Prayers needed!

Many prayers are needed in the heart community right now. I share this with all of you since you have prayed for Colin, now some of his friends need help. Also I write this to show you how hard HLHS can be. We so far (and I mean so far because things can always change), but so far, Colin has had it pretty easy. I know this will NOT always be the case, and we too will have more challenging times ahead. But right now mothers I have become friends with through blogs and facebook groups need extra prayers sent their way.

We will start with dear sweet Wyatt. He is 6 months old with HLHS and just had his Stage 2 (Glenn) surgery. He had his Stage 1 in July and had some complications due to a gene mutation called MTHFR, which cause him to have lots of blood clots. But he got better after his Stage 1 and was able to go home in August. He has spent many months at home being a very happy healthy baby. His parents love him so much and are so proud of him. Then came time for Stage 2 and he has had more complications. This weekend he was not getting blood flow to his left lung, so they had to reopen him and put in a stent to open it back up. Then yesterday his oxygen and blood pressures were too low, then he coded..his heart stopped. They were able to do compressions and get it beating on it's own again. He is currently on a heart and lung bypass machine giving his body sometime to rest and rebuild strength. I "met" Wyatt's mom when she was 30 weeks pregnant with him. I have followed him for 8 months and have a great opportunity to make friends with his mom and watch him grow into a happy 6 month old that loves his Green Bay football. I love his squishy cheeks and his smiles. It is so hard to see this family going through this right now, it breaks my heart. I know Wyatt is strong and will pull through this. You can following more on his story through his caringbride page… http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/wyattgreeno. Just after typing all this, I checked his carepage again and found.. "I will say that things are really bad right now and Wyatt probably will not make it through this. He fought very hard but there aren't many more options." Please pray for a miracle for this family!

Next is Hope, she is 16 months with HLHS. Hope's story is truly one of a miracle, but she needs more prayers for her miracle to keep going. At Hope's last check up, her heart function was great, but she has recently been diagnosed with kidney dsyplasia in both of her kidneys. In kidney dysplasia, the internal structures of one or both of the baby’s kidneys do not develop normally. Fluid-filled sacs called cysts replace normal kidney tissue. Kidney dysplasia usually happens in only one kidney. A baby with one working kidney can grow normally and has few, if any, health problems. Babies with kidney dysplasia affecting both kidneys generally do not survive pregnancy, and those who do survive need dialysis and kidney transplant very early in life. Hope's mom knows that there is now a change of kidney transplant along with Hope still needs the Stage 3 of the HLHS surgeries. Hope is a beautiful little girl who brings the true meaning to her name. I also met her mother through her blog, http://wodzisz.blogspot.com/, and have become friends over the past year. Her mom is an amazing woman and mother. My heart goes out to them and I wish for them that Hope's kidneys will not be much of an issue.

Aly Jean will be 2 on Katherine's birthday (June 30th). They are preparing next month to have her 3rd Stage surgery (Fontan). The hospital Aly goes to prefers for the Fontan to be done around 18-24 months..as ours like to do it around 3-5 years. Neither one is better, just different schools of thought. Aly is an amazing little girl, she reminds me a lot of Colin. She is a fighter, one tough cookie, and I know she will do great with her surgery. I met her mom thought heir blog, http://www.alyjeansspecialheart.com/, over a year ago. She has been there to ask questions to, to share hope and fears over our children, to laugh about silly things we have to go to, and to help pray and reach out to others. Jenny is a great friend and a strong person. I pray that Aly's surgery and recovery go well and she is back home really soon afterwards. I pray for her family of having to hand over your toddler to the surgeons, for that is a very scary thought. I know it will be hard BUT Aly has a GREAT family and they will make it through this.

On some great news, Nadine and her husband gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Leyna on January 18. Leyna's big sister is Hailey, an HLHS angel. Hailey passed away on December 2, 2009 at the age of 4.5 months old. I hold a very special place in my heart for Hailey, I think of her often. She reminds me how precious life is and it can never be taken for granted. I watched Nadine and Josh lose their precious daughter, but they have never stopped fighting for her. They are amazing parents and I am so happy for them and their new addition. Leyna has a great gaurdian angel watching over her.

Please pray for Wyatt, Hope, and Aly! These families mean so much to me.