A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, which will require open heart surgery to correct, is something no parents ever want to hear.

Although the majority of the posts in this series were written by his parents, this post is mostly written by me. Cash’s parents have far too much on their minds rigfht now to take the time to write. So I am doing it for them.

Right now, Baby Cash is in surgery. This two month old baby boy is undergoing open heart surgery to repair a large hole in his heart. The surgery is expected to take anywhere from four to six hours.

That’s four to six hours for nervous and scared young parents to sit in a waiting room with their own parents as they watch the clock slowly tick the minutes away. They will jump every time the doors open, or every time the phone rings in the waiting area, waiting for news about their infant son.

It’s been a long week for Ashley B and her husband Coleman. A long week since they were told by their new pediatrician that their seemingly healthy two month old son had a large hole in his tiny heart which would require open heart surgery to correct.

It’s been a whirlwind with medicines, rushed trips to the hospital, and suddenly being told to pack a bag and bring him immediately to CHKD, where he will be staying for a while.

His current nursery is not decorated with the nautical blue and gray whales and boats that he’s used to. Instead he’s in a pediatric crib, hooked up to iv’s, wires, and monitors, with nurses watching every breath he takes, every beat of his little heart. With his mom and dad not leaving his side, sleeping in the room equipped for the parents of their very special patients. As close to him as they can be. Protecting him as much as they can.

Nether Ashley B nor Coleman got much sleep last night. They were too worried, too keyed up. The love and heart of their life would be undergoing an operation in the morning that’s scary enough for adults, let alone babies. All they wanted to do was watch their son sleep, and tell him over and over how much they love him. As much as they wanted to grab him and take him home, away from this nightmare, they couldn’t. His life depends on this surgery.

This was written yesterday, as told by Ashley B:

“Early this morning we met Cash’s surgeons as well as many members of the team who will be working with the surgeons before, during, and after the surgery. They were very confident which helps relieve some of our worries. They made it very important to point out how hard it would be to see him after surgery. Let’s just say I’m not prepared…I don’t think anyone can ever prepare to see their child like this. I wish I could crawl in that crib with him and sleep but the nurses won’t let me. I’ve tried. We have a long day ahead but are ready for our little hero to get his heart fixed. Keep the prayers coming. Cash is a Rockstar! He’s got this.”

Then later, in the middle of the night, I received this text:

“This night so far has been horrible. They took blood from him at 5:00 pm. Poked him in 2 spots. And told us he couldn’t eat at 2:00 am. Now they told us 12. And that they need 3 more vials of blood. I had to step out and cry while poor Coleman has to help hold him down. His heart rate is skyrocketing and now they just told us his IV is leaking and they have to re-do it. I have to listen to my baby scream again. And I can’t even comfort him with milk…”

My heart broke again for them.

And now they are all sitting in that waiting room, praying, worrying, wondering, and praying some more for good news from the surgeon who drove some four hours from the University of Virginia to CHKD to perform this lifesaving surgery on little Cash. As confident as they are in the surgeon’s skill, they’re still scared to death.

Following the surgery Cash will remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk. When he is released, it will have been some three weeks for him being away from his own home.

Open heart surgery is scary for anyone, no matter the age. My husband had to undergo open heart surgery for a heart valve replacement less than a year after we were married. At the time I didn’t know whether I’d be a young widow or not. As much as my head told me he’d be fine, and he was, my own heart was terrified. He wasn’t worried until the night before when we’d toured the ICU where he’d be recovering, and saw actual patients who’d just had similar surgeries, wires and tubes and monitors hooked up to them everywhere. Seeing all of that suddenly made everything so much more real.

My husband’s surgery was 31 years ago. Open heart surgery has changed quite a bit since then. When he had to have a second surgery done some 18 years later to replace the valve again I wasn’t quite as nervous. But still, the heart is one of the two most vital organs in your body. How can you not be scared?

My emotional heart is aching for Ashley B and Coleman, crying with them, and praying with them. Our daughter and son in law, very close friends with Cash’s parents, are equally nervous and worried. Baby Cash and our granddaughter Rachel are very close in age, and already seem to know each other.

