The June 2008 issue of ParentLife magazine features an article about Erika Kate.  ParentLife is a magazine targeting Christian parents throughout the U.S., and is a publication of LifeWay Christian Resources based in Nashville, Tennessee.  ParentLife has granted us permission to post the piece on the EKF website.  Printed copies of the issue can be ordered from LifeWay by visiting LifeWay's website, or by calling 1.800.458.2772.  Click here to see the article.

Last summer, Nate and Kim Scadlock of Des Moines, Iowa were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest addition to their family.  Kim was pregnant with their second child, due in mid August, 2007.  At the time, Nate was working his summer job, still on his summer break from his enrollment as a full-time nursing student in Des Moines.  Kim had made arrangements with her employer to work up to her due date, giving advanced notice of her intention to leave the workforce indefinitely once the baby was born.  She planned to stay home to take care of the baby and their then 13-month-old daughter, Gwen.   Everything seemed to be proceeding as planned and there was much to be excited about.  The Scadlocks had no idea their world was about to be turned upside down.  Read more about Beckham's story.

Check out our first newsletter.  Inside you'll find up to date information on the Foundation and hear from one of the families we helped in 2007.  Special thanks to Sara Thomas of Silver Springs, Maryland for putting together our first issue. 

Erika's heart transplant in NYC was witnessed by Charlie Morris, a Manhattan based writer.  Mr. Morris was shadowing the surgeon who performed Erika's transplant on the day Erika's donor heart became available.  The story of Erika's journey and transplant operation is told in a chapter of his new book, 'The Surgeons:  Life and Death in a Top Heart Center'. 

Mr. Morris' telling of Erika's story begins this way:

"I saw Erika Maynard only once.  She was a heart-breakingly beautiful little girl of four, hugging a stuffed animal and in tears because her mother, Traci, had just stepped back from Erika’s gurney so the nurses could take her into the OR to receive a new heart.  I was there to observe the transplant, and as the OR’s double doors swung shut, I could see Traci shrink back against the corridor wall, with both hands over her mouth and terrible pain in her eyes." 

The book received a nice review from the New York Times Book Review.  It's available through Amazon.com for $16.47.  Click on the icon for a link to Amazon.  The Erika Kate Foundation receives a small commission from each copy of the book purchased via this link.   

If you’re a family member or friend that followed us on the Caringbridge website, thanks for hanging in there with us.  We believe God is working through the Erika Kate Foundation and we think there are some exciting things in store for the Foundation and the families it serves.

Last fall, we sent out a letter telling you about EKF and asking you to consider supporting our Foundation. The response to this letter has been overwhelmingly positive.  Dozens of people have sent kind notes of encouragement affirming our efforts and making financial contributions to the Foundation.  Many people have commented that they would like to support EKF on an ongoing basis. We wanted to make it easier for people to do so.