Two years ago a friend of mine lost her baby to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). Until my friend faced this diagnosis for her son I had never heard of CDH, but it occurs in 1 of every 2500 births. She has been working to raise awareness of CDH ever since, and asked if I would be willing to do a fundraiser for CHERUBS, The Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support - I said yes.

For the next two weeks (3/31/12 through 4/13/12, 11:59PM, PST) I will be donating 50% of all sales from my website (excluding portrait work, sales tax and shipping charges) to CHERUBS.

Molly & Joshua Angel

Joshua Angel's story in his mother's words:

"My life turned upside down the day my third baby was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, at 20 weeks gestation. I became extremely puzzled because I had never heard of this condition, until I further read articles on the internet, and joined the support group CHERUBS. It was then that I found out the sad truth about CDH. Finding out that my baby was going to be born sick and with a birth defect filled me with confusion and sadness.

My baby was very sick from the start. Joshua not only had CDH, but he also had heart problems (CHD). As a result of heart failure, he was retaining fluid. At 29 weeks, his fluid had increased rapidly - it had reached his chest cavity, and needed to be delivered as soon as possible. Joshua Angel was born on March 30th, 2010, weighing 3 lbs. 6 oz. That moment was a very special moment that I will FOREVER cherish. After Joshua's birth, he had two cardiac arrests, persistent hypoxia, pneumothorax on his right lung, and pulmonary hypertension. After a long night of fighting CDH, he passed away at 12 hours old in daddy's arms. He has forever touched our lives, and taught us that we must always be STRONG and COURAGEOUS just as he was. I know that he will always be in my heart because he is my child; the bond between a mother and child is very hard to break even after death. I will always remember that beautiful feeling of carrying him in my womb; his movements were amazing. My heart will always rejoice for having held him in my arms. Although he is not here for me to hold him any longer, I know that one day I will see him again in a beautiful place called HEAVEN. Until then, I will stay focused on my faith, and look up to GOD for continuous peace. I will hold Joshua 1:9 (be strong and courageous for God is always there), close to my heart because it has always encouraged me. And I will never forget the very first time I saw my baby's beautiful face."  ~Molly Echelbarger

About Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) and CHERUBS:

CHERUBS is the original CDH non-profit organization founded in 1995 to help families and medical care providers of children born with CDH.

CDH occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. CDH occurs in 1 of every 2500 births; a baby born with CDH every 10 minutes. 50% of babies diagnosed with CDH do not survive. The cause is not known. Over a half million babies have been born with CDH since 2000. CDH is as common as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis but there is very little awareness and even less research. CHERUBS is working hard to raise more CDH awareness, and in turn, more CDH research, while supporting families affected by this devastating birth defect. (http://cdhsupport.org/)

To be a part of this fundraising effort you simply need to make a purchase on http://www.angelaandrieux.com between March 31, 2012 and April 13, 2012. The fundraiser ends at 11:59PM PST on April 13, 2012. There is no special code to enter - 50% of all sales, excluding portrait work, sales tax, and shipping fees, will be donated to CHERUBS.

Thank you for helping me support CHERUBS - research and awareness for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia!