He's a Fighter

We are still waiting for room availability at the Ronald McDonald House near Northside Hospital. They called back yesterday and said it would probably be next week. So we are driving back and forth to Atlanta. The drive is not that bad, and we get to see our other children at night.

We went down and stayed with Michael Z yesterday. Kim was able to hold him again for about 1 1/2 hours and to change his diaper. Sometimes we don't realize just how much we take for granted every day. Michael is still a fighter. He is trying to breathe some on his own, so they are slowly reducing the work that the ventilator does for him. The greatest challenge that Michael faces is his heart conditions. He has what is called coarctation of the aorta and a bicuspid valve. What this means is the vessel that carries the blood to the lungs is very small and narrow and will not allow proper blood flow to the lungs. While a baby is still in the womb, the placenta oxygenates the blood. The baby's heart has a pulmonary ductis artery or PDA for short, that allows the blood to bypass the lungs. After the baby is born the PDA closes up and the blood then flows to the lungs. The way Michael's heart is made, if this PDA closes, he will loose blood circulation to the lower half of his body. He is on medication to keep this open until he is big enough and strong enough to have heart surgery. He won't be able to come home until he has this surgery. Also, as he grows and his heart grows there is a possibility that it will press against his left lung and keep it from inflating properly. If this happens and he is off of the vent, then he will have to go back on.

Michael is still facing a tremendous battle and he has proven he is a fighter and we have let him know that we love him and that he can fight as long as he wants. It can be hard some days, but we are praising God for each day we have gotten to know Michael a little bit more.