In Loving Memory of
Christina Elizabeth "Shorty" Ball
June 26, 1985 - December 10, 2002



The Best

God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
So He put His arms around you
And whispered "Come with me"
With grateful eyes we watched you
We watched you pass away
Although we loved you dearly
We could not make you stay
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands now rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best!
~ Author unknown





These are two beautiful and loving gifts for Angel Christina from my dear friend, Carol, mom to Angel Michael.


This is a short story of my life, Christina E. Ball, aka Shorty


I was born on June 26 1985. When I was born, I was a healthy 8lbs 20oz brown hair, brown eyed girl. When I was 11 months old, I got very sick. They lost me and brought me back to life. I had caught a cold virus that got into my blood stream and deteriorated the right side of my heart to where it was pumping fluids in but not out. So my heart became enlarged with the fluids. They called it "cardiomyopathy" which means enlargement of the heart.
My heart was the size of an adult's heart.


This photo is from June 1986, just before my first birthday and shortly after
my first stay at UCD.






For the next two years, I was in and out of the hospital with congestive heart failure. I was on medication but the meds weren't working any more. I was getting worse. They gave me 6 months to live unless I had a heart transplant.


This is from June 1987, it is my second birthday, and I am still a very sick little girl.


So at 2-1/2 years old, on March 16th 1988, I got my new heart. It was like I was a brand new kid. I had so much energy. I was running up and down
the halls at Stanford Hospital.



In these photos, I am so happy and just enjoying the sunshine, from April 1988.



Here I am dressed up for Easter in 1988, and enjoying my "cootie bugs."


A couple of weeks later, I broke out with chicken pox. My donor must have been exposed to it. But I overcame that and was on my way.







For the next 13 years I was doing great, kept up with the best of them. Growing up with all the body hair from the meds wasn't fun, but I was doing good.








Then my medicine changed. I lost all the body hair that I had and turned into a beautiful young lady. I was very popular and had lots of good friends.


As a rebellious teenager, I thought I didn't need meds. I just wanted to be normal like all my friends. Without my Mom and Grandma knowing, I was skipping doses. Then I had some episodes of rejection, but I overcame all of that. I was tough, I would get sick and then bounce right back.





Then when I was 17, I got coronary artery disease. I went and had shunts put into my arteries to keep them from clogging. The doctors forget to give me Plavix to keep my blood flowing through the artery. About a week later, I had a heart attack. I wasn't getting enough blood flow to my heart. The heart attack damaged my heart severely. I was bad. They flew me to Stanford
where I remained for the rest of my days.


During that time, I was put on the list for another transplant. I was scared but anxious at the same time. My family never left me alone, there was always somebody with me. My boyfriend Cory was very supportive and stayed
by my side for that 4 months.




Things in my body started shutting down. My kidneys stopped working, and I ended up on dialysis 24 hours a day. Each day that passed I just got worse and worse. Then on December 10, 2002, my little heart beat its last beat
at 5:10 p.m. God needed a new Angel,
and he chose me -- Christina Elizabeth Ball, aka Shorty.




CHRISTINA BALL
Dedicated to Cinda and Charla

When Christina was two she got something new,
A heart to keep her still living,
More time on this earth she was given,
A gift no doubt, But not without
Anger she felt inside,
She obviously couldn't hide.
She didn't want to die!
A fiesty little thing that Shorty
So scared inside she would never turn forty.
Christina was loved so much,
So many lives she had touched.
I remember how she loved to go skating,
And how she couldn't wait to start dating!
You could hardly keep her at home.
And when she was, she was on the phone,
Christina lived her life to the fullest,
Some may say she lived life foolish.
Christina loves her family and friends,
Now they wonder why did her life here end.
But I have learned along my way
Her life did not end that December day!
She still lives on, just not the same
Her face you may not see anymore
And she'll never be here like she was before.
But her conscious mind still lives on!
Even though you may think she is gone!
Christina will always be there for you,
Only her body has left as someday yours will too!
By saying her name, we keep her alive
The love that she shared will never die!
Written by Donna Cox







Thank you to my wonderful friend, Rosemary, for all your help
with some of the photos for Christina's page. And thank you also to my dear friends,
Joyce, and Sheri for creating many of the name tags for Christina's page.





Dear Cinda

I would love to share this poem with you that my ANGEL wrote...


CORE

Softness of the skin
Sweetness in the smell
Nectar of the fruit
Tender in the heart
Dancing in the eyes
Uplifting in the smile
Tickle of the touch
Joining in the love

Truth in the speech
Love in the laughter
Primal in the scream
Soft in the whisper
Quick in the mind
Fair in the sentence
Brave in the confrontation
Joining in the love

Graceful in the sleep
Careful in the search
Deep in the sorrow
Strength in the sickness
Giving of thy self
Rich in the health
Kind in the giving
Joining in the love

Written By Lee Henry Aguilera~~~Sue-Anne's ANGEL





In Loving Memory of Lee Henry Aguilera


"Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your sweet angel Christina, a beautiful and precious child. Today would have been her nineteenth birthday and we celebrate the life that she lived. I know how deeply you miss her and how your heart longs for her. May God always be with you and one day when you are with Christina again, He will dry all of our tears.

I am so honored to present you with my Heaven's Gate Award because of the beauty of her new website and how much Christina suffered. I know that God and all His angels were waiting to welcome her home. God bless you. My Love To You."


Dear Christina's mom,
I am so deeply sorry for the loss of your precious daughter Christina. I know there are just no words to bring any comfort but please accept my small gift to honor her. I lost my daughter Laura also in October 2002. she was just about to be 34 years old, exactly twice Christina's age. God bless you and keep you always.




@Marianne's Christian Clipart & Images




A friend can hear a tear drop.




This webpage is created

In Loving Memory of Christina Elizabeth Ball
on January 29, 2004
Last updated: July 2, 2009
© 2000 - 2009







Maria's Tribute to Christopher



Jesus Wept


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