Fourteen years ago we spent the day in a hospital in Phoenix waiting for an angel to arrive. She came to us wide eyed and perfectly pink. I still remember it like it was yesterday…Our first child had been born. When the doctor handed her to me, I could barely believe how beautiful she was. I was in such awe of her that I totally forgot that Sue (after doing all the work) had not even seen her yet. She had to remind me to show her our new daughter! We named her Nitalia and she was perfect in every way. Looking back now it seems the years pass so quickly. We were blessed two more times with angles from heaven. Our three girls are peas in a pod. Everyone knows they are ALWAYS together. The love they share is a true testament to God in every way.
So here we are fourteen years later, spending the day in a hospital waiting for an angel. Crazy life.
Nitalia finally got some rest last night. They got her seizures under control at about 1AM. I’m looking at her right now, and she is sleeping calmly. They have her on a ton of medication at the moment, but I believe she hears everything that is going on. Last night her cousin Sophie called and sang Happy Birthday to her and she tried to talk. Then her Grandpa said some funny things to her and she cracked a smile! So I know she is in there.
Today we say a special Birthday prayer, please take a minute and say it today:
Father, we understand that it is Your will that will be done. We ask with humble hearts that You give our Nitalia mercy. We know you love her and that she was Yours before she was ours… But Lord we love her so much. We call upon Your Holy Word to make her whole once again. We believe in Your truth, and You said “The Son of man has not come to destroy human life, but to save them”. We ask on this special day, the day You brought Nitalia into this world, that You allow her to be fully restored in Your favor. We ask that You bring this season of pain and anguish to an end, and that You grant her Your Miraculous Healing. The Scriptures state: “With His stripes, we are healed”. Lord if it be Your will, heal Nitalia. All Glory is yours Lord!
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Savior.
Amen
Nitalia, we love you more then words can ever say. You make us proud with every passing second. Keep believing. Keep fighting.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WE LOVE YOU!!!!
Daddy, Mommy, Aviona, & Isabella
Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
This Video Works Best With Hi Speed Connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Nitaliasblankets.flv
Can’t see the videos? Click Here to download the newest free version of the Adobe Flash player (it only takes a minute)!
CBS 3 News did a very nice story on Nitalias Blankets. They met us at St. Jude this morning. The video is above and the article from their website is below. THANK YOU ALL for the gift of love you shared with the kids of St. Jude! The kids LOVED them!!!
St. Jude Patient Shares Warmth Blankets offer comfort to St. Jude patients
FAST FACTS:
- 13-year-old St. Jude patient and family donates blankets
- Grandmother launched www.nitaliasblankets.com
- Blankets and hats arriving from all over country
(Memphis 12/04/2009)
Nitalia Conti knows what its like to battle cancer.
The 13-year-old’s been a St. Jude patient for a year. It’s a place where her family says they’ve found comfort and love. Today, they came back to share some of that comfort with other patients.
Nitalia conti and her two sisters are getting ready to give back some of the kindness she received when she first arrived at St. Jude. They live in Arizona but every 10 weeks the family travels back for Nitalia’s treatments. This visit they brought with them bundles of blankets.
“When I was going through radiation. I used to get blankets that the community made and they used to keep me so warm and it warmed my heart and I used to take them home and I loved them,” said Nitalia.
Nitalia’s grandmother heard about the blankets and the word spread.
“My mother started knitting and crocheting and her friends got involved and some of the church groups got involved and they put together a little website. They’ve got hundreds of blankets now that they’ll be sending out to St. Jude,” said Anthony Conti, father.
Nitaliasblankets.com is bringing in blankets and hats for St. Jude patients from all over the country. This week the Contis delivered the first big batch. For some young patients, it seems the hats and blankets are just what the doctor ordered.
“I think its very nice that they donated them. They’re nice and soft and you can always think of them that they donated to St. Jude and that was very nice of them,” said 16 year old patient, Carissa Barrett.
The Contis say the blankets don’t cure cancer but they do offer comfort at a time when some children need it most. It’s a way for the family to give back what Memphis and St. Jude has given to them.
“God is good and he works through his love for people and that’s the whole Memphis community. And, truly there’s no place like Memphis,” said Suzann Conti, mother.
