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Sorry if all this has already been posted. I looked and didn't find it.

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Catherine Herridge's Challenge
Monday, June 05, 2006
By Greta Van Susteren

By the time you receive this blog — or read it — we will be back "on the road" again. We arrived back on the East Coast from Los Angeles on Saturday night and our flight this morning was 6:30 a.m ET. I have a very important story to cover today about one of my colleagues, FOX News correspondent Catherine Herridge and her family.

I am proud to be Catherine Herridge's colleague — what she is going to do in the next 24 hours is extremely difficult, but she is determined. She and her husband have an infant son — Peter — who is now about 3 or 4 months old. He needs a liver. He has been on the liver transplant list for his entire life of 3 or 4 months. He is failing to the point where he cannot wait any longer. He is sure to die if he does not get it soon... very soon. His mother, Catherine, our colleague at FOX, is now going to be his donor. Surgery begins within 24 hours of you reading this blog.

Peter's parents admitted their tiny baby to the Pittsburgh hospital on Sunday so that he could be prepared for his mother's liver. At one minute after midnight tonight, Catherine will be admitted to the hospital. For insurance reasons, she could not be admitted today when her infant son was. She must wait until "tomorrow" — one minute after midnight.

Tomorrow the surgery begins very early. I am told that the surgery for each will be about 11 hours. A portion of Catherine's liver will be removed in one operating room and then taken to another operating room to be transplanted into her tiny son. Of course all surgery has a risk and this one does, too. I suppose because it is a colleague, I am very nervous and very worried. I am told that there has been great success with this surgery and I remind myself all the time of that fact.

This medical problem has been dogging all of us at FOX since Peter was born a few months ago. We had all hoped it would be resolved short of this surgery. It has not. Catherine came into my office last week to tell me that time had run out to wait for a liver and that she would be doing this. Of course the conversation was a difficult one but also an inspiring one. Catherine is determined to have her son live and is doing what every mother would do. This is a life or death decision.

Catherine and I talked about how many families go through a medical crisis like this and how difficult it is. The emotional toll can't be expressed in words. Imagine the pain of wanting a liver for your baby knowing that it meant some other family was losing a baby.

Catherine and I talked and talked about what families go through. It occurred to us that maybe — just maybe — we could try and turn around the fear and anxiety for both her and other families by telling you about it and by televising a segment about this family, a FOX family and the huge advancements in science. American medicine is truly remarkable: things can be done that seem impossible to those of us unschooled in it.

Catherine and her husband weighed the pros and cons of us doing a story on her family and what they are facing — the cons being the need for privacy at what could be a life or death time for their family and the pros being the chance to inspire other American families facing a medical crisis and to show the truly remarkable aspects about medicine. Catherine and her husband talked about it and then decided that the chance to inspire others and highlight American advancements in medicine was important. As you might imagine, during this time they have met many others who are in the same difficult position they are. Plus, the chance to highlight all the great things the Pittsburgh hospital has done is also important to them.

Hence I am headed to Pittsburgh with the hope that we can tell you an inspiring story, not one that will bring you down. We want to inspire you and dazzle you with this story of love and science. We don't want to depress you. Remember, Catherine and her husband are feeling determined right now. They are an important mission of love. Behind the scenes, and without Catherine, we have discussed what we will do if the surgery turns out differently than we are expecting and hoping and we have not made any decisions. But bottom line is that Catherine is determined and so are we.

Here are some facts that make me feel confidant about the surgery/transplant:

In this hospital they have been doing pediatric transplants since 1981... they have done more than 1000... the hospital (UPMC Medical Center) maintains a 93 percent survival rate... this hospital performed world's first pediatric liver transplant... the liver is the only solid organ that has the capacity to grow back to its full size after being "resected"... and Catherine is very healthy and strong per my observation.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,198213,00.html

1 posted on 06/06/2006 5:52:46 AM PDT by theophilusscribe
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2 posted on 06/06/2006 5:59:36 AM PDT by theophilusscribe
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To: theophilusscribe

Hope everything works out. CH is a sharp reporter.


