Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Introduction

Our son Owen is scheduled to have open heart surgery on Wednesday, March 21st at Children's Hospital to correct a hole in his heart. Technically, this type of hole is called a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). While in the womb Owen's spetal (the wall between the left and right ventricles) did not fully close, leaving a hole for the blood to pass from one side to the other. In a normal heart, the 2 ventricles operate separately from one another. With Owen, a large amount of blood is traveling between the 2 halves of his heart, short-circuiting the normal flow. This means his heart has to work extra hard to supply his body with oxygen. During the surgery the surgeons will sew a patch between the 2 ventricles to close the hole.

Last Friday we met with one of the heart surgeons. We were very pleased with the way the doctor explained the whole surgery from start to finish and answered all our questions. We feel confident in his ability to perform the surgery.

Originally, the surgery was scheduled for March 14, but because Owen is still getting over a cold, it was pushed back a week. Praise the Lord with us that we were able to reschedule the surgery so soon, that we had a successful visit with the surgeon, and that we have been able to tap into many resources at Children's hospital.

Please pray for our health as a family these next 2 weeks, for our emotional strength as we prepare for the surgery and hospital stay, for Clara as she feels the tension ahead and will need help adjusting to extra care being given to Owen.

Check back here for updates and prayer requests.

-Jon and Amy

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We are praying for you guys and love you dearly! Thank you for setting this up so that we can understand and pray more specifically!
We love you!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful blog sight, you guys! Thank you for the opportunity to follow Owen's experience. We will continue to pray for each of you. We love you!

Anonymous said...

You don't know me... but Mona McDonald has shared your families story with a great group of Godly woman that will make it our mission to pray for your family, especially little Owen through this surgery and recovery. May God provide the surgeon just the right guidance to perform this proper surgery to repair Owen's heart. May he bless you all with peace during the process and show you that not only is he standing beside you, he is there working with the surgeons hands during the procedure. May He also work miracles and provide a speedy recovery so that Owen can go on being the little boy he is set to be.

May God bless you and your family!

Nicole, LaMarcus, Langston and a new baby in the belly!

Anonymous said...

The Olson-Calpe family are thinking and praying for all of you. God has Owen in His hands, and he will be there with him and your family on surgery day. Our Daughter Ava had her heart surgery last Friday, March 2nd for her PDA closure at Children's Hospital as well and also had to reschedule her surgery due to her cold. While in surgery the doctor found her PDA to be larger than expected but was able to close it with a new, non-FDA approved device. Even though she is still not totally in the clear, we will be going back for monthly check-ups to chart her progress for the next year. Little Ava is the third baby in Seattle to have this device, and we are very blessed to see her doing so well. I know this is a difficult time, but I wanted to share with you our story so that you too can be encouraged. It is amazing to see God's work through the doctors. We'll be praying for you all - thank you for keeping us posted! - Anne, Randy and Ava Calpe

Anonymous said...

Mike and I are praying for all of you and especially Owen. We love his sweet spirit and enthusiastic laugh. We will keep you in our prayers.

Anonymous said...

Amy and Jon, We pray faithfully each night that God will be with you during this difficult time. We as parents are so fortunate to have Children's Hospital so close! May God give the surgeons wisdom as they help Him bring healing to your little boy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Jon & Amy, I know I haven't seen you guys in such a long time, but I want you to know that Bob and I are praying for Owen to have a seemless and quick surgery with an even quicker healing. I know God must be drawing you close during this time and I know he has your whole family in the palm of his hand. He is faithful.
Many Blessings and much love, Bob and Tanya Gore