I know this story will have a happy ending. But it’s a terribly emotional roller coastal ride for the parents, grandparents, and friends. Please take a moment to pray for this sweet baby boy and his family. Cash is a fighter, and has a great future ahead of him in his adult life. His story will encourage many others.

But now, we all wait…..

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog.

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, an enlarged heart from it working overtime to compensate for that hole, as well as having fluid in his lungs which is affecting his heart function even more, is devastating.

Ashley B and Coleman are fighting for their son Cash. Their family, extended family, and friends have rallied to their side, and we are all supporting them as much as possible as they begin this long and unbelievably frightening journey.

Even after having his surgery to repair the hole, Cash will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

We now have a surgery date for this little guy. It’s Tuesday! Tomorrow!

“Ashley and I can’t even begin to express how grateful we are for all the love and support you all have sent our way. Helen and Julie [friends of theirs] starting a GoFundMe site all on their own was an incredible and gracious surprise. What a huge heap of help this will be to offset medical costs. We truly feel like we don’t deserve all of this. Honestly with all the hate in this world, and never seeing anything good on the news anymore, it is so incredibly uplifting to receive all the kind words and prayers from so many people.

After the surprise of the GoFundMe site I was blown away by the support and the insane amounts people donated; people we don’t even know. We are literally awestuck. From people we haven’t seen in years to close friends and even complete strangers to actually take the time to donate their hard-earned money for our son, it just blows me away. And it makes you realize just how awesome people are! I truly can’t express the gratitude we have for each and every one of you and how much your words are motivating us.

As for Cash, he is like an entirely new baby today, his liver swelling has gone down, not completely, but it’s headed in the right direction. The bilirubin count which was also very high has improved. His heart is still working extremely hard, but has also improved due to the medical care here. He is much healthier and prepared for surgery.

The doctors stated the half pound to a pound he could gain by waiting to the end of month isn’t a huge difference in the surgeon’s eyes, so an extremely qualified doctor from UVA Medical, the doctor that we really wanted from our research, a doctor who specializes in severely complicated VSD surgeries, drove down here yesterday. He will be meeting with us Today and performing Cash’s surgery on Tuesday. Keep the prayers coming! They are working!

Ashley and my two year wedding anniversary is the day after the surgery, so we are counting on Cash to give us the best anniversary gift of our lifetime!

Thank you so much again all of you!!!!”

Coleman
October 8, 2016

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog.

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, which will require open heart surgery to correct, is something no parents ever want to hear.

Baby Cash will be having open heart surgery on Tuesday. He will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

This series is their story, told in their words. I have only edited them. And I could not ever write the following post as well as Cash’s mom has done.

“Nerves…my nerves are shot today. I try to sleep but my mind just doesn’t stop going. My stomach is sick.

Cash knows no different; he is a strong, happy boy. His smile really does just light up the whole room.

I’m so nervous to meet the surgeon tomorrow. To hear possible outcomes and that in just two short days this will be happening. Open heart surgery on our 10 week old 10 lb baby.

I have had the ability through social media to talk to some amazing families of CHD warriors who have shared their stories, offered advice, and words of encouragement.

Here is a little piece of advice I wanted to share that was given to me from a CHD parent:

‘Your health mental and physical is important for a good outcome for all. Document your child’s journey. You will have lived it, you need to be able to recreate the story for them. Take pictures of things you probably won’t want to. It will be important later. Trust in God. Remember this is part of him and you. Good luck and God bless, praying for a great outcome.’ “

Ashley B
October 9, 2016

Ashley and Coleman, we are all praying for you and Cash. I do know how scary it is for a loved one to be facing open heart surgery, because my own husband has had it twice. The first time we hadn’t even been married a year, and I didn’t know whether I would be a widow before our first anniversary. Yes, I thought that. But he is fine, as you know, and has actually come through two such surgeries.

It’s more frightening when it’s your child, though. I cannot truly imagine. But God has this, and we are all joining you in praying and believing for total healing for your precious little one.

