Sunday, September 30, 2012

Addison is out of surgery..heart beating...


Post Op

Posted 1 hour ago
Addison is out of surgery. The heart started working on its own without shock (a true miracle), she received a lot of blood and had her aorta patched and her pulmonary arteries attached to direct enough blood flow to her lungs. Her pulmonary arteries are of concern because they are so small. Although she is out of surgery, Addison still has a long road and needs a lot of prayers. The next 72 hours are very critical, so we pray. They will be starting her on steroids and anti rejection meds directly through IV. We appreciate and are so thankful for all of your continued support and just ask you to continue lifting Addison up in prayer.


What an amazing God we have.  God is good, all the time.  Please continue to pray for Addison and for the family who gave Addison the most amazing gift.


Addison is in surgery..please pray....

Update from Angela:

September 30that 1:04AM

Posted 1 hour ago
Addison's donor heart was a match and she was taken back for transplant. Her surgeon assumes the surgery could last roughly 9 hours. Please pray for minimal rejection and pray they can control the bleeding. Thank you so much for the prayers and please pray for the donor family as I can't stop thinking about them. I can't thank them enough for giving Addison life. Addison was made so wonderfully perfect but her heart was created so incredibly wrong. This still boggles my mind of the reason but tonight Addison is getting a heart from a child we have never met but feel so much love for. A heart that God created for two people a child whom now I pray for every September 30th and Addison as she is getting her second chance at life. This feels so unreal as the shock is starting to become a constant numbness.
Please pray, pray for LIFE


Please keep praying for both families.  What a difficult, amazing night this has to be for some many families.  My heart is so happy for Addison and my heart just aches for the other family.  


Saturday, September 29, 2012

Addison is getting a new heart.....

Here is the latest update from Addi's mom:

16th day on transplant list


Posted 29 minutes ago
We have been offered a heart and as long as this is the perfect heart for Addison then Addison will be taken to the OR at 1AM. Please pray for the family that lost their child today and please pray that Addison is strong enough to make it through the next months facing rejection. Please, please pray. we beg you.... this is a miracle. Truly a miracle...

Angela and Addison

Please pray with all your heart.....I will post updates as Angela does.

I chatter while I roll...

I had to share a video that shows how well Raygen is getting around.  She is so cute I couldn't get myself to stop recording.  She is such a joy and blessing.  We are very lucky to have two great girls.
 We also made peanut butter and jelly brownies.  These are sooo good.  Taste just like a pb&j sandwich.  Tomorrow Zoie and I are going to make sour cream apple bars from apples from our trees.  We have 6 apple trees so I think I will be trying out a lot of apple recipes. :)   
 While I get to play with the girls and do some baking my wonderful husband painted my doors red.  I just love them.  We are so close to finishing the outside of our house.  We still have our front porch to redo but it's starting to look amazing.
I just love red doors.  For some reason to me they just look classy.
Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

OT & Update on Addi

 Raygen had a great OT Appt.  Best one yet!
 She played with all the food.  She didn't eat any, but just that she would play was a big step for her.
 She loved the lid to a sippy cup, lol!  She has the greatest personality.
I was so proud of her.  She showed her therapist what a big girl is she becoming.  She sat up the whole time and laughed and played.  It was a good appointment.  We won't go back till November.  We will just keep working with Raygen at home on oral therapy and see if some how, some way we can get her to eat.  We love you girl!!!

UPDATE ON ADDISON...

12 days and waiting....