The Contis say the moment their plane landed in Memphis last year, they felt the love. St. Jude provides housing but the family as a whole wanted to stay together so a Memphis business man let them stay rent free in his condo. That’s just one of the many kind gestures that inspired them to give back a little of that kindness today.
Copyright © 2009, WREG-TV
This segment is so great. It really shows the love that Nitalia, Aviona and Isabella share with each other. There is nothing that can get in the way of their love for one another. They face this together…
Thank you God for all the strength and love our family shares…and thank you all for the love, support and prayers you all send our way each and every day!
This Video Works Best With Hi Speed Connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Nitalia.flv
Can’t see the videos? Click Here to download the newest free version of the Adobe Flash player (it only takes a minute)!
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!!!! Yep March 30th is the BIG day!!!! WE’RE COMIN’ HOME!!!!! The girl’s have been counting down the days crossing off everyday on the calendar or I should say calendars, they each have there own! We are all so excited, and we thank each and every one of you for being with us every moment we’re here. Your prayers, your words, your faith, your strength, your support, we need and love you all. This coming week will be a week of tests, scans, labs, Dr. appointments, pictures, and of course OT, PT, and school, so please please please…PRAY PRAY PRAY!!!!
Well we went to Nashville for the weekend, it was AMAZING!!!! First we loved the 3 hour drive, cows, cows and more cows, rolling hills, beautiful scenery. On our ride we got a call from Aunt Christine and Uncle Luie, they got us tickets to the Grand Ole Opry!!!!! We were so excited!!! It was incredible!!! When we arrived we got settled in our hotel. The next day we went to President Andrew Jackson’s mansion for a tour. It was awesome! All the original wall paper, furniture, flooring, everything was original the way it was when he lived in it. Then we walked and we walked and we walked all over his grounds, 1200 acres of grounds, (PT anyone?) it was so beautiful and the weather was perfect like California! We even saw where the slaves lived, the whole tour was amazing. After our great day we were so excited for our amazing night to The Grand Ole Opry!!! It’s amazing in there, it looks like a Christian Church,the seats are pews. The show reminded us of Hee Haw! There were 4 hosts and each host was a country star, not only could they sing but they were hilarious, so talented. Under each host were 4 singers, what a show!!!! It was the greatest. We saw older singers like, Little Jimmie Dickens, Ray Price, Ricky Skaggs, to Josh Turner “Everything’s gonna be fine fine fine”, and yes, Carrie Underwood “Jesus Take the Wheel, American Girl, well I don’t have to tell you…..sooooo awesome!!! In the Opry you can get out of your seat at any time to take pictures, you can even go right up to the stage. But we didn’t have to do that, our seats were AMAZING…thanks you Aunt Christine and Uncle Luie! The next day we were off to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, it was so incredible.
We had visitors…Nanny and Poppy! Yep they drove all the way to Memphis, not only to spend time together but to also bring all of our boxes home. Wow can Poppy pack a car, what a technique!!!! We miss them already. Thanks so much we had such a great time hanging out at the condo, playing games, (Rummy 500 anyone? Look out Vegas here come the Conti sisters), walking to the train tracks to flatten out some coins (can you tell not much to do in Memphis?), and of course St. Jude, and then we brought them to St. Patrick’s church for our amazing Sunday mass, and they got the southern open arm welcome, of course. We love our church, from Father Tim with his amazing prayers and Conti sisters team cheers and Deacon Eddie with his great big hugs to the whole entire congregation, the out pouring of love, prayers, support, and care, is beyond words and everything we need. We are already tearing up, we’re going to miss them so much!
As we count down for Monday so filled with such excitement, but at the same time getting very emotional about leaving our extended family we love so much in Memphis, from everyone, and I mean everyone at St. Jude, to the whole gang at St. Patrick’s to the Schledwitz family, to the Fogelman family, to even passer-buyers, total strangers who say “I’ll pray for your daughter and your whole family” or “God Bless You” or just being silent, yet knowing the prayers are coming, there are no words, (and you all know me very well, I am never at a loss of words) to explain how much each and every person means to us, how much we love each and everyone, and how much we will miss them and this place where God walks the streets of Memphis and the halls of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. We love you all and thank you all for taking such incredible care of our baby and our family. You will forever be a part of us!