Stay strong meeting the surgeon. Ask questions, as many of them as you can think of. In this situation there are never too many questions, never one that’s dumb or silly. The surgeon is the expert; you and Coleman are not. You’re learning more than you ever wanted to learn, and have become your son’s greatest advocate. As it should be.

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog.

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, which will require open heart surgery to correct, is something no parents ever want to hear.

Baby Cash will be having open heart surgery on Tuesday. He will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

This series is their story, told in their words. I have only edited them. And I could not ever write the following post as well as Cash’s mom has done.

“October was always my favorite month. It’s jeans and hoodie weather. The leaves change, the trees put on a beautiful display of colors, and the nights are perfect for bonfires.

I had so many things planned for this month: our first fall family pictures, taking Cash to the pumpkin patch for more pictures, carving a pumpkin for him and dressing him all up for his very first Halloween, along with Coleman and my second wedding anniversary on October 12.

Now in six short days our lives have drastically changed. October…once my favorite month… has become one of the most challenging times of my life.

A month of pure heartache. A day before our wedding anniversary Cash will be having open heart surgery. A surgeon from UVA Medical will be coming down on Sunday to meet with us on Monday. He deals with more the complicated heart surgeries.

I’ve never been more scared in my life.

Meeting with several doctors a day to get a game plan established, I sit here still…motionless… listening…or should I say, trying to. While I sit staring at Cash’s eyes as my own fill with water, trying to hold back the tears long enough for everyone to leave the room.

I’m forcing down food and sleeping with what seems to be my eyes open.

These short 6 days have been hard, but they are trying to prepare us for harder times.”

Ashley B
October 8, 2016

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, an enlarged heart from it working overtime to compensate for that hole, as well as having fluid in his lungs which is affecting his heart function even more, is devastating.

Ashley B and Coleman are fighting for their son Cash. Their family, extended family, and friends have rallied to their side, and we are all supporting them as much as possible as they begin this long and unbelievably frightening journey.

Even after having his surgery to repair the hole, Cash will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

Now, imagine you, as a parent of a two month old baby, suddenly being thrust into a world of IV’s, beeping heart and breathing monitors, hospital cribs, and words like ventricular septal defect, which you’d never heard of until a few days ago. Imagine knowing your baby will soon be on a table in an operating room while a team of highly skilled surgeons literally take his little heart in their big hands and repair a hole in it in order to save his life.

That’s a lot to comprehend in less than a week. It will have been eight days from the initial diagnosis until the day of surgery.

Even though you know it’s unfortunately done every day in this country, it’s not done every day to your baby. And it’s scary. Your whole world has changed in the course of a few minutes.

But also imagine being on that floor in the hospital where your baby will be living for the next several weeks and hearing the cries of so many other babies and children who are going through similar, and even far worse, medical emergencies.

And suddenly you find yourself thankful, because your baby is in so much better physical shape than many of these others. You wonder how their parents feel, how the little patients feel, and you are suddenly overwhelmed more than you were. Listen to the heart of a mother, who is hurting not only for herself and her child, but for all of the others…

“L’il man is finally getting some sleep. Thank you all so much for all the prayers. I have one favor to ask. I am not only asking for prayers for Cash, but there are a lot of very sick and hurting babies in here. Please, please keep them in your hearts as well and in your prayers. I wish I could help them all, or go hold their little hands, or read to them, or give their parents a hug.

Our little guy is so blessed to have a mommy and daddy and such a strong, caring, kind group of amazing family and friends that care so much for him. I am in complete awe of each and every one of your kind words, giving hearts, and just pure love.”

Ashley B
October 7, 2016

Having a child with a life-threatening illness, or one who has experienced a life-threatening accident is one of the most difficult things parents can go through. We have had another good friend whose child was at CHKD for several months because of a life-changing accident. We cannot say enough good things about the work of the medical professionals who have devoted their lives to saving the lives of children.

Please continue to pray not only for Cash and his family, but for all of the other children who need their own healing miracles.

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog.

