From the left, Jacob Ryan, 7 (seated), sister Georgea, 3, and brother Jesse, 9.

Jacob's pregnancy was not normal. I had bleeding at 6 and 8 weeks, and was put on bed rest and meds to stop labor at 26 weeks. I had many ultrasounds while I was pregnant and nothing wrong was ever found.

Jacob was born full-term at 37 1/2 weeks. He was tiny, just 6 pounds and 17-1/2 inches long, but strong! During the next 2 months, Jacob saw the doctor for many things- Candidiasis, diaper rash?but his heart murmur wasn't found until his 2 month checkup. He went to a cardiologist the following week and shortly afterwards had a cardiac catheterization.

The doctors determined Jacob had anomalous origin of the right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta and a PDA. He needed surgery right away or he would die from right heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. We were so scared at this point. We were told that he had a 95% chance of making it through the surgery. That sounded good but what if he were in the 5%? And what about the postoperative complications?

With God's grace he made it through wonderfully and we brought him home just 4 days after surgery. We followed up with his cardiologist every year or every other year. We were told that there might in the future be stenosis from scar tissue formation at the site where the RPA was attached to the pulmonary trunk. At 5 years of age, he had a good checkup and was told to come back in 2 years.

We wish that he had gone back at 1 year, because during those next 2 years, the surgical site had become so stenotic that only a small trickle of blood was going to the right lung. His left lung was doing all the work. He had another cardiac catheterization and luckily a stent was able to be inserted by Dr. Thomas Fagan at the University of Iowa. He was put on enoxaparin injections twice a day for 2 months and they will probably dilate the stent in 6 to 8 months. A normal RPA should be 12-13 mm. Jacob's was <1mm and was enlarged to 5mm with the stent.

Jacob is an awesome kid. He is very feisty and temperamental but also very loving and compassionate. He is small for a 7 year old, 43 pounds and 46" but he is very strong and athletic. He is on a competitive boys gymnastics team and he takes dance and plays soccer.