::HOME::
Low Res Version for slow connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Home_low.flv
Hi Res Version for Hi Speed connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Home_1.flv
Can’t see the videos? Click Here to download the newest free version of the Adobe Flash player (it only takes a minute)!
Hi Everyone!
We just got some really Big News. Dr. Kun (my radiation/oncologist) told us that my last treatment will be on Wednesday, February 11th!!! I am so happy that I will be coming home soon! I still have some things that I need to finish here, so we still have a few more weeks! Everyone here was so excited for me when they heard about Wednesday. Miss Laura said she doesn’t know what she is going to do without me everyday, but she is so happy and proud of me. I miss everyone back home and cant wait to see you all. I will write when I know the date I will be home.
This calls for a celebration!!!!!!!!!
I love all of you and I will see you soon!!!
My Dad made a movie about my time here…It’s called Walking In Memphis! You can watch it below.
Low Res Version for slow connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Walking%20In%20Memphis_1.flv
Hi Res Version for Hi Speed connections:
http://www.nitaliaconti.com/cure/wp-content/themes/sleekslide/flash/video/Walking%20In%20Memphis.flv
Can’t see the videos? Click Here to download the newest free version of the Adobe Flash player (it only takes a minute)!
Paul Stachel called me a few weeks back to discuss Nitalia and the direction our lives had suddenly taken.
First, let me say that I only know Paul in passing. But by the end of this phone call, I felt a brothership with him that I have rarely felt in my life. He spoke to me with the sort of knowledge that only comes from experience. I know most of you know about his families battle with cancer and the miracle that the good lord had granted them. Samantha is a true inspiration.
Paul had mentioned that he was going to plan a hike with some of Nitalia’s classmates and also was going to dedacate his soccer teams tournament to Nitalia. The idea was simply beautiful. This would give Nitalias friends a chance to be a part of her recovery as well as teach how important life is. Paul went out of his way to make this an event for the kids. He even had shirts printed for the kids and their parents. Then he sent us some here in Memphis!
When we told Nitalia about Paul’s plan she got a HUGE smile. Just knowing that she was on the minds of her classmates made her feel so special. The hike was a great success. Thank you to ALL that took the time to share in our journey. We love you all.
Paul…I cannot thank you enough for all that you do for our family. Not just the example of going the extra mile to help a family in crisis, but also to take the time to explain and teach the children how precious life and friendship is.
I have a new friend…His name is Paul Stachel
Thanks For The Shirts!!!
Below is the thank you letter Paul sent out to the families that participated in the hike:
__________________________________________________
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
Dear Stallions, Gators, and Friends,
WOW! You all are amazing! With your compassion for Nitalia Conti, you raised and donated so far $4,716 for the Conti Family and donations are still coming in. We expect to well exceed $5,000 by the end of the week. This is a true testament of the strength of a community working together for a worthwhile purpose. Each of you (whether you were at the hike and/or party in spirit or in person or both) was an integral part of the effort and on behalf of the Conti Family thank you for your hard work, wishes, generosity, and prayers.
For those of you who attended the hike and gathering, we hope you enjoyed it. Words cannot come close to describe the tremendous energy that was created by the events on January 31. This incredible aura was only possible because of the immeasurable spirit and joy that each of you brought with you that day. Your attention was in the true spirit of the day – so congratulations on a job well done.
We can only hope that Nitalia’s journey and this day shifted something inside each of us that even if it was just for that moment……that moment up at the top of the mountain when a community of classmates held hands praying for their friend and asking to find the most meaningful treasurers from the experience.
So each classmate should feel very proud of the effort they put forth raising money, climbing a mountain, and praying. Writing a check is easy charity – working for their friend is love. Awesome job!!!! And thank you for your hard work.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Below is the prayer done on top of the mountain:
“At a time in our life when things were very unclear to our family, our daughter drew a picture of our family holding hands under the canopy of a beautiful rainbow. We knew in our hearts that she was telling us that, while our path was unclear, there would be light to guide us and to be aware of all the rainbows before us and within us. Our prayer for Nitalia and her family today and always is that as things seem unclear, illuminate your path with the light from inside of you and from your family, friends, and your community here today.”
