Heart Cath Update

It’s been quite a week for our little heart warrior. After a fun Patriots-themed birthday celebration,

it was time to shift our attention to one of the last big steps toward surgery, his heart cath. After 4 time changes (!) Andrew, John and I left our house around 5am and headed to UVA for a 6:30am check in. It was an early morning but it was worth it as they took him right back. Also, he needed to fast after midnight and this early time made that part easy.

Overall, everything went really well. The doctors were happy with everything they saw. There were no surprises, no intervention was needed and we have no reason to think we can’t go forward with the Fontan surgery on June 13. He also needed to lie still on his back for 4 hours and he did! We saw many answered prayers today!

We also got a taste of how hard the actual surgery is going to be for him. He really struggles with sticky things on his sensitive skin so the EKG leads really upset him. He hated to see anything coming out of his skin, like an IV in his hand, and not having his own clothes on. Unfortunately, it’s going to be much worse after surgery. We met with a Child Life Specialist and she’s working with us to try to prepare him as best we can in this upcoming month. She also gave us some ideas for working through hard emotions with Katie and Ben.

One thing we can always count on to cheer up our John is matchbox cars 🙂

We are so thankful for this guy and for our dear family and friends who are sustaining us through encouragement and prayer.

Five

No, that’s not the number of years it’s been since we last updated this blog. It’s only been a little over 2 years 🙂  Life is full, and praise the Lord, we haven’t had much to update everyone on, until now.

 

Today, John Wyatt turned five. When he woke Andrew and me up for the 4th time last night around 3am (he was too excited about his birthday), and I couldn’t go back to sleep, I got to thinking about how much sweeter life is with John in it. I struggle to express the joy, humor, and light he brings to our family, and to this world. That sweet, sweet face you see above? It’s matched by a tender, generous, and compassionate heart. When we asked where he wanted to go for his birthday dinner, his first question was, “Where can you eat, mommy?” When anyone gets hurt, he’s the first to run and comfort. He was born with a incomplete physical heart but there sure isn’t anything wrong with his ability to love and care for others.

Over the past few years he’s also developed a real love of sports, particularly watching JMU and Patriots football.

He also still adores Katie (now 9) and Ben (now 7).

And he’s a complete goofball 🙂

There are statistics out there about the 5 year life expectancy rate for kids with John’s conditions. I am praising God so much today, and every day, that He’s chosen to show his kindness through giving John a strong mind, a strong body, and a delightful spirit. He has not had one.single.hospital.stay besides his two heart surgeries. That is unheard of in kids with complex heart conditions. Besides a visit to the cardiologist every 6 months (and careful monitoring of his o2 levels), John lives a normal life. So many prayers have been answered through this little boy’s life.

It’s finally time to have his third and final surgery, currently scheduled for June 13. This is not a cure, but the last of the planned procedures for kids with HLHS. I’ll update more on that later, but first, we’d love your prayers for his cardiac cath, happening next Tuesday, May 7 at 11:30am. Please pray specifically for

-patience as we wait to be taken back. He’ll need to be fasting and I know he’s not going to be happy.

-no complications going under or waking up from the anesthesia

-no surprises, good heart pressure numbers, and no need for intervention

Thanks for continuing to walk with us as we cheer on our beloved 5 year old.