April 17th

Today, April 17th marks the two year anniversary of the most frightening night of our lives. It was that night we almost lost our sweet Livi. I will never forget the terror I felt as I held my baby girl, watching her eyes glaze over and her skin turn such a grey blue as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. For those of you who do not know the story, Olivia was released only four days after her second open heart surgery (The Glenn). What they did not know was that she had developed a pleural effusion caused by Chylothorax. We spent TWO MONTHS in and out of the pediatrician and cardiologist’s office. However, no one had detected this large pleural effusion; which had collapsed her left lung, pushed all of her organs over to one side, had her constantly vomiting, and left her barely able to breath. They attributed her symptoms to a cold, acid reflux, and a sinus infection. The doctors at The University told us she was lucky to be alive. We spent 54 days in the hospital battling this nasty stuff and another 6 months of two week check-ups to monitor it. The many months following the night we were rushed to The University are a big blur of tears, worry, and fear for both my husband and I. Even after we were finally able to come home, we couldn’t relax. We still have trouble doing so. As many of you heart families know, there is always the fear of some underlying problem that quickly rears its ugly head and turns your world upside down. Worry is part of our everyday life. Does Olivia look blue today? Is she breathing hard? How long do we have until the next heart catheter or surgery? How many years does Olivia have? Will medical advances in the next ten-twenty years let her live to see her own children grow-up? What about live to be a Grandma? Unfortunately, I usually don’t have an answer to the many questions we often wonder.












One thing I do know is: God has given Olivia a third chance at life and we are forever grateful. Although this time of year brings back many painful memories, it reminds us of how far we have come. This time two years ago, I had never seen my seven month old daughter play with her toys, or sleep in her crib, or laugh… In fact, I’d barely even seen her smile until she was admitted to the hospital and had some of that fluid drained off of her tiny, fragile, little body. Now, we have a flourishing, beautiful little toddler, with a heart filled with boundless love for all who come into contact with her! We have so many precious memories and triumphant milestones to celebrate. Thank you, God. And thank you for all of your love, support, and many prayers throughout our journey.



7 days until the Heart walk!

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