Posted 1 day ago
We continue to thank you all for your continued support and prayers. He hears you and so do we, thank you. Thank you to the ones who have dropped everything and drove hours to come see Addison during this time of need. I have to thank Jennifer Nichols and her husband Jason, Addison's cardiac nurse in GJ who literally dropped everything to drive here and see Addi. I have to thank my best friend Lacey Wood who has literally put her life on hold to watch Savannah. To make sure Savannah can continue living in the only home she knows continue going to school, gymnastics and keep routine all while bringing her to Denver on the weekends. We are so blessed by all the support and help. Words can't express how thankful we are to be surround by such a compassionate community and loved ones, thank you. I truly believe in the power of prayer and Addison is proving that in every step of the way. In every sense of the word, thank you everyone.
Addison continues to be on a lot of support and has had no change in her right ventricle function. Failed Fontan, severe right ventricle function, failed fontan, failed fontan, failed fontan. These words continue to be the start of daily rounds. How did we get here? It happened so fast. She was so strong, she had so much energy going into Fontan, perfect candidate, what happened?? HLHS happened, no rhyme or reason.
I woke up in the early hours at Addison's bedside with IV pumps beeping, sat machine alarming, not knowing what day it was. However, I knew we were now 12 days and waiting. I woke up, Addison woke up and that concludes a good day. 2 weekends ago we didn't know if Addison would make it through the weekend. We are now safe to say we are hopeful she will make it to transplant. The golden question we all ask is how long can Addison's heart last until a donor comes through? Could be days could be 2 months. She declined so quickly, her team is really not sure. Again, it never has been up to us and certainly was not our plan. One I am struggling with. At this hour, Addi is sill on .75 IV drip of milrinone, 2 liters of oxygen, IV lipids and TPN. She continues to be on digoxin, sidenafil, amniodrirone, aldactone and potassium supplements. She is off epi and tolerating it well. We continue to be in CICU and there has not been talk of going to the step down unit at this point to wait for her gift. We can always hope. As of now Addi is having a good day. She is sitting up, talking and doing crafts. She even went on a wagon ride. We have good days and bad days. She tires very easily, vomits and sleeps a lot. Typical course for heart failure.
As of now we stay hopeful in His plan and continue to pray for a miracle. We pray for the parents who will choose to save our daughters life in a unimaginable time. We pray.
Everyone continues to ask what we need, how can they help. And I must say, we are SOOO grateful. What we need right now, as of today we need 2 things. We need continued prayer. We pray Addison receives her heart and the heart is a perfect match for her body, perfectly and wonderfully made for her. Lastly, we ask that you, your friends and family have a conversation. A tough conversation. Just as sitting down and making a Will is never easy, we ask you have a conversation about organ donation. Are you a donor? Is your spouse, your best friend, your parents? God forbid something happens to your child, your grandchildren, would you donate their organs? Where do you stand? In the midst of the unthinkable, what would you do? These topics are never talked about. Who wants to think about it, surely not us. But being on this side, being the parents of the dying child, we pray you do have that conversation. Many times, the conversation never happens and it is to late. The organ dies and it is not viable to give the gift of life in time. Have the conversation. Regardless of how you feel about it. Let your loved ones, your friends, your family, tell someone where you stand. If the unimaginable happens to you, to your child, what then? This is what we ask, have a conversation. Thats all....
As of now we wait. We are thankful for the day. We are thankful for the good moments with Addison, pray the bad pass quickly, but thankful for every breath. Everyday we wait, everyday Addison is stable, we are thankful. Everyday, every hour that we must wait that is just one more day, one more precious hour the donor family has with their child. We will be patient and wait. We will continue to be forever faithful in His plan.
Much love to all and again thank you so much for everything.


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Weekend Recap...

Raygen playing at work. 
Nothing makes her happier then kicking her tv. 
Traveling at home... 

I had to post this picture.  My girl has some crazy hair, lol! 





 
We had a pretty busy weekend and Raygen had a first.  Friday night we went to Olympia and thought we would try for the first time as a family of four to go out for dinner.  Since cold and flu season is right around the corner we thought this would be our only chance.  We first had to stop at the mall for a little shopping and then Zoie picked going to Red Robin.  I love Red Robin, but Friday night at 6pm probably isn't the best time to take your kids, especially Raygen.  Raygen and I waited in the car till we got a table and then went in.  Raygen did great for awhile, but I think there were too many people and it was pretty loud.  So I was able to eat quick and then Raygen and I went back to the car while Randy and Zoie ate.  I think it would have went better if either we went to eat first or didn't stay too long at the mall.  Overall it was a good experience, but I don't think were ready for restaurants yet.
Then Sunday our nurse Sasha came by to visit.  It was good to see her and I think Raygen remembered her a little.  She wasn't shy around Sasha at all.  I don't think Sasha knows how important she is to us.  She truly is like family.  She was with us through some of the hardest times in our lives and without her I don't know what I would have done.  She truly was my life saver.  When Sasha came into our home I found someone I could trust to care for Raygen so I could have a little break.  I loved that Sasha would go in with Raygen for blood draws and all the things that I just couldn't watch.  I knew Sasha loved and cared for Raygen just like I did.  We truly do love you Sasha and although you may feel like you were just doing your job, you were doing sooooo much more.  Can't wait for Sasha's next visit.  Maybe I will remember to take pictures.
On to OT therapy tomorrow.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Cardio Update

Raygen trying out her formula waiting for Zoie to get out of school, lol!  I had just given her a bolus so all she got was a drop and she wasn't impressed. 
So she decided to kick it instead... 
and just play with it. 
She didn't mind the bottle too much. 
Her favorite thing to do in the car is to kick her tv, lol! 
Playing Peekaboo barn on my nook. 
She loves this game and it's really good therapy.  Gets her to use both her hands. 
Raygen multi-tasking.  Nook and tv, lol!
 