3 posted on 06/06/2006 5:59:50 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: theophilusscribe

May God bless her, her baby and family.


4 posted on 06/06/2006 6:00:13 AM PDT by davisfh
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To: theophilusscribe
Wow!   Prayers for Catherine and Peter.
5 posted on 06/06/2006 6:00:27 AM PDT by jigsaw (God Bless Our Troops. Our thanks to each and every one of you!)
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To: theophilusscribe

prayers


6 posted on 06/06/2006 6:00:36 AM PDT by wouldntbprudent (If you can: Contribute more (babies) to the next generation of God-fearing American Patriots!)
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To: Salvation; trussell

Here is a family very much in need of our prayers.


7 posted on 06/06/2006 6:02:11 AM PDT by Bahbah (The Dream Act...the latest nightmare to be brought to you by the US Senate)
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To: theophilusscribe

I hope all goes well.


11 posted on 06/06/2006 6:11:39 AM PDT by mom4kittys
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To: theophilusscribe

Saw this on F&F this morning. They had a picture of Catherine and her son.


13 posted on 06/06/2006 6:13:55 AM PDT by mathluv (Never Forget!)
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To: theophilusscribe

Prayers for the family.


14 posted on 06/06/2006 6:18:11 AM PDT by Dante3
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To: theophilusscribe
My sincere prayers that Peter be blessed. May the Angels hover about the medical teams, may they be successful. Catherine, you are a brave Mom, may you be an inspiration to us all. Peace!
16 posted on 06/06/2006 6:19:08 AM PDT by ejo
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To: theophilusscribe

Prayers for Peter and mom.


20 posted on 06/06/2006 6:21:04 AM PDT by mware (Americans in armchairs doing the job of the media.)
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To: theophilusscribe

Prayers sent.


21 posted on 06/06/2006 6:21:34 AM PDT by pax_et_bonum (Whatever happened to Cynthia McKinney?)
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To: theophilusscribe
Something like this deserves a repost if it had already been posted.

Hadn't seen it before and welcome the opportunity to say a prayer for the little tyke and his mom.

23 posted on 06/06/2006 6:22:28 AM PDT by OldFriend (I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.....and My Heart to the Soldier Who Protects It.)
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To: theophilusscribe

Catherine has been my favorite news reporter for a long time. My prayers are with her and her family.


26 posted on 06/06/2006 6:24:25 AM PDT by varina davis
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To: theophilusscribe
I'm thankful to read that the God-given maternal instinct is alive and well in our country. What a dramatic and heart-warming story of love and unselfishness this news is.

Catherine and others like her do more in inspiration and example with single womanly acts than all the decades of the pursuit of false, godless goals by militant feminazis put together.

Prayers for Catherine and tiny Peter. And thanks to Greta also for the loving and tasteful article on her collegue at Fox.

Leni

30 posted on 06/06/2006 6:28:09 AM PDT by MinuteGal
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To: theophilusscribe

Sending my prayers. I saw her son on TV last night. A really cute little guy; all smiles.


33 posted on 06/06/2006 6:31:00 AM PDT by jdm
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To: theophilusscribe

I've always admired Katherine as a reporter. Now I see that she is also a superb human being and mother. My prayers are for both her and her son....and for the doctors who learned how to do this marvelous operation. May God's love guide them all.


34 posted on 06/06/2006 6:31:30 AM PDT by Carolinamom
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To: theophilusscribe

I've always liked this gal. Good reporter and good looking to boot.


38 posted on 06/06/2006 6:35:58 AM PDT by pissant
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To: theophilusscribe

Our prayers are with both of them, Catherine is a great mother and reporter, in that order.


40 posted on 06/06/2006 6:37:25 AM PDT by jazusamo (DIANA IREY for Congress, PA 12th District: Retire murtha.)
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To: theophilusscribe

Prayers for successful surgery and recovery for Catherine and her baby son.


41 posted on 06/06/2006 6:39:38 AM PDT by MEG33 (GOD BLESS OUR ARMED FORCES)
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