9:52am

On May 12, 2008 Max came into this world fighting for his life. Here he is, one year later showing the world that he did it. He won. He beat the odds. He proved to the doctors that didn't believe that he would make it wrong.

May 12, 2008 was the happiest and the scariest day of our lives. At 9:52am, Max entered this world with a faint little squeal of a cry. It wasn't a strong cry, but to us it meant life. A little boy that is the strongest person we know came into this world after everything that he had overcome before he was even born. A little boy came into this world to prove to us that miracles do happen.

It has been a year of miracles, struggles and tears. It has also been a year of smiles, laughs and milestones. It has been the best year of our lives. When Max came into this world, we had know idea how much time we had to spend with him. The doctors didn't think he had a good chance of survival. They prepared us for the worse, but we never gave up hope for the best. He proved to us that miracles do happen. He beat all of the odds. He fought through them and he continues to fight every day. His strength and determination amaze us every day.

Max is our hero. We have never looked up to anyone the way that we look up to him. He is our life, our son. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. He has made us realize what really matters in life. He has made us realize how precious life is. Every breath. Every tear. Every smile. It's the small things that lead up to the big things in life.

Today is a day to not only celebrate Max, but to also celebrate the people that have gotten him this far.

The first group that deserves recognition are the fantastic nurses in the RCNIC. We can't say enough about them. Max spent those first 6 months of his life with the same group of primary nurses. They are Max's adoptive mommies and we will never forget any of them. Thank you ladies for all of your hard work and dedication on getting Max healthy and home to us. Max will know about each and everyone of you. You will always play a big part in his life.

The next group are his doctors. I have never seen so many fantastic doctors in one place before. There are too many doctors to mention in this group so I will focus on his primary ones. First off, is his high risk doctor from the RCNIC. Dr. Cahill NEVER gave up hope on Max. She always told us that he was the cutest baby in the RCNIC. She also told us that he was the toughest. I remember hearing her tell someone, "Max, Max he's our man... if he can't do it no one can!" She is a wonderful, wonderful person and we are so blessed to have her in Max's life. The next one is Dr. Sheldon. This is Max's urologist and future transplant surgeon. He is recognized around the world for his work and we too are blessed to have him taking care of Max. Most importantly though are Max's nephrologists. This group of people work very closely together, so there is a large number of them. Dr. Dixon and Dr. Ben are his primaries though. They deserve the most recognition for the hard work that they put into Max's care. I am sure that Max has caused them several headaches and head scratches. Max likes to give these guys a run for their money, but they never give up on him. I can't say enough about these two. They are fantastic. We're so, so, so lucky to have them. I am going to put the dialysis nurses in this group as well. Sometimes we feel that they are his doctors when his doctors aren't around. They are educated and dedicated to their work. They never show stress although I am sure that Max can stress them out while he is on his dialysis. I don't know what we're going to do without them once he receives his kidney. Lots of visits that's for sure.

The final group is Max's family and friends. They have stood by us every step of the way. Bringing us meals, prayers, support and love. All of you are the most important people in our lives. We wouldn't be where we are today without any of you. We love and cherish all of you very much.

Thank you everyone for helping us get Max to where he is today.

Happy Birthday buddy! We will always be here for you Max. Never forget that. Mommy and Daddy love you very, very much.