9 Years Later

It is difficult to comprehend how quickly time has slipped by.  Solomon would have been 9 years old today.  We will never know what life would have brought had things turned out differently, but we do know what has happened.

We are blessed to have 3 daughters that bring heaps of joy into our family.  Two of which were born after Solomon.  (Had the medical issues been persistent and prolonged I don't know if they would be with us.)  We all continue to pray and speak of our "Anchor" in heaven that is gives us peace and motivation.  We believe that we are wiser, more compassionate, and patient that we would have been due to our experiences.  As we were forced to view life with a longer perspective, we have a better understanding of what is small potatoes and what needs real attention.  We have received blessings alongside the difficulties.

Maybe it is stereotypical and un PC, but I will continue to miss the potential of football jerseys, teaching chivalry, broken arms and stitches, snakes, spiders, breaking in a baseball glove, ice cream after priesthood meetings, father and sons camp-outs, and other typical manly pursuits that may have been.  All of these have been traded for a better knowledge of ponytails and my little pony, pink and purple, reading, painting, singing, music, dancing, sweet notes on my pillow, setting an example of future husbands by how I treat their mother, cupcakes, emotions, playing the protector role, and many more womanly pursuits.

Who knows how it would have been...  But what I do have is amazing, I am a blessed man.  We miss you Solomon and look forward to being with you again one day.

As is our tradition, we invite you to do anonymous service each day for the next 18 days, in memory of Solomon's short tenure with us.  If you are so inclined you are welcome to let us know what service you have rendered by commenting anonymously below.  We enjoy seeing the love spread!

Our only Son

So many times we're asked the question, "How many kids do you have?" Should be a simple enough question, but I haven't found it to be. I usually say 3. But then I feel dishonest.  Saying 4, when there are clearly not 4 with me, may involve spilling my guts to complete strangers more than I like. It sometimes results in tears. However, in every way our only son is part of our family. Solomon is always in our thoughts, the girls never forget him, and who we are today is largely due to the effects of his life.

There are several things I learned through our experience 8 years ago, which continue to affect me today.  One is that it's a precious gift to have life distilled down to only the most important things. I don't know how to explain it, but for months we never forgot to pray, loved our little daughter more, spoke softer to each other, didn't spend any time shopping or surfing online.  Soon enough the normal distractions of life crept back in, but that was sacred time.

I also learned that it doesn't matter if you feel awkward or don't know what to say... People who cared just showed up. Through flowers, cards, food, and even memorial trees we felt the love of so many people. I try to remember that today when I feel unsure of whether to show up or give someone their privacy. Don't stay long, but do show up.

So, this month, as we do every year, we will try to "show up" somehow, somewhere, every single day of Solomon's life, from November 12 to the 30th. It helps us remember, it helps us say thank you, and hopefully it helps someone feel loved. We'd love to have others join us and comment anonymously on what you were able to do for someone else. In memory of our only son.

Time passes so quickly

The years seem to pass so quickly...  It is hard to believe that seven years ago today we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son Solomon, and anxiously in more than one sense.  We knew a few months prior to his birth that he had a serious congenital heart defect that would require major medical intervention if he were to survive past a few days.  We were excited to have a new little baby with us, and scared not knowing what the future held.

If there was ever a time where we felt we were stepping out into the darkness only to have that step illuminated as our foot fell, it was this time.  What else could we do, though we consciously or subconsciously tried to give the responsibility to choose to others, no one else would make the decisions for us.  So we picked our way as best we could relying on each other and the promptings from the Lord.

I think about how different our family life would be with a 7 year old boy running around the house competing/playing/teasing/protecting his three sisters.  There may not be as much pink as there is now...  after a while pink starts to grow on you.  We could focus on what we may have missed out on, or we can focus on what the experience has given us.  We appreciate the chance that this blessing/challenge has given our family to learn to pull together, serve one another, keep things in priority, treat others with kindness, and rely upon our faith.

Over the years we have invited anyone interested to join with us as we perform an anonymous work of service each day from the 12th to the 30th of November, the days Solomon was with us.  We have found it to be a tradition that helps us to honor his short life and allow his life to continue to bless and change ours.  We hope that you strengthen your relationships with others as you serve them.  We would love to hear the items of service you perform, anonymously of course, by posting comments on this blog post.

A Season of Service

On what would have been Solomon's 6th birthday, we look back with some sadness but mostly gladness for the lessons we have learned, experience gained, and friendships developed.  We sincerely appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, letters, notes, and gifts that have been sent our way from family and friends!

