Christmas is and was a special time, but even though Ava has never seen or had a Christmas before it just wasn't the same with her miles away from the us. Santa did bring her a lot of things but he ran out of magic when it came to getting her home.
Either way we returned to her bedside Christmas day. She continues to loose weight which is what they were trying to do to allow her lungs to start regaining function. She lost one and a half pounds on Christmas day. (I'm sure a lot of the people out there would like to know that diet plan.) It's called never giving up. She had an ultrasound last night and so far everything looked good. Jamie was very worried about this morning because they were to perform an Echo on her heart to see if it is functioning correctly. This was to decide the direction we were going to take her. Either one way or another. While Jamie and I were on the phone they came in and did this. It took like 1 minute which was weird because it normally takes at least a 1/2 hour. It turns out her little heart is performing better than it was right after surgery. The valve replacement is working correctly which is great. But we need to keep in mind that everyone there just keeps saying they are all hopeful. The list of things that Ava needs to go correct without any set backs is crazy. But at least I can scratch this one off.
I know its not much news but to me, she's a hero. I remember when I was little I cried about striking out in baseball. This little girl has had three surgery's and doesn't seem to care. They keep knocking her down only to see her get back up stronger than last time. I'm very serious when I say watch out for her when she grows up. She will be the one leading the way in whatever she does. She has already lead me to believe!!!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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Ava with Mommy & Daddy
Isn't she beautiful!
It's A Girl!
Hello everyone and welcome to Ava Christine's Blog.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
First a little info about the new edition to our family.
This beautiful little girl comes to our family after many years of trying on her parents part as well as her being the first girl in 19 years. Yes 19 years! So to say that she is going to be a little spoiled is putting it very lightly.
Ava Christine was welcomed into this world on September 29 2007 by her mommy Jamie, Daddy Jamie, big brother Brayden, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and numerous friends. Shortly after Ava's arrival the wonderful medical staff at Memorial hospital of South Bend found what they called a murmur in Ava's heart. After some testing little Ava was transported to Motts' Children Hospital at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Jamie and Jamie were informed that little Ava has a heart defect that could be life threatening and that she needed to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defects. So, on Tuesday October 2 2007 Ava was operated on by the wonderful medical staff at the U of M. What this team of doctors did to Ava is incredible. First of all Jamie explained to me over the phone today just what problems Ava's heart has endured. Ava's heart has a couple of different problems. The first is known as Interrupted Aortic Arch. The following info about interrupted aortic arch is best explained by the U of M Cardiac website, "Interrupted aortic arch is a very rare heart defect that occurs when the aorta does not develop normally while the baby is in the mother’s womb. It comprises about 1% of all congenital heart defects. It usually occurs along with other heart problems such as truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, transposition of the great arteries, and aortic stenosis.The aorta is the large blood vessel that arises from the left side of the normal heart and takes red blood out to the body. The first part of the aorta, called the ascending aorta (1) arises upwards. It then curves leftward forming the aortic arch (2). The aorta then curves downward towards the lower body, and this part is called the descending aorta (3). Three blood vessels exit from the aortic arch and supply the head and arms with red blood. These vessels are called the innominate artery (4), the left carotid artery (5), and the left subclavian artery (6).In babies with interrupted aortic arch, there is a complete blockage between the ascending and the descending aorta (1). This means that there is no direct way for red blood leaving the heart to reach the body parts that are "downstream" from the blockage. The site of the defect varies (2) and may or may not involve the take-off of the head and neck vessels. In most babies with interrupted aortic arch (70-90%) there is also a large ventricular septal defect (3).In newborns with interrupted aortic arch, the only way for blood to bypass the blockage is via the patent ductus arteriosus (4). Prior to birth, this small blood vessel permits blood to by-pass the baby’s fluid-filled lungs. One or two days after birth, this vessel usually closes on its own. In a baby with interrupted aortic arch, if the duct closes, blood can no longer reach the lower body. This can cause the baby to suddenly become very ill. Therefore, after the diagnosis is made, a medicine called prostaglandin is used to keep the ductus arteriosus open until surgery". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
So how did the doctors fix this? "Interrupted aortic arch is a serious heart defect that requires surgery soon after birth. The goal of surgery is to create remove the blockage. This used to be done in a two-stage operation but is now done most of the time in one stage. The two ends of the aorta are sewn together (1) and the patent ductus arterious (2) is tied off. Sometimes a patch is needed to reinforce the repair. If present, a patch is sewn over the VSD (3)". (http://www.med.umich.edu/cvc/mchc/parint.htm)
In #1 of the picture below is the part of Ava' heart that was repaired.
Before surgery
The Next Step
The next step in repairing Ava's heart was to fix what is known as Truncus Arteriosus. Truncus arteriosus is "characterized by a large ventricular septal defect over which a large, single great vessel (truncus) arises. This single great vessel carries blood both to the body and to the lungs". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073) Below is a picture of what Ava's heart was like before surgery.
