Jack's Story: March 2015

Last Stop, the Fontan.

Since it's been almost two years since my last post, I'll give you a quick update. Jack's health overall has been great. He's developing wonderfully! He's very chatty and has an incredible memory. Jack loves playing with tools, cars, and his sisters. He continues to make us laugh and put a smile on our faces. :)

Jack's FINAL open heart surgery is March 17th. I can't even begin to tell you all how wonderful it will feel to be done with surgery.

Jack's doctors have told us that he is a prime candidate for this last stage. His body is certainly ready for it, though at first glance it's hard to notice, he has been getting out of breath when he plays.

This surgery will increase his O2 sats to between 90-95%! That's a big jump from 80%. He shouldn't be blue and he shouldn't get so winded. As we have noted before, our bodies are kind of over-built. Most of us have two pumping ventricles, and all of our circulating blood gets routed through the lungs. His system works differently. He's not pumping all of his blood through his lungs. Currently only the blood from the top half of his body (through the Superior Vena Cava) gets routed to the lungs. This coming surgery, called "The Fontan," will re-route the blood from his lower half (through the Inferior Vena Cava) into the lungs also. So all the de-oxegenated blood will bypass the heart and go to the lungs passively (or through the squeeze put on by the rest of the cardiovascular system.) Jack's surgeon, Dr Devejian, does his Fontan slightly differently than the picture below. He does the conduit within the right side of the heart, but you can get the general idea.

The risks of this surgery are low. However we'll have new challenges this time around, being in the PICU with an active 2 year old will be very different, than with a sleepy baby! We're gearing up with lots of books, toys and movies. Please pray that Jack's heart stays strong and that he recovers quickly. We're also concerned about how his sisters will handle it, Grace is 7 and Claire is almost 6. They love their brother so much. The PICU takes strict precautions for young visitors. We're hoping that they will be able to see him after a few days.

Recently in a study, I came across Psalm 33:20. "Wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and shield."
I was reminded that while we are waiting for anything, even if it's something we wished wasn't coming, that we should be doing so with hope. For with hope, we can look expectantly to see how God will act on our behalf. He knows our needs. So we set our eyes on the only hope that satisfies.

On a different note, Jack is this years Capital District Heart Walk Hero! It's a huge honor. We would love for everyone to join us on Team SuperJack! Here is the link to follow: Team SuperJack.

Here are some pictures to to remind us all how far God has brought us.