We have had a few opportunities in the past few months to go back to the hospital where Solomon was born, due to the exciting fact that we are now expecting a new little baby girl!  She will be headed our way in early April.  It has given me some mixed emotions to be excited for the new arrival and to ponder our time there 6 years ago...  Six years passes very quickly.

It has become our tradition to do an anonymous act of service each day from the 12th to the 30th of November in remembrance of the 18 days that our little boy was with us.  Please join us in this tradition and if you would like, let us know what kind of service you gave in the comments below.  We would love to see what is being done to help others as we continue Solomon's legacy.

On Your Birthday

Our sweet Solomon was born five years ago, today. As time goes by, more quickly it seems, I want to record some of the things we learned from this experience. I wrote in my journal at the time of Solomon's death that I was not afraid of what this would do to our family, but more so that it wouldn't change us, that we wouldn't be different.

I can't say we're perfect at living these things, but here are some bits we learned through experience.

God has a plan for you and your family.

A miracle is not always being healed.

Healthy children are a glorious miracle.

Having loved ones in heaven helps us look forward to being there.

A body is a very important thing.

Watching your children learn and grow is an incredible blessing.

Be kind to those around you, you don't know what they're going through.

Those who bear one another's burdens are angels on earth.

For the next 18 days, we will try to bear another's burden as others have done for us. To be kind, patient, and helpful to those around us. The best way we can celebrate Solomon's life is to let it change and refine us. We'd love for you to join us and leave anonymous comments on your efforts or service.

Service for Solomon

We look forward to this time of year to celebrate the way we've been forever changed because of our beautiful son. Four years have gone by and hopefully we've grown more kind, empathetic and charitable toward others. You really never know what the people around you are dealing with.

So, for the next 18 days we plan to reach out even more in providing simple acts of service wherever we can. Feel free to join us and leave your anonymous comments.

Our Treasure

"We can only by said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." Thornton Wilder

I saw this quote today and thought it was a perfect remembrance on Solomon's 3rd birthday. Solomon's presence in our family has indeed made us more alive in many ways. We're grateful for this opportunity to remember the many ways he touches us and our family and friends.

You're welcome to join us in celebrating the 18 special days of his life with daily acts of kindness. Feel free to comment on your experiences, we love to read them. We hope you will also be more "conscious of your treasures" through this experience.

Something to Celebrate

We want to thank you all for celebrating with us this past month. It has been so touching to read all the acts of kindness and service rendered each day. We've been reminded how blessed we are. In addition to celebrating the life of our sweet Solomon, we also celebrate the friendships and family relationships that continue to strengthen us. This new tradition gives us something to look forward to each November. Thank you.

18 Special Days

It's Solomon's birthday tomorrow. Can't believe it's been two years since our little angel boy was born. We'd like to celebrate the impact he's had on our family by marking his 18 days of life with special acts of kindness and service. We were so touched by the acts of kindness, large and small, shown to us through this whole experience. Now is our opportunity to do that for others. Please feel free to join us. You can post an anonymous comment to let us know what you're doing.

In Honor of You

For Solomon's 1st Birthday, we would like to celebrate the change he caused in our lives and our hearts. For the next 18 days, we plan to do some service each day. If any of you would like to join us, you can send a comment to this post with a generic description of the service you rendered for the day (anonymous if you wish). Changing ourselves and the world around us by being more kind and compassionate is the best gift we could think of to give our precious Solomon.

More to come...

Once things settle down a bit, we will post many more pictures and post talks from the funeral, medical items when we receive them, and other thoughts along the way.

Thanks for taking this journey with us and for all your support.

One Step Ahead

Our beloved Solomon went ahead to a heavenly home on Wednesday, November 30, 2005. We take great comfort in the knowledge that he had many talented doctors with him at the time that did everything that could have been done for him. We are grateful for the 18 days we had to hold and love Solomon and for the imprint he made on our hearts and lives.

There will be a viewing held Monday, December 5 at the LDS church at 1721 Red Cloud Road in Longmont from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with a graveside service following that at the Mountain View Cemetery.