Before Surgery
After Surgery
The above picture shows what the surgeon did to repair Ava's heart. "Surgery is required to close the ventricular septal defect and separate blood flow to the body from blood flow to the lungs. This is generally done early in infancy to prevent high blood pressure from damaging the lungs' arteries. A patch is used to close the ventricular defect. The pulmonary arteries are then disconnected from the single great vessel and a tube (a conduit or tunnel) is placed from the right ventricle to these pulmonary arteries. This is sometimes called a Rastelli repair". (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11073)
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24 comments:
Ava-you really are a Christmas miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of us have prayed so hard and talked to God about you. HE ISlistening plus-you are a FIGHTER. We missed you here yesterday, but you were with us in every other way. My gosh I cant wait to hold you again. You really are a tough little cookie. We love you so much Ava. You truly are a much loved little girl. You have cousins whom have never seen you, but they call granny every day wanting to know how you are doing and they cry wanting you home with your mom and dad and Bray. Thank you Lord, keep on doing your WORK for us and Ava. Amen
granny and poppy
The best Christmas present we could all recieve was to hear that Ava is going in the right direction. She is a fighter, just like her mom and dad who never give up hope. Continue to fight little girl and prove to everyone how strong you are. Love and hope to the Zimmerman family at this special time of year. All our thoughts and prayers are for Ava to continue in the direction she needs to go to grow strong and come home.
Take care of yourself Jamie and your special family.
Sending my hope and support.
Debbie M.
What else can we say right now except CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is wonderful news to start the day. One step at a time is all that anyone can ask for and she is doing absolutely amazing. She has taught so many people so much and is a true inspiration to everyone. She is such a fighter and, yes, she will be the one to watch out for. I hope you all enjoy your day and hope that good news and progress comes daily! Thoughts and prayers will continue.
Ginger
Wow. I believe the holidays are magic, Ava is proving it. Tons of prayers!
Emily
We had a white Christmas in Colorado but our thoughts and prayers were with Ava back in Michigan. Aunt Merry Kay talked to gram this morning and she passed along the good news that Ava is hanging in there. My mom, Lisa and I check the blog everyday for updates...we'll continue to pray for a full recovery!
Lori
So glad to hear the great progress, Ava is truly a gift from God. We continue to keep all of you in our thoughts and prayers. Can't wait to see Ava soon again.
Love,
Chelie, Brian, Caiden, Sean and Aunt Kathy
Thank you for taking the time to update us.
Prayers work! We will keep them coming!
Merry Christmas Zimmerman family,
Jeff, Kellie and Hannah Montgomery
Thank God for every baby step! And we will all continue to pray for her next baby step and every one after that! The list may change, but every time you check something off that list is a blessing! Thank you for taking the time to keep us updated. Stay strong!
Barb, Dana and Heather Daniels
Hurrah! Yippee! Fantastic!
Awesome! Amen! Love, Love, Love!!
Grandma/Grandpa Wegner
Grest-Grandma/Great-Grandpa Wegner
She is a hero to us as well. I just know she can feel all of the love that is being sent to her from all over the world.
Hugs to each of you.
Love, Michelle
Keep fighting AVA !!!!!!! We are all still praying for you. Jamie and Jamie thank you for keeping us updated. I know it must be hard at times, but wanted you to know how much we appreciate it. Even though we have never met Ava personally she has found her way into our hearts and we will not stop praying for your little girl. Keep your faith.
Brentlingers
I cried such tears of joy at reading this blog!!! How amazing Ava is. Thank you so much for the great update, Jamie. There must be so much power in prayer for this miracle to be happening. With all that she still has to go through, we must keep up these prayers. Good job, Ava!!!!
Love,
Emilee
Way to go Ava! We are continuing to pray for all of you. Miracles really do happen when you trust in Him!!!
Love,
The Altergotts
We can't help feeling that this little girl is meant to be here, but we sure are doing a lot of "breath-holding!" We are so glad to see your postings, since we have all of you on our minds so often. Thank you! Aunt Judy and Helmut
A Hero in every sense of the word! Ava continues to progress against all odds. She is a true miracle in this the season of miracles. Love, Hope, & Prayers from all of the Gaideski's
Thank you for posting an update! We have been checking for good news, and believing for it!!! Keep the faith! Ava will continue to inspire us all!
What a joy to read today's news!Ava's progress is the best Christmas present! Love, The Harts
I just want to wish my dark haired,(well, there might be a few gray ones in there) blue-eyed baby boy, a Happy 35th B-Day for tommorrow. Jamie, I hope Ava will give you a very happy day and show more progress. Wouldn't that just make it a perfect B-Day present? Give her kisses for me and Dad, and we will see you later.
Love, Mom & Dad
Soooo glad to hear some great news. We will continue to keep Ava in our prayers. Our Christmas wish came true. Happy Birthday Jamie!!
April
My Christmas wish has come true!!! It is so good to know baby Ava is improving. I continue to pray and believe that each day will bring Ava one step closer to home.
Love & Prayers
Janelle
Happy Birthday Jamie!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE....i pray that ava meet's her goal's today to make your day even more special.
love you all, erin
Happy birthday Boy Jamie. I pray that this will be a grat one for you. You deserve it so much. Please give Ava a hug and kiss for me. Thank you God for giving Ava strength the keep on fighting. Amen
granny and poppy
Happy Birthday little brother! I am so gald to here that Ava is on her way to recovery, the steps may be little, but she will be in full stride eventually! I love you all, keep your chins up and keep smiling!
Love U
Trace
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