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, an enlarged heart from it working overtime to compensate for that hole, as well as having fluid in his lungs which is affecting his heart function even more, is devastating.

Ashley B and Coleman are fighting for their son Cash. Their family, extended family, and friends have rallied to their side, and we are all supporting them as much as possible as they begin this long and unbelievably frightening journey.

Even after having his surgery to repair the hole, Cash will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

The following is an update posted by Cash’s mom early Thursday morning. Stay strong, my friends!

“And here we thought Monday was bad! L’il man was 10.8 lbs on Monday, and is now down to 10.1 just three days later. We have a very sick little boy on our hands, but by looking at him, you would never know.

Besides the massive hole in his heart, the left side of his heart is swelling due to its having to work extra hard; his liver is enlarged; and his lungs have a lot of fluid in them. We really need him to be able to keep this medicine down, and to put on weight.

As for me, it’s a lot to take in in just a few short days. A LOT! I don’t think it all really hit me until this morning when I called the doctor with some of my concerns, and they said to bring him in immediately, and pack a bag for him!

This made me realize even more how serious this was; my baby wasn’t coming home with us tonight; he’d be staying at the hospital. I’ve been to visit an ICU before, but never a PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). I walked in here holding Cash in my arms, and immediately I wanted to turn around and run out of here with my baby!

I felt my throat closing, and I actually couldn’t breathe. I went into a mental breakdown. It was just too much to comprehend. This floor is not only terrifying, it is heart wrenching. Please don’t get me wrong; they are doing amazing things on this floor. But there are some very, very sick and hurting babies, children, and teens on this floor.

I can’t put into words the heartache I’m feeling for every child on this floor and their families. We got to our room where immediately several nurses are in there all ready for Cash. Watching him being held down while they take blood and put IV’s in his tiny little hands/arms while he cried is about the next most heart wrenching thing in the world, because I knew this cry. This is not an “I’m tired” or “I’m hungry” cry. This is a “Mommy I’m hurting!” cry.

Fast forward to now [late Thursday evening] because there’s a lot in between. Maybe I should write a blog [you are, but you didn’t know it until I told you!]. Anyways now, it’s 11:55 pm and I’ve just laid down, but not with my baby who sleeps every night by my side. I am glad he is finally comfortable enough to sleep, but I’m so sad it’s not with me. As I lay here missing him…yes, even though we’re in the same room, I can’t help but hear the cries of other children in here, and I want to fix them, too.

I’m lucky enough at the moment to be able to hold Cash, though with all the wires we can’t go on our usual walks, but I can at least hold him. Many parents in here cannot hold their babies or even go in their rooms with them without wearing a full protective suit and mask. Some may not be able to go in at all, but only look at them through a piece of glass. I know I need to get some rest, but this is seriously a LOT to take in.

We seriously cannot thank you all for the prayers and love and support. It truly does take a village to raise a baby!! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.”

Ashley B
October 6, 2016

Previous posts in this series can be found in the “Healing a Tiny Heart” Category on this blog.

A parent’s worst nightmare is learning something is seriously wrong with their child. It is traumatic at any age in that child’s life, but far worse in the case of an infant.

Being told your 2 month old son has a huge hole in his heart, an enlarged heart from it working overtime to compensate for the hole, as well as having fluid in his lungs which is affecting his heart even further, is devastating.

Ashley B and Coleman are fighting for their son Cash. Their family, extended family, and friends have rallied to their side, and we are all supporting them as much as possible as they begin this long and unbelievably frightening journey.

Even after having his surgery to repair the hole, Cash will still have to remain in the hospital for several weeks while being closely monitored by a group of extremely dedicated and highly professional doctors and nurses at Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughter’s (CHKD) in Norfolk.

Both Ashley B and Coleman are incredibly, and understandably, worried. But for a mother, who carried that child inside her for nine months, there’s a well of emotion inside of her that cannot be explained with mere words. It can only be truly understood by another mother. It’s an unexplainable bond between a mother and her child.

Ashley B wrote the following the night before Cash was rushed to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) at CHKD in Norfolk because of the fluid in his heart. He will be there until the surgery, and for the several weeks afterwards until he is strong enough to return home to finish his recuperation.