Stenting the Ductus

Yesterday, the Cardiologists noticed a blood clot at the end of Solomon's PIC line that showed up in an echocardiogram. They were concerned for a bit that it might be clotting in the vein by his jugular. Further ultrasound did not show any clotting in that vein. However, they put an IV in his foot to give him the prostaglandin while they flushed out the PIC line with an anticoagulant called heparin.
They have also noticed some narrowing of the ductus, so they have decided to go ahead with the stent implantation in the ductus. This will allow him to come off the prostaglandin and keep the ductus open to ensure adequate blood flow to his body. The stent implantation is a relatively simple procedure that can be done in the catheter Lab. We are hoping Solomon will feel better once he is off the prostaglandin and it's accompanying side effects. He will still be on the nitrogen while we wait for the blood vessels to constrict enough to balance his blood flow between his body and lungs. When that happens we can begin looking at having him come home to await a heart transplant. We appreciate all of your prayers tomorrow for the stent procedure to go smoothly.

Two Weeks Old

Solomon is doing well with the Neocate, so they are steadily increasing him to about 42 ml. He is learning how to drink it from a bottle, so he can be less dependent on the feeding tube. He weighs about 6 lbs. 9 oz. and is slowly gaining. The cardiologist has increased his dose of prostaglandin to keep the ductus open and make sure enough blood is getting to the lower half of his body. They check the pulses in his feet and the blood pressure in his arms and legs a couple times a day to see how he is doing. The higher dose of prostaglandin makes him a bit warmer than normal and also lowers his oxygen saturation. So, they have increased the amount of oxygen he is breathing from 16 to 17%. In general, he is pretty sleepy most of the time. But, he is peaceful and we enjoy holding him and feeding him when we can. Dad is much better at the feedings because he gets too cozy with me and just falls asleep. The nurses gave me a small cloth to wear and then when we leave the hospital each night I lay it in the crib with Solomon, so he can have my smell with him while we're gone. If that helps him to feel comfortable, we're happy to do it!

Neocate

Because of Solomon's little GI problem a few days ago he has now been started on Neocate an easily digested formula. It is typically for those with allergies to milk. They just want to remove the possibility that he is reacting to milk while getting his weight up. They started him out on 9ml or about 1/6th of an oz every 3 hours and they have been steadily increasing it every other feeding.

He is doing well and is sleeping a lot. We enjoy going to hold him to hear the squeaks, and cries, to see the stretching and occasionally his eyes. All of the nurses have commented on his long fingers and toes, and say that he is quite handsome. He gets the long fingers from his mom, and I'll be humble about where he gets the handsome from. =)

Giving Thanks

We have had a lot of time to think about what we are thankful for.

We are thankful for Solomon coming into our family. It is a different way to have a newborn but we enjoy tremendously the time we get to spend with him.

We are thankful for Eleanor and the maturity she is showing through all this, and that she is healthy.

I'm am thankful for my courageous wife. She has show such strength and faith during this time. I am grateful that she has recovered quickly from childbirth. She is a wonderful blessing in my life. I am a much better man because of her influence and love for me.

We are thankful for Grandparents who are able to help watch our daughter while we are at the hospital. They are helping the home run smoothly while we are not able to devote our attentions to meals, cleaning, answering phones, etc...

We are thankful for all of our family and friends, many of whom read this blog. For their prayers, fasting, and concern for us.

We are thankful for cardiologists, maternal fetal OBs, neonatologists, dietitians, respiratory therapists, nurse practioners, nurses, nurses aids, student nurses, pharmacists, social workers, transplant coordinators, janitors, and medical researchers. We are thankful for the makers of syringes, feeding tubes, IV pumps, breast pumps, heart monitors, formulas, prostaglandin, caffeine, diuretics, nitrogen, heprin, TPN, and a whole host of other things.

We are thankful for good roads to get us to the hospital, and freedom to use those roads. We are thankful for the engineering that went into our cars to let us go 30 miles in 30 minutes instead of 20 miles in a day by ox drawn carts. I'm thankful for the RFID parking pass we have at the hospital so we don't have to go get a card validated each time we park.

We are thankful for turkeys, potatoes, stuffing, carrots, bread, pie and ice cream. We are blessed to have such an abundance.

I am thankful for my education, job and resulting insurance. I am grateful to be able to provide for our necessities.

This post could and should go on forever but I would like to end it by saying we are most thankful for our faith in Christ and the promised blessings given to us by covenant. We believe that families can be together for ever and that marriage isn't till death do you part. When you look at this life with its ups and downs it can all be boiled down to the question "Did you do what was right and live to your covenants?"

Solomon, Eleanor, my Wife, Grandparents, doctors, nurses, medical equipment, roads, cars, food, homes, jobs, insurance, and everything else can be taken from us as quickly as it was given. The most important thing to do is keep your faith in Christ and have hope in the resulting blessings of his atonement. Do what is right and let the consequence follow.