Said as a Community:
We join our hearts and hands
We ask that Nitalia’s body return to God’s perfection
And may all of us involved gain the wisdom we need from this experience.
“While you have a thing it can be taken from you… but when you give it, you have given it. No robber can take it from you. It is yours then for ever when you have given it. It will be yours always. That is to give.” James Joyce
Feel free to allow your child to read this message and a big thanks to all of them!!!!
Thank you,
Stallions and Gators
Well I am not totally settled in yet, but I wanted to write to all of you. Here are some pictures we took over the last week…
-
-
Me and Ms. Tracy
-
-
My friend nurse Sandra
-
-
Me and Dr. Sanford
-
-
Me and Melissa
-
-
Sleeping like a baby
-
-
Me and Mary Relling
-
-
Me and Terri Sue
-
-
Me and Terri Sue
-
-
Look how cute Teddy is!
-
-
Angela and Renee at St. Jude
-
-
Ms. Lee at St. Jude
-
-
Christmas at the Peabody Hotel
-
-
My Nannies and Pop with us in front of the Tree
-
-
Me and my sisters opening gifts on Christmas Eve
-
-
Having fun on Christmas Eve!
-
-
My best friends in the whole world!
-
-
Me and my sisters on Christmas morning!
-
-
We love the Tree!
-
-
My friends in Arizona sent us a beautiful Christmas!
-
-
We miss you already!
Christmas was great I got everything I wanted. I am happy to be out of the hospital and with my family. Thank you all so much for writing to me. When I was in the hospital my mom and dad read the posts to me every night. It makes me happy to know so many people love me I just love every single post. We finally left St. Jude after 6:00 p.m. Friday, it was a very long week. When we finally arrived at the Hilton, Nanny, Aviona, and Isabella, were waiting for us in the lobby (for hours because we were supposed to be there many hours before). They were very excited, and so was I. We road all the way up to the 24th floor, and there were Christmas bows on the front doors and the room was full of Christmas decorations and Christmas music was blasting. We couldn’t believe it! They made bows out of Christmas wrapping paper! Nan, Aviona, and Isabella worked so hard to get the room as Christmas as they could get it. Nanny is good at Christmas! Then we were off to meet Ms. Tracy who showed us this awesome condo. As soon as she opened the door, I really loved it! It’s so pretty, and cozy. It even has this balcony that you could see the city! The owners Mr. Karl and Ms. Gail Schledwitz are like family now, they are always helping us.
We had Christmas brunch with our new friends the Fogelman family. It was so nice, they are great people! I was so happy to have my Nannies and Pop here to celebrate with us. My Nanny from NJ has been with us for 2 months!
Thank you all for coming here and writing me. I really do read every one of the posts and they make my heart feel good. I love all of you. I will write again soon.
-Nitalia
I’m on my way to Memphis, Tennessee to continue my journey! I’m a little scared, but excited also to meet new people and see new places. Between my treatments, I want to go to The Grand Ole Opry, Graceland and see the south. I have never been to the south. I hope I can see Taylor Swift, shes my favorite!
We still have to find a place to live. Once we do, we need to get a Christmas tree so we can have Christmas and New Years there!
I am going to write about everything I do during our trip. So keep coming back to read it, and post what your doing so I can know that too.
That’s a picture of my surgeon Dr. Rekate. He is the best kid brain surgeon in the world! I really love everyone at Dr. Rekate’s office. Tracy is so nice and Donna is so gentle when she takes out your stiches. When Dr. Rekate took out my first stiches he sang Christmas songs to me in all different languages! When my arm gets better, I am going to play violin and he is going to sing! I really love him alot!
I had a second surgery at St. Joes and my Dr. was Dr. Bristol. Dr. Rekate broke his ankle hiking with his dog so he could not do the surgery. Dr. Bristol was very nice and took great care of me. I remember her because she was so gentle with me and she checked in to make sure I was ok.
Read more
My family is the most important thing in the world to me! I don’t do anything without them. My Mom and Dad do everything just to be with me and my sisters are my best friends. They are all coming with me to St. Judes so we will be getting better TOGETHER! The last month has been very hard on our family, but we are strong. Like my Dad says: We go THROUGH things, not around them! (My Mom says “Bend it like Beckham”…hehehehe)
Read more
