CHD Awareness Week Day Eight: Ewan's Journey
Today is the eighth and final day of CHD Awareness Week. It is also Valentine's Day, the ultimate Heart Day! :D For my final day, I will feature Miss Kirsten and her son Ewan @ Team Ewan.
Via
I discovered Kirsten's blog Ocotober 2010, almost a year and a half ago. I am a pretty dedicated reader of her blog and I also have befriended her on Facebook. I care a lot about Kirsten and her family. Kirsten has two children: Ewan and Austen. Ewan has CHD, specifically two types called Tetrology of Fallout and Pulmonary Atresia.
Pulmonary Atresia: A type of Congenital Heart Defect where the pulmonary valve does not form properly. A solid sheet of tissue forms where the valve opening should be and the valve remains closed. Because of this defect, blood from the right side of the heart cannot go to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
For those of you that aren't familiar with these posts already, I will only be sharing a summary of Kirsten and Ewan's journey because I encourage you to check out her blog. I think that Kirsten's blog is a wonderfully informative heart blog and I think everyone with children should check this out!
Ewan was diagnosed with TOF and PA when Kirsten was 20 weeks pregnant. Ewan was born September 18, 2010. He was almost instantly taken away to the NICU and was shortly afterward transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Seattle Children's Hospital. When he was five days old, Ewan was sent to have a routine cath lab that turned deadly. During the lab, his oxygen levels became so low that he was sent into an emergency surgery. Ewan was quoted a 30% chance of death. He had three different shunts placed in him before he was able to come out of surgery into recovery. He was placed on a heart machine called the ECMO, and went through several more procedures in the next few days. Kirsten's life was a constant roller coaster of ups and downs, good days and bad days. Then October 3, things got bad. Ewan had not been neurologically responsive all day and the doctors told Kirsten that Ewan had a blood infection. They put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic, though he continued to have difficulties. He was basically on full life support, thus Kirsten and her husband were given a hard decision. To continue with life support or to disconnect him. On October 4, 2010 Kirsten and her husband made the decision to disconnect Ewan's life support. Sweet baby Ewan earned his angel wings.
Kirsten is incredibly strong to have gone through the trials and tribulations of sweet Ewan's short life. I don't know if I could have been as strong as she was, and I admire her for it. I wish her and her family nothing but happiness and love. Please check out her blog!
This marks the end of CHD Awareness Week. I hope all my readers learned something this week and will continue to spread the word of CHD Awareness. More people need to know about CHD, because it affects so many people daily. I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Valentine's Day! Tune in tomorrow to see how mine went.
Via
I discovered Kirsten's blog Ocotober 2010, almost a year and a half ago. I am a pretty dedicated reader of her blog and I also have befriended her on Facebook. I care a lot about Kirsten and her family. Kirsten has two children: Ewan and Austen. Ewan has CHD, specifically two types called Tetrology of Fallout and Pulmonary Atresia.
Pulmonary Atresia: A type of Congenital Heart Defect where the pulmonary valve does not form properly. A solid sheet of tissue forms where the valve opening should be and the valve remains closed. Because of this defect, blood from the right side of the heart cannot go to the lungs to pick up oxygen.
For those of you that aren't familiar with these posts already, I will only be sharing a summary of Kirsten and Ewan's journey because I encourage you to check out her blog. I think that Kirsten's blog is a wonderfully informative heart blog and I think everyone with children should check this out!
Ewan was diagnosed with TOF and PA when Kirsten was 20 weeks pregnant. Ewan was born September 18, 2010. He was almost instantly taken away to the NICU and was shortly afterward transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Seattle Children's Hospital. When he was five days old, Ewan was sent to have a routine cath lab that turned deadly. During the lab, his oxygen levels became so low that he was sent into an emergency surgery. Ewan was quoted a 30% chance of death. He had three different shunts placed in him before he was able to come out of surgery into recovery. He was placed on a heart machine called the ECMO, and went through several more procedures in the next few days. Kirsten's life was a constant roller coaster of ups and downs, good days and bad days. Then October 3, things got bad. Ewan had not been neurologically responsive all day and the doctors told Kirsten that Ewan had a blood infection. They put him on a broad spectrum antibiotic, though he continued to have difficulties. He was basically on full life support, thus Kirsten and her husband were given a hard decision. To continue with life support or to disconnect him. On October 4, 2010 Kirsten and her husband made the decision to disconnect Ewan's life support. Sweet baby Ewan earned his angel wings.
Kirsten is incredibly strong to have gone through the trials and tribulations of sweet Ewan's short life. I don't know if I could have been as strong as she was, and I admire her for it. I wish her and her family nothing but happiness and love. Please check out her blog!
This marks the end of CHD Awareness Week. I hope all my readers learned something this week and will continue to spread the word of CHD Awareness. More people need to know about CHD, because it affects so many people daily. I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Valentine's Day! Tune in tomorrow to see how mine went.
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