heart caths, 2 ECMO runs, and multiple other surgeries and complications. He passed away at 10.5 months old. He spent a total of 7 months of his life in the hospital. Emma was 17 months old when Ben was born. We had to move to another state to live during Ben’s life, so Emma was uprooted from her home and taken to a place she didn’t know. She was too young to understand why her brother couldn’t come home from the hospital. She was only 2 years old when he passed away… Ben never was able to receive an Icing Smiles cake, so we requested one for Emma for her 4th birthday. The cake made Emma’s day! She LOVED that cake so much! The baker even put something extra on the cake to represent Ben. It was so special and amazing!” ~Emma and Ben’s Family

Emma’s cake was created by Sugar Angel Cathy Harris in Paducah, Kentucky.

To read more of Ben’s story, please stop by his Facebook page.

Tymira “Tymira is my miracle angel, she endured open heart surgery upon entering this world, stayed in the hospital for 2 months and during that stay had to have another surgery to have a Tracheostomy tube put in and a G-tube for feeding as well. Both of those were done the same day. After her stay in the hospital for her first 2 months, then the next 2 months, she was in a rehabilitation hospital. She has had a few Heart Catherizations done to her where she is put to sleep and they put stents implanted in her heart for the blood to flow. Every week we are at the doctors office for back to back appointments. She’s a fighter and we all pray 24-7 for her safety and for a miracle to ease her pain. Thank You So Much For The Beautiful Cake! My Family And Friends Truly Loved And Enjoyed It So Much.” ~Tymira’s Family

Tymira’s cake was created by Sugar Angel Sabine Garrido of A Love For Cakes in Maspeth, New York.

Mason “Mason (8) was diagnosed with High Risk Medulloblastoma (brain cancer with cancer cells in his spinal fluid) in April 2015. His tumor was completely removed in a 5 hr surgery. He then completed 30 daily rounds of full brain and spinal radiation followed by 6 months of high dose chemotherapy. He completed chemotherapy on Christmas Eve 2015! An MRI in January revealed no new tumor growth and a lumbar puncture revealed no cancer cells in his central nervous system. On February 22, 2016, witnessed by his team of doctors, nurses, family, and friends, Mason rang the bell to signify his end of treatment! He will undergo an MRI every 3 months to watch for reoccurrence. He continues physical and occupational therapy. He is getting stronger each day and is looking forward to a vacation in FL! We had an excellent experience with Icing Smiles and would highly recommend your organization to others!” ~Mason’s Family

Mason’s cupcakes were created by Sugar Angel Gregory Gallenberger of Oostburg Bakery in Oostburg, Wisconsin.

To read more of Mason’s story, please stop by his website.

Alyson “Alyson was born with an abdominal wall defect, her liver and intestines grew outside of her belly enclosed in a sac. She also has a Congenital heart defect which was repaired Nov 2015 and a Congenital Diaphragmatic hernia that was repaired at 3mths of age in June 2014. Alyson spent 8mths in the NICU and stayed quarantine at home during her 1st bday to keep her from getting sick. She was on oxygen at home and a feeding tube as well. This April, Alyson will have her tummy surgery to put all her organs back in. Her 2nd bday was a success, it allowed us to celebrate her life with family and close friends. Icing Smiles took that extra stress and worry of finding a baker out of our hands and allowed us to focus more on Alyson. The dream cake was a hit at her party, so beautiful and tasty! Thank you so much Icing Smiles for all those Smiles you bring to special children and there families!” ~Alyson’s Family

Alyson’s cake was created by Sugar Angel Maricela Muniz in Weslaco, Texas.

To read more of Alyson’s story, please stop by her Facebook page.

Elliot “Elliott was diagnosed with pre B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on November 27th, 2015. He is my only child and this has hit hard, but he is responding very well to treatment and the doctors at the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans are very pleased with his progress. He also has two extra chromosomes (trisomy 4 & 10) which lend to a more favorable prognosis. He has been a real trooper in all this. Icing smiles is just one of the many organizations to which I owe my gratitude. I could not have asked for a better experience! Everything was PERFECT!” ~Elliott’s Family