Heaven was born May 24, although my due date was not until August 31, due to the fact that the doctor did not find a cyst that had torn my placenta away from it’s wall. I remember the doctor coming in and tell me that there was only about a 10 percent chance for her to make it. I have never been so angry and hurt in my life thinking why this must be happening to my first born, but I had faith in god.
The doctor informed me as soon as I gave birth to Heaven, that I would not be able to see her she as she was being prepared to be airlifted to the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital because she was too small and sick for them to care for. I was totally devastated. When she came out as she was not breathing. All I could think of was that there we’re so many people in the room. She was so small and purple. The doctors immediately rushed her to icu to get her ready for the flight to UK. I asked if she was doing to make it and all they could say was the first 48 hours are critical.
The doctors had informed me that she weighed 1lb 15 oz. When I got to UK and finally was able to see her, all I could think was how small she was and how I had never seen so many tubes coming out of a baby. I could reach in the little plastic box that she was laying in and touch her but only for a couple seconds. My heart was slowly breaking. I remember asking the doctor what were her odds were and if she would have any lingering problems that would affect her in the long run. He said there we be days we take 3 steps forward and 20 steps back and when August came they would be able tell me about more about her development. And he was absolutely right.
Although over the next week, she would drop to 1 pound 1 oz , it looked as if she was starting to do better. But then on June 1st, she started to go back one step at a time once again. She started having seizures and then her bowels busted. The doctors called me at home and said they had to perform emergency surgery within the hour or she would die. And once again I was told the next 48 hours would be critical. And fortunately, she would take a couple of steps forward and a month later the doctors would reconstruct her bowels. And although the doctors told me she had lost a large part of her stomach and would always be on the smaller side, she once again proofed a fighter and came thru with flying colors.
I will remember August 22 for the rest of my life because it would be the first time that I would hold Heaven in my arms. And it was more than I could possibly imagine. And once again things started looking up. On September 11th, we would take Heaven home as well as her heart monitor and oxygen tank. She weighed 4 pounds at this point but once again, she would take a step back. After a few months at home she got really sick with RSV and she was again admitted to UK, where she would stay for two months, even thru her first Christmas. And at that point we were told that she was legally blind in her right eye. Another blow for our little Heaven, but it wasn’t anything that we couldn’t deal with. Over the next couple of years, she would come off of her oxygen and heart monitor. So once again, she would take huge leaps in her recovery.
Heaven would continue to thrive in her development although she was always smaller than her classmates but we didn’t mind that because my Heaven was alive and home and continuing to make amazing progress. In 2012, we decided to change pediatricians because although she was doing well, she continued to stay sickly. Her new doctor said she had a small heart murmur and referred us back to UK. We were told that Heaven had a massive hole in her heart and that only part of her heart was working. We were sent to Louisville’s Children Hospital, were they told us that Heaven needed open heart surgery. And on April 16th, 2012, Heaven had a six hour surgery to repair her heart. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I just kept thinking that Heaven had fought so hard for so long, that she just had to make it thru this. And once again, Heaven defied every odd because 5 days after her open heart surgery, she was home. She has once again flourished, she even played on her middle school basketball team.
Heaven is the epitome of a hero. Heaven is the definition of a survivor. Heaven is the personification of the word fighter. And Heaven is our Angel on Earth.
I Am... Magazine 