Feel free to comment below on what you are thankful for.

Gavage Tube

Solomon has a Gavage tube inserted into his nose and down into his stomach. This tube can be used for feeding when he doesn't get enough the normal way. This is the thin yellow line that you can see in some of the pictures below. The doctors want to get his weight up as quickly as possible so he can be ready for a heart transplant. They have enhanced mom's milk to add 2 or 4 calories per oz of milk, not much but I guess every little bit helps.

Yesterday morning Solomon passed a bit of blood, not much, but the doctors decided to stop him from eating via breast, bottle, or tube to rest his GI tract. They have put the IV back in to make sure he is hydrated and is getting the nutrients he needs. They have sent all the following diapers to be analyzed and they have found nothing wrong. Also scans and xrays show that everything is ok. So he may go back to milk in the next day or so.

Solomon continues to do well and is stable. You know you are important when they weigh and lab test each of your diapers!

New Pictures

In case you didn't see them there are new pictures in the posts below...

Solomon's Name

When we found out that we were expecting a boy, Gavin and I began looking for good boy names. We established some criteria when choosing Eleanor's name, so we wanted to stick with that as much as possible. First of all, Gavin has always wanted our kids to be named after kings or queens, so they would be our little princes or princesses. And second, I would like their name to be in a song so we could sing that to them.
After receiving the news of Solomon's heart defect, we spent a considerable amount of time in the scriptures looking for wisdom in how to deal with this situation and what path to choose for our baby's future. Searching the Topical Guide for "wisdom" naturally led us to King Solomon (1st criteria) and this scripture:
1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. Our wish for Solomon is that God will bless him with "largeness of heart." The answer to our 2nd criteria was also found in the same chapter verse 32 "And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five." So, although we might need to be a little creative to sing those songs to him, we felt good about the meaning behind this name. And after rejecting all of our other proposed names, this is the first name Eleanor accepted.
Solomon's middle name is Reed, which is the same as his dad, grandfather, and great grandfather.

One Week Old

At one week old Solomon is doing well. They have given him a little feeding tube in his nose and now that they can make sure he is getting enough food either through the bottle or tube, he got to have his IV taken out. It has been in his head, so it is a lot easier to hold him withough those lines getting in the way.
Today we got to help give Solomon a bath (only his 2nd so far). Eleanor came to the hospital to visit, so she helped explain the bath concept to him. Maybe that helped because he calmed down quickly and enjoyed getting his hair washed. He also got to get dressed for the first time, which is a little tricky with the PIC line in his arm. He looked like quite the handsome baby tonight.



Although he is starting to gain some weight back, he is still below his birthweight of 7lbs. 2oz. Currently he weighs 6lbs. 8 oz. In an effort to beef him up a little, they are beginning to fortify his breastmilk with an extra 2 calories per ounce. Guess a little goes a long way. We would like him to be as big and strong as possible before going through the transplant operation. His size will also help him to be able to receive a heart from a larger pool of donors since they can list him for up to 3 times his weight. So, currently he could accept a heart from a donor who weighs up to about 20 lbs.

Tender Mercies

I had heard from my father that there was another family there that went to the same university I went to and their child was also in the NICU. So I kept my eye out for them, and yesterday I saw him wearing a university logo on his shirt. I debated on if I should go over as I didn't want to disturb their privacy or invade their space. But I felt I should so I went over and said it was sad to see another family from my alma matter here in the hospital. He was a bit surprised and we chatted for only a few seconds because their nurse came to speak with them.

20mins later he comes over to us and was wondering if the book my dad was reading in the waiting room was a set of scriptures, and if we were LDS. I said we were, then he asked if I could help give his child a blessing because his boy had taken a turn for the worse last night and his father wasn't around that day to help. I said I would be glad to and learned that his baby boy and I share the same name. The blessing was given, we talked about each others situations and shared our hope and faith for our families.

It is fun to see tender mercies given in times of trial.

Officially Listed

Solomon has been officially put on the transplant list. There are a lot of tests and evaluations that needed to be done to get listed. He had a brain scan to make sure all the brain structures are there. He had a renal, kidney, scan to assure that his kidneys were strong. Some of the drugs he will be on will not be to nice to the kidneys so they need to be in good working order. Mom and Dad had to go through a psychological/social evaluation with the social services group, and Mom had to get some blood tests done. All the tests and evaluations turned out great!