“We cannot thank you all enough for the encouragement and outpouring of love. It has truly helped give us some hope and strength in this time of heartache, confusion, and questioning.

We love each and every one of you. We were told today that it is looking like Cash will be placed on the surgeons’ schedule for open heart surgery for the end of this month. His lungs are full of fluid, however, and we need the medicine the doctors gave him to do its job in the meantime, and remove that fluid! However, our precious boy is having a very hard time keeping it down, and we will be calling the doctor again in the morning.

I truly hate all of this, and that I have to give him this medicine, and then watch my poor baby boy get sick from it. It’s truly heartbreaking, and we know this is just the beginning of all of this mess.”

Ashley B
October 5, 2016

Ashley B, you have no idea how many people are praying for you and your family. For healing, and for strength, and for the total peace that passes all understanding as you and your family embark on this journey. Stay strong.

But cry when you need to. It’s ok. No one expects you to be Superwoman. No one expects Coleman to be Superman. We just expect you to be loving and concerned parents who are fighting for your child. And that’s enough for now.

The majority of these blogs in this series will not be written by me (only edited by me for this series), but by the parents of Baby Cash, who is only 2 months old. His parents entered their worst nightmare when they learned less than a week ago their son had a large hole in his heart which will very soon (within the next few weeks) require open heart surgery. Fortunately there is an excellent hospital for infants and children, CHKD (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters) in Norfolk, where Cash will have his surgery. But still, the prospect of open heart surgery is a scary thought for both those of us who have loved ones going through it, or who are going through it ourselves, no matter what our age.

His parents, Coleman and Ashley B are very good friends with our daughter and son in law. Baby Cash was born just ten weeks after our granddaughter Rachel, and the babies already seem to recognize each other as soon as they’re together, as you can see in the picture above.

This post was written by Cash’s mom the night after they received the diagnosis, when she had finally had a few moments to herself to think about the events of the day.

Part 1 of their story can be found here.

A Prayer For My Son

Dear Lord, your gifts are many.
I’m grateful for everyone.
One of the greatest gifts you’ve given
is the gift of a wonderful son

Thank you for his life dear Lord.
Watch over him I pray.
May he be safe and free from harm,
as he goes about each day.

Bless him through life’s trials.
Help him choose right from wrong.
An example be for all to see.
Standing tall, and proud and strong.
By Ron Tranmer

“Yesterday our world was flipped upside down and for the first time ever in my life time stopped, and there were no words.

Today I found this prayer which, is something I couldn’t have needed more after finding out our son has a severe case of Ventricular Septal Defect, a very large hole in his heart which we are told will require open heart surgery.

Our hearts our broken, but our little boy is strong. I think he is stronger then his momma. He was hooked up to wires and had an echocardiogram performed on his heart for over an hour, the whole time cooing and smiling, or holding my finger while closing his little eyes and fighting not to go to sleep.

I can’t help but keep wishing it were me instead of him. I’m a firm believer in miracles and the power of prayer. Thank you to our family and friends who have checked in on us. Keep the prayers coming. Love on your babies a little extra tonight, and mommas, always trust your gut instincts. If you think something isn’t right with your child, don’t stop questioning until you get answers.”

Ashley B
October 4, 2016

The majority of the blogs in this series will not be written by me. This is not my story. But it is one that needs to be told.

Our daughter and son in law have good friends named Ashley, who I will refer to as Ashley B, and Coleman. They’re all in the same age group, late twenties. Both Ashleys were pregnant at the same time. Both girls would come to our house and float in the pool during the heat of early spring and summer. They jokingly called themselves whales, which neither of them were. They were beautiful pregnant ladies.

Today they’re beautiful young moms. The babies seem to know each other already, and visit together a lot. Both young women are excellent moms.

And today these moms are both very scared.

This week Ashley B and Coleman discovered their 2 month old son Cash has a large hole in his heart which will require open heart surgery. Which is very scary, but when it’s your 2 month old son, it’s even worse, even more frightening.

