Broken and Blessed: A Life Story tells of little Celeste, a child born to suffer, to die, and to profoundly convert the lives of all who knew her. It is a story of transformative suffering, bountiful grace, and the gift of hope. Despite the challenging subject matter, it is not a story of death, but a true story of the intoxicating beauty of life.
Celeste's story is, most of all, the story of a family. She swept us along on a breath-taking adventure from the moment we discovered she had a serious heart defect until the day of her death and beyond. From the day we learned she required a heart transplant until the day doctors informed us she had sustained severe brain damage, Celeste was our companion on the trip of our lives, one that led us to an amazing discovery: all will suffer, but we can survive and even flourish in our sorrow.
Throughout Celeste's life we were faced with many challenges, but our faith was there to sustain and inform us. By turning to our Church for answers to the moral dilemmas before us, we encountered Christ with a fresh perspective. He allowed us to share in His sufferings, and drew us closer to Him in the process.
It was easy for us to realize that Celeste was a very special baby. She was sent to us as a beautiful gift, a true messenger of hope with an important message: God has a mission for each of us!
Celeste had a true ministry while she was with us, a ministry of presence. She taught us through her example of silent suffering that each life is profoundly important. She reminded us of a simple truth that we so often forget. Our value is not in our doing, but in our being.
We invite you to read Celeste's story and go on your own journey of self-discovery. What are your unique gifts and talents? What is God calling you to accomplish?
We pray you will leave this site with a new appreciation for the great gift of life that you have received. Go out and do something amazing with it!