We took Matthew back to the pediatric cardiologists for a follow-up evaluation of his heart. He had been doing so well – better than anyone expected him to do – we weren’t sure what to expect, but we needed to know what was going on with his little heart. His echocardiogram showed that miraculous healing has taken place in his heart! His aorta (the blood vessel that pumps blood to the entire body), which was only 2mm in diameter at birth, is now normal size. They saw no narrowing or restriction of flow whatsoever. Also, his left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart) has grown to normal size. The ventricle was so small when he was born, doctors weren’t even sure it would be a ‘functional chamber.’ With these two major changes, Matthew is now a great candidate to have heart surgery to repair the other problems. It will be a big, complicated surgery, but the doctor is very confident that Matthew will do well and it will FIX his heart!
It is the best news we’ve ever heard – our son, who was dying, is now going to LIVE! His heart will be FIXED after the surgery! They don’t even expect him to need much on-going care afterwards. I will fill you in on the details of the surgery later, but the doctors have NO good explanation for these incredible changes in his heart. It truly is a miracle, and we want to thank everyone who has been praying for our family. We give all the Glory to God, and we’re excited to see what God has in store for Matthew!
Amy and Aaron, I just heard about your son, Matthew. What a scary time, and then what a miracle! I know that it’s been a long time since I’ve been in touch with you, but I want you to know that Matt and I are thinking of you and praying for your family.
In 2003, my cousin’s baby was born with a condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She had 3 open-heart surgeries before the age of 2, and is now doing extremely well. Please let us know if you would like us to put you in contact with them–I know it was helpful for them to talk to other families whose children had “special hearts”. Or go to Matilda’s website at http://www.matildaroventine.com.
Again, you and your beautiful family are in our thoughts and prayers!
Ann Marie
[...] March 13th, 2008: [...]