I'd like to relate one cool story that came up during the psych/social evaluation. They asked us questions on our ages, addresses, schooling, financial situation, how we deal with conflict, stress, and uncertainty. At one point the social worker began to ask if we understood that "He may be in the hospital for awhile" "He will go through surgery" "He will have good days and bad." She was dancing around the idea that he might die. So I said we also understand that he may die. She hesitated slightly and said "well you may have an intellectual understanding but it may very difficult to deal with if it were to happen." I told her that I understood that but that we have a longer view on this life.

I told the social worker that we believe that families can be together forever and this child will be ours even after this life. She said, "that's interesting I'm intrigued, tell me more about that." So I explained that when the pastor marries you it is "till death do ye part" but we believe that if you can get married for "time and all eternity." Our family will be together regardless of what happens to this you boy.

She nearly began to cry and said that was wonderful. After a moment she continued the evaluation and at the end she asked if we had any questions for her. We said we didn't, and I asked her if she had any questions for us concerning our faith. We talked about it a bit more and found out she has seen the temple with the angel on top, and her sister in law is a member, and that sister in law's uncle conducts the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

We will see her often during the next few months and I look forward to sharing our hope and faith with her. I guess she approved because Solomon got officially listed!

PIC Line

I got a call at 1:45am from the hospital letting us know that Solomon's Percutaneous Intravenous Catheter or PIC line needed to be moved from his left arm to his right. This PIC line is what is delivering the prostoglandin to his heart.

It is a surprise to get a call that early, especially if the caller id says it is from the hospital. The first thing the doctors or nurses say when they get on the line is "Everything is ok, we just wanted to let you know..." I am glad that they have doctors available at 2:00am to take care of Solomon.

Stability

Solomon has been taken off the bili lights, because his bilirubin levels are ok now. The lower prostaglandin levels with the caffeine has helped with his apnic spells. His oxygen saturation level is pretty stable between 65 and 75, where they want it, when he is breathing 17% oxygen. He seems to be doing well and is pretty stable. We would love for him to be eating more and gaining weight. HLHS kids aren't usually big eaters.

We are grateful for everyone prayers and love for our family!

Bili Lights

Bili Lights, or phototherapy, is used to help with jaundice. Solomon had a mild case like many babies so he was put under the lights and was given a diuretic to help him get his bilirubin levels down. The diuretic also helps regulate his liquids so we avoid other problems.


"Phototherapy is performed on infants who have elevated levels of bilirubin in the blood. Blue fluorescent lamps generate specific wavelengths of light that help break down bilirubin into nontoxic water-soluble components that can then be excreted."

Prostaglandin E1

Prostaglandins are a group of chemicals that do a lot of things. Prostaglandin E1 is being used in our case to keep the ductus open in Solomon's heart.
Prostaglandin has a few side effects. One is it may cause apnic events, quits breathing. So there have been a few times where Solomon has got so comfortable that he forgets to breath for a while, his O2 levels drop, and his heart starts to struggle. Keep in mind he is already a bit low in the oxygen department because of the nitrogen. These have all been very short but isn't something they like to happen. They are dropping his prostaglandin a bit and they have proscribed caffeine to stimulate his breathing and heart. I think he prefers Dr. Pepper over Coke or Pepsi. =)

Well see how it goes and if he stabilizes a bit.

Total Parenteral Nutrition

Total Parenteral Nutrition, or TPN is food given via IV. Because Solomon is a bit of a snacker when it comes to eating he is also getting TPN to make sure he is getting enough calories. This is common and is reassuring if he only takes a quarter ounce of food or so.

Pictures

The Thinker

He is given some nitrogen via nasal cannula to make the air he is breathing about 17% oxygen. Normal air is 28% or so. This lower amount of oxygen constricts the blood vessels in the lungs and sends more blood to the body via the ductus. He also has an IV into his head where he gets some food and other medications as needed.

Eleanor meeting her baby brother for the first time. She had to wait a few days because of some strict visitation rules, we are all for the rules as they keep all these precious kids safer. If you look at his left arm you may be able to make out a special PIC line that is inserted into the arm and goes near the heart, this delivers the prostaglandin keeping the ductus open.

Little toes curling around one of the many lines that monitor and medicate Solomon.

Momma with baby after everyone has been cleaned up a bit.

