Every Heart Has a Story

http://whenlifehandsyouabrokenheart.blogspot.com


...and this is Drew's:

On May 30, 2008, my son was born. We named him Andrew (Drew) and we were over the moon in love with him. On June 1, 2008, we went home as a family of 3...with a seemingly healthy newborn. Little did we know the twists and turns our life would soon take.

Drew had been a champion nurser until Day 4 of life...when he just stopped eating. Getting him to latch on and suckle was a full time job, and keeping him awake to eat was a second full time job. It took both of us to get him to feed...and it was a losing battle. He was losing weight at an alarming rate and we soon had no choice but to supplement. The first week of feedings with the bottle were also torturous...it still took two of us, we often had to strip him down and put a cold washcloth on him. I felt like every feeding was a nightmare for him...and us. But, eventually, he started to eat and put on weight. We thought the worse was over. How wrong we were.

At his one month well baby check up, the Ped heard a murmur..."nothing to be worried about," she said, "but let's get him in as soon as possible to get it checked out." When I couldn't get him in for 4-5 weeks, she got him in to see the Cardiologist in 4 days. Again, I asked, "should I be worried?" She assured me I should not. When Drew's Cardiologist walked into the room, after reviewing his EKG and Echocardiogram, the air shifted. Call it Mommy instincts, I just knew something was wrong with my baby. After about 15 minutes, she let us in on what was going on with Drew....he has Pulmonary Stenosis and an Atrial Septal Defect. Through my tears and panic, I tried to understand what this meant. Something was wrong with my baby's HEART?! How can this be?! I did "everything right" when I was pregnant, why is this happening??? What did I do to cause this??? My mind was racing. She assured me that this had nothing to do with me, that it "just happens" and they don't know why. She asked us to come back in one month for a follow up...and told Bill to come with me, just in case.

So, one month later, there we were. Hopeful and praying for a miracle. But none was to be had. Drew's PS had gotten worse and she was going to present him to the cardiac conference the next day to see if now was the time to intervene. Tuesday passed by soooo slowly, as I waited for word...I would wait until Wednesday morning. All the surgeons and interventional cardiologists agreed that it would be best to wait and allow his body time to grow. He was only 12 weeks old and they didn't want to do anything at that age that they weren't 100% sure of. So, we waited 4 looooong months...to find out it had gotten even worse, and that the valvuloplasty would most likely NOT mend his broken heart.

In February, 2009, Drew underwent the valvuloplasty in a last ditch effort to stave off open heart surgery...it didn't work. So, on March 27, 2009, surgery was performed. We had a couple of minor setbacks following surgery, but overall, Drew came through it all with flying colors. We are blessed...we know not every family or warrior fares as well. He still has mild stenosis, probably always will, but as long as it does not get worse, he should never have to undergo another procedure. There is talk of Noonan Syndrome, but we have not gone through with more testing at this point. We don't know if the new baby I am carrying has any of these issues, but chances are, he or she doesn't. Drew has taught us to never take one day for granted, or to take our health for granted. He has taught us true strength and what it means to fight for something important. He is an amazing, silly, adorable, special little man...and I am so fortunate to be his Mommy.