So Raygen's cardiologist appointment was stressful, more so for her, but stressful.  Raygen cried the entire time through an ekg and echo and at one point made herself sick during the echo.  Dr. Park (who is wonderful) finally came in the room and said that was enough stress for one day.  Raygen's results though were great.  Dr. Park thought Raygen's heart function was good and since her o2 and heart rate was good, he was pretty happy.  We didn't get a good look at her stent, but Dr. Park felt like it was probably doing good since everything else looked good.  We did find out that Raygen's left side of her heart, although very small, does have some function and is pumping a little.  This is awesome news and Dr. Park feels like this is the reason that Raygen's heart is doing so good.  Most HLHS babies have no left side at all, so for Raygen to have a little one that works is amazing.  I don't know why we didn't really know this till now but it made my day.  We did discuss with Dr. Park when to do Raygen's follow up lung perfussion test (which will make sure her stent does not need ballooning) and he thought within the next two months.  This just makes my tummy hurt.  I know Raygen will need an iv and sedated and it all so overwhelming and stressful for her and I hate to see her go through it all.  I know that I have to let the doctors run their test for her safety.  I would rather catch an issue quickly rather then an emergency so I'm giving my fear to God.  We decided this time we want to have her lung test done at Children's in Seattle rather then Tacoma.  We are just more comfortable at Seattle and I feel like they would know what to do for Raygen better in an emergency situation.  Talking about test and hospitals just reminds me that my baby is not "normal" and it just makes me so emotional.  Raygen is wonderful in every sense of the word and I have had 3 months of no doctors and no test or blood work and it has been amazing.  We have been seeing Raygen shine and learn and she just amazes us all.  I guess in 3 months I got to forget I had a "heart baby" and I just got to enjoy my "baby"
We also saw Dr. Polley and had Raygen's ears checked again because she has sounded a little congested and fussy the last couple days and they looked fine.  She still has a little fluid but no infection.  Dr Polley also gave Raygen her flu shot.  Poor girl had a rough morning.
We are also getting referrals to a new OT therapist in Seattle, PT in Puyallup, and we are also going to take Raygen to get evaluated by a developmental pediatrician. 
We have some big appointments coming up so please keep Raygen in your thoughts and prayers.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  I know I'm going to enjoy my daughters and thank God for all my families blessings.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Update on Addi 3..

Here is the latest update on our heart friend.

4 days and waiting...

Posted 16 hours ago
Addison, by God's amazing grace is holding her own. She is on a lot of support but as of now she is NOT intubated and she is not on ECMO. As of last night she is sitting up, talking and taking water by mouth. She is on .75 of milrinone, IV lasix, loveox, diaril and 2 liters of oxygen. As of 2 hours ago, she is off Epi and she has been in sinus rhythm. She had ultrasounds of her liver, spleen and kidneys and though they took a hit they are stable. She doesn't have the strength to walk and she vomits on occasion but she is night and day compared to two days ago. We are hopeful she will continue to be strong enough to wait for her new heart and go into the OR strong and ready.
Addison Dayan once again is surpassing all odds and we continue to get compliment after compliment on how smart, polite and full of happiness this little girl is. She amazes us at her strength, faith and will for life. She is truly a fighter.
Thank you all for the prayers, phone calls, messages and so on. We truly appreciate it. I truly believe all the prayers literally all over the world are what has kept our little girl here. Our biggest fear is people will forget. Life goes on and we understand but we fear others will stop praying for Addi. Time has frozen for us. It is amazing to think there is literally life outside these CICU walls. For us with every breath she takes, every smile Addi smiles, we pray for more time. We pray the perfect heart comes. Please continue to pray, we can't beg you enough.
Heart Hugs,
Danny and Ang

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Addi and her family and please continue to do so. 

Raygen has her cardiologist appointment tomorrow morning and I'm praying for excellent results.  I will update you tomorrow on her appointment.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Girls Weekend..

My two beautiful daughters.
Relaxing with some tv time on Sunday. 
I love how she sits with her feet together, she is getting so good at sitting up now. 
Couldn't resist.  She is so cute sitting up and she is getting to be such a big girl. 
Raygen LOVES PHONES, lol!  They are her favorite, plus remotes. 
Raygen of course chews on them instead of talking on them, lol! 
Zoie was busy drawing us pictures.  She is such a little artist. 
Bottle time. 
She will even hold it herself now.  She doesn't suck on it she chews on it, but I'm pretty sure she swallows a little.  I don't think she is drinking a lot of it, mostly just lets it run out of her mouth, but the fact that she puts it in her mouth is a huge step for her. 
She loves to lick on apples, lol! 
And of course Raygen loves my cell phone.  So if you get alot of hang ups from me, I'm sorry, but its all Raygen.
 
Raygen has her cardiologist appt this week on Thursday.  Please say a prayer that we get a good report.  With Addi in the hospital (no update since Saturday) my nerves are a wreck.  I just need to be reassured that my girl is okay.  Raygen is doing awesome as you can tell.  She just amazes us more and more each day and I couldn't be a prouder mom.