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Next time you are out driving, you just might see a funny blue heart sticker with a funny face staring back at you on a car nearby. It is Natalie Anne Siemeks way of saying, Natalie was here. CLICK HERE TO ADD BUGPALS ON FACEBOOK
Natalie was diagnosed with a heart defect (hypoplastic right heart syndrome) six hours after she was born. Her right ventricle was one-third the size it was supposed to be. She had her first open heart surgery by the time she was one week old and her parents were told that two more surgeries would be in her future all before she turned 3. But she didn’t make it. Natalie was only 15 months old when she passed away in 2007, old enough to have touched the hearts of those around her, but not yet old enough to put her mark on the world. Or maybe she was. In her 15 months, Natalie showed us what family is really about,said Dan Siemek, Natalie’s father. Still today she is in our daily conversations and in the front of our thoughts. Natalie’s sisters, Emily, 9, and Audrey, 7, talk about her constantly. She is always included on birthday and Christmas cards and in conversations they have with their friends. In an effort to make sure their daughter’s life will be remembered, for the past three years the Siemeks have raised more than $1,000 at Christmastime and, as a family, has shopped for Christmas presents for kids in the hospital. This will be the fourth year we’ve been doing this, Carrie, Natalie’s mother, said.. That usually buys somewhere between 120-140 presents. We usually go to Toys R Us, and they help us find coupons and clearance items. They load us up with five to six carts. The girls love shopping and do most of the picking and, whenever possible, they pick toys that Natalie once loved. And now the Siemeks have started Bugs Pals, and with it Bugs Pals stickers for cars. The idea is every time someone sees a Bug Sticker, it will be a reminder of their daughter and hopefully bring awareness. Our mission is to keep Natalie’s legacy alive and ensure she is never forgotten, Carrie said. Bug stickers are blue to represent the term blue baby, which doctors call babies with heart problems. And why Bug? Because that was Natalie’s nickname. I nicknamed Natalie Bug the day she was born. She weighed one pound less than her sisters at birth. I said she was like the gnat bug. The Siemeks also started a Facebook page called Bugs Pals in which people can cite where and when they see a Bugs Pals sticker. Many people are even taking time to post pictures on the site. Information about acquiring a sticker and more about the family’s efforts is also available on Facebook. So, next time you are out driving, look at the rear window of the car in front of you. You just might see the blue heart sticker and you’ll know it’s the little girl saying, Natalie was here. And if you get a chance, go to Bugs Pals on Facebook and let her parents know that Natalie is not forgotten. |
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