Almost 8 Years Ago..

On May 18, 2004 we welcomed you into the world.  It was the happiest time of our lives.

Less then one week later our world was turned upside down.  You were only 6 days old when we went rushing through these ICU doors at Boston Children's Hospital:

 Daddy & I were forced to make very difficult, quick decisions.  We didn't have time to think.  We didn't have time to research.  Doctors were coming at us from all directions; asking us to sign what felt like a bazillion consent forms.

Meanwhile, there you were.  Fighting for your life.

 You were hooked up to all sorts of machines.  The Doctors didn't want you to take even one breath on your own, for fear it would send you back into cardiac arrest.  You see, your aortic valve was shut tight.  Half of your heart had shut down & the other half couldn't keep up.  The machines kept you alive.

 For every second that passed the chances of you having multiple complications grew.  They said you could have brain damage.  They said you might have speech problems & sight problems.  You might have trouble walking.  Your fine & gross motor skills might be delayed.

We were powerless.  We spent hours standing by your bed talking to you, telling you how much we loved you.

 You needed open heart surgery.   We had you baptized right there, in the ICU.  And we prayed.

 You had already proven to us that you weren't going down without a fight.

 We had to make even more decisions.  If they cut down the front of you they would need to break ribs.  If they cut through your back it might be a bit more risky.  We decided to have them cut through your back.
While the Doctors worked to open your aortic valve, we sat in the waiting room crying silent tears, willing the clock to move faster.  We stared at the door in which the surgeon would eventually walk through for hours.  And then there you were, in the recovery room.

 You were far from being out of the woods, but at least you were out of surgery.

 It broke our heart to watch the tears stream down your face.  You were so uncomfortable & there was nothing we could do to ease the pain you felt.  The tube down your throat prevented you from making any noises but the pain could be seen in your eyes.

 We wanted nothing more than to take all of your pain away.  We watched you suffer & in turn, we suffered.

 You continued to fight in such an aggressive way that even the Doctors were amazed.  With the exception of your blood pressure being a little too high, you were well on your way to making a full recovery within a weeks time.

The Doctors said "If he can drink from a bottle & hold it down for more than 20 minutes, he can go home & heal"...  And you did.

 Taking care of your wound was painful for ALL of us.  We all cried every time we had to change the dressings on your back.  But in time, you healed, in record time. 

During your first year of life you amazed more than a few doctors with your accomplishments. Despite being diagnosed with Mitral Stenosis (your mitral valve is growing abnormally & leaks)  You have no speech or vision problems.  You learned to walk without any problems.  Your fine & gross motor skills all developed normally.  You hit your milestones as quickly as any other baby your age would.
They said you may never be able to play sports or be involved in very many activities.
And here you are - our little baseball player.  Soon you will be testing for your brown belt in Karate.  You're active, you're healthy.  The only way anyone would ever know that you had any type of surgery would be if they caught a glimpse of the long scar on your back - the scar that, after almost 8 yrs, is almost invisible.  It is your battle scar. 
Tomorrow we meet with your cardiologist, as we do around this same time every year, to see how things are going with your heart.  While we always worry about what the test results may show, we know in our hearts that you're just as perfect now as the day you were born.