The Birth

We planned to induce on November 16 because Solomon would need a lot of extra care and Eleanor, our daughter, would need to be looked after so we could be in the hospital. That was 7 days earlier than the due date. We figured that if we could plan the birthdate we could add some structure to the upcoming unknown. Well, Solomon had some ideas of his own and decided to come 12 days early on November 12. I woke up to my wife tapping me on the back saying, "Its time to go" at 1:30am or so. So, I called our friends to care for Eleanor at 1:46am. I know it was early, they were very kind. Becky received a priesthood blessing promising a healthy and strong body during the birth. (The birth of our first child wasn't kind to my dear sweetheart and she took a long time to recover)

Traffic was very cooperative at 2:30am and an hour drive at rush hour took only 25mins. We arrived at the hospital, and my wife settled into the hospital bed waiting for the epidural. The nurses were great and the drugs were even better! Solomon came after 15 hours of labor, but only 30mins of intense pushing, Eleanor... 3 hours of pushing...

He was born at 2:39pm, weighed 7lb 2oz, and was 19.5in long. There were about 9 doctors and nurses in the room when he was born, I can't wait to see the bill on that one. =) Solomon was quickly cleaned up and checked out in the room. Mom got to hold him for about 90 seconds and then I got to carry him off to the NICU.

He was immediately started on prostaglandin to keep the ductus (connects the aorta to the pulmonary artery when a baby is in the womb) open. In normal kids it should close to get the blood to go in the right direction. Solomon doesn't have the half of the heart that pumps blood to the body (red side in picture below) so we need the ductus open to get blood the body.

Meanwhile back in the birthing room, Mom was getting cared for and began to recover. Again, the first birth didn't go so well and she lost a lot of blood. This time she had rosy cheeks and was up and around that night. She continues to do very well and lost only a fraction as much blood as the first time around.

I am grateful for the promised blessings that my sweetheart recovered quickly and had much less pain. It is amazing what our great wives go through to bring life into this world. They deserve our respect and reverence.

Preparedness

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"D&C 38:30

It was very difficult to learn of Solomon's condition, but it was a blessing to learn of it so early on. We had some time to take stock of our lives and shore up our preparations. Some areas we were well prepared some others we had some work to do.

We have heard this many times: "Stay out of debt" and "Have a little put away for a rainy day." We are blessed by living within this counsel.

We have been told to "get as much education as you can." Because of our education we were able to secure good jobs with good insurance and help us be financially prepared. We also are blessed to be able to reason, analyze, and organize information to make decisions.

The scriptures tell us to attend church and to "meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls." Moroni 6:5 We are thankful for the many many blessings that come to us via our membership in our church. The prayers, fasting, encouraging words, meals, babysitting of our daughter, and priesthood blessings from fellow members has been a wonderful help. It would be so lonely without the wonderful network of love that the church is.

I have always understood how important it was to have mother in the home, as we have seen the benefits in our life. I never realized how important it is to have a mother in the home even after all the birds have left the nest. Both of our families live within the budgets that just the husband brings home, thus both mothers can spend weeks and months at a time away from home to help us through this trial. I appreciate the preparedness of our parents.

This trial, as trials are supposed to, has stretched us beyond our comfort zone. We have increased the frequency of our scripture reading, the thought put into our prayers, the time we spend just thinking and spiritually preparing. Preparedness, we have learned, is not just temporal welfare but spiritual.

I know this post is a bit preachy but hey, we have learned a few things and we want to pass it on to our family and friends. Prepare as best you can physically and spiritually and you won't fear when trials come along.

The Diagnosis

Mom and I were excited to find out we were pregnant with our second child. We looked forward to teaching our daughter how to be a big sister.

We went to the normal 20 week ultrasound to see how things were going and hopefully learn if we were having a boy or girl. We found out it was a boy but our doctor noticed that something didn't look quite right with his heart. "There was too much white" near the heart. He said it may not be anything but he wanted it to be checked out further. So we set up an appointment with the "High Risk" OB to get another scan a week later. The doctor also noticed that things weren't as they should be and had us go get an echocardiogram with the pediatric cardiologist.

The echocardiogram is just like an ultrasound but much more sensitive, they were able to zoom in and show the 21 week old heart full screen. They were able to show the blood flow in and out of each part of the heart. From this scan they were able to diagnose Solomon with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). Hypo = less and plastic = tissue. So Solomon has less tissue on the left side of his heart. There are some links on the side if you want more info on HLHS.


We were told that HLHS is uniformly fatal in children that receive no intervention. We were given few options, none of them easy choices. Through prayer, scripture study, fasting, and research we are making the hard choices.