Our Ashley is scared for her friends, scared for Baby Cash, who they all refer to as our 4 month old granddaughter Rachel’s boyfriend. And our Ashley and Chris now hold Baby Rachel even more often than usual, thanking the Lord she is healthy, and praying Baby Cash will be all right.

We are all praying for this family. The following was written by Cash’s daddy, Coleman, when they first discovered the problem. I have only done minor edits for grammar and spelling.

Here begins their story, as told by Coleman:

“So this is very hard for me to write, but I think it will help me from losing myself every time I have to tell someone what is happening. Yesterday Ashley and I had time stop on us. It was so unexpected! We took Cash for his two month checkup, and he was supposed to get his first three shots. Every time he has been in the presence of any doctors we have mentioned how his breathing does not seem to be normal, and we were always told, ‘Babies breathe weird and sporadic. They’re still learning how to breathe.’

Yesterday we brought it up again, and again we were told the same thing, but the doctor we had, who we had not seen before, said, ‘I’ll just listen to make sure.’ She placed the stethoscope on Cash for not even two seconds, and immediately said he had a heart murmur! Ashley and I both were totally silent and in shock, not really knowing what it was, and how big of a deal it was.

The doctor told us sometimes they are not too concerned, ‘but this one does concern me quite a bit, and I’m going to go call the cardiologist to see if they can come over here now to see him.’

She left the room, and Ashley and I were both realizing if she was calling a cardiologist to come NOW, something was seriously wrong. She came back quickly and said Cash would not be receiving his shots that day, and that she wanted us to rush straight to CHKD in downtown Norfolk. OK. Rush to CHKD???!!! We are now both sobbing uncontrollably. [Note: CHKD is Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters, and an excellent children’s hospital here in the Hampton Roads area.]

We got to CHKD, and were told by the cardiology department they were going to do several tests on him, including an echocardiogram and ultrasound pictures, and then they would talk to us. You can imagine how scared we were by then.

They hooked 13 wires up to little Cash for an EKG, and took his blood pressure 10 times. They took his oxygen levels, and then they were all in the echo lab for well over an hour. The doctor must have taken a million pictures! Then they sat us down, only to be interrupted for another 30 minutes of echo pictures. Finally, we were told Cash had a hole in his heart, and diagnosed him with VSD (ventricular septal defect). They explained it was very common in infants, however the size of his hole was portrayed as very uncommon.

Their exact words were, “There are three types of holes: small ones which we do nothing for; medium which we give medication for and closely monitor; and large which require surgery. Your son’s is very large. Large holes sometimes can be closed with closed heart surgery, but his hole is too big, and will require open-heart surgery.’

Open heart surgery! This is a huge deal for anyone, let alone a 2 month old little baby. Here we were thinking our boy was the healthiest boy under the sun, and now this. Little did we know he has been eating so much, not because he’s growing so quickly, but because his poor heart is working so hard that he’s burning calories three times faster than most babies.

Certainly this is a lot to take in, and the hardest thing I think I’ve ever dealt with. On the outside, I try to stay strong and positive alongside my wife to be strong for her, but at work, when I’m alone in my truck, I can’t help but lose myself constantly. I am as scared as a five-year-old little girl. My son is the best gift ever given to me, and I don’t know how I could move forward without him. On a positive note, I am grateful for being so close to CHKD, one of the best hospitals in the world.

I am grateful I was able to take my son home yesterday, and that he has not been put into immediate surgery. I am grateful for my wonderful family and all the prayers we are receiving and would love for more! CHKD is keeping a close eye on him, and they want to try to get more weight on him before surgery to help make it easier, but they also told us they can only let his little heart work overtime for so long. He will have to see a cardiologist for the rest of his life, but for now until the surgery is scheduled, we just pray all goes smooth and my little boy is healthy afterwards.

Prayers are welcome, too. Bless you all.”

Coleman
October 4, 2016

This is the first installment of their story. More to follow. Prayers are surely needed, and welcomed during this difficult time.

Cash, we love you, and we’re praying for you!
October 4, 2016