Thursday, August 10, 2017

Heart Moms

We knew McKenzie had a heart condition that is common in babies with Down syndrome but we never imagined it would change our lives forever. Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) affects nearly one of every hundred babies and is the most common cause of infant death. Approximately 25% of children born with a CHD will need heart surgery or other interventions to survive. McKenzie has spent more time in the ICU then she has at home, some days we find it incredibly difficult to leave her bedside and other days we force ourselves to get some food and fresh air. Today, we found ourselves standing in an empty room feeling complete and utter helplessness as they carried our baby away. She was only gone for an hour, but that hour that felt like eternity. 


The doctor who performed her surgery were reassuring, they gave us an app called Ease and made sure to send photos throughout the procedure; this was both a blessing and a curse. We tried to remind ourselves the benefits of this surgery and the risks if she didn’t have it, but it didn’t make it any easier to know your one-month old was having surgery and this would only be the beginning. CHD is a life-long risk of health problems, there is no “cure” even when there are no more procedures, there will always be appointments, scars, risks of issues with growth and eating, developmental delays, difficulty with exercise, heart rhythm problems, heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest or strokes.



As we waited for McKenzie to return from surgery, I realized how incredibly different our lives were becoming and regardless of how much we explain, those around us could never understand. Becoming a heart mom wasn’t something we planned and it certainly has left us raw and exposed with emotions. We have seen things we never imagined, learned things we never knew existed and gained strength we never knew we had.

McKenzie made us heart moms and there is no surgery too big or piece of medical equipment to complex that could ever stop us from being completely proud of how strong our little girl is and how strong she has made us.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Heart Failure

Heart Failure”; two words no mother ever wants to hear. We knew McKenzie would eventually have heart surgery when she was strong enough around four to six months; we also knew we would need to work hard on ensuring she stayed healthy and gained weight in the meantime. Two weeks after she came home she started to sound congested, so I took her to the hospital to be safe. The doctor checked McKenzie and documented all her health conditions, she then turned to me and explained color of her skin, low lungs, and low weight.  I stood by McKenzie’s bedside as the doctor finished explaining her findings, I expected a list of things to do and a check out to follow.

When the doctor turned and said she was sending us back to Orlando because McKenzie was in the beginning stages of heart failure, I felt my heart drop. As Nikki rushed home to pack a bag, McKenzie and I were taken by ambulance to Arnold Palmer. A million things raced through my head during that ride; having a child with a life-threatening condition changes you.

The doctors at Arnold Palmer began giving her a dietetic to flush her lungs. While they explained the processes to come. I couldn’t believe after just two weeks from leaving the last round of being in the ICU that we were back.We expected complications, we expected hospital stays and knew it wouldn’t be easy but having our baby back in the ICU so soon was like a slap in the face.

The stress and exhaustion causes emotional ups and downs. Sleeping in hospital chairs, skipping meals and showers, crying from fear and exhaustion, constantly on the verge of losing our mind. The doctors decided since McKenzie is unable to gain weight due to her heart condition, she will have a tube placed in her stomach until she is roughly a year old. While we know and understand this will help her gain weight and strength; at what point are we supposed to accept that yet another aspect of the life we imagined for her has changed. 

As I sit in another small room cramped with hospital equipment, I listen to the cries of other children, the constant beeping of multiple machines throughout the hall, the constant beeping of machines throughout our daughter’s room. I can’t help but become discourage and disconnected as I watch the doctors and nurses decide what’s best for our daughter; as I sit helplessly asking questions and voicing concerns.

Today, I relived the pain of saying goodbye to my wife as she had to return to work. Today, I relived the pain of feeling torn between wanting to leave with Nikki and not being able to leave our baby. I watched as she walked away with tears in her eyes, I felt my heart in my throat as I continued to talk with nurses and care for McKenzie. Once the room was quiet again, I broke. The truth is; being a mom teaches you strengths you didn’t know you had and fears you didn’t know existed. Being a wife and a mom teaches you there is only one way to get through; keep going.

While we are still in the cardiovascular ICU at Arnold Palmer, McKenzie’s doctors have created a plan to get her where she needs to be. McKenzie continues to be strong and her doctors continue to make moves forward with her health; Nikki and I will continue to survive through what feels like the worst possible time of our lives today and what will be a distant memory of life in the ICU; another day.  









What a year it's been, so far.