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| Nicholas (2009) |
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| Nicholas and his older brother, Ethan (2005) |
Nicholas had the Norwood at 9 days old. He did very well after the surgery. He was able to come home when he was one month old. He came home on a few medications and no feeding tube. Of course, feeding was a challenge for everyone involved in Nicholas' care. Even so, he grew and progressed well.
At the age of 4 months, Nicholas went back to Sibley Heart Center for the second surgery. He did very well and was home in just a week. We had a little setback when he developed an upper respiratory infection and had to return to the hospital for a few days.
The next 18 months were pretty uneventful, with only one episode last winter with another respiratory infection and a short visit to Sibley for IV antibiotics. Through all of this, the staff at Sibley Heart Center and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta have been very supportive in helping us to deal with Nicholas' condition.
Nicholas has an older brother, Ethan, who makes sure that Nicholas is well taken care of in every way. He also has now a baby sister, Ellie, born May 19, 2005 with oxygen saturations of 100% and healthy in every way. We are so blessed.
We, Nicholas' family, are so grateful to the hospital staff and everyone else who offered support and prayers for Nicholas. We are all so fortunate to have little Nicholas in our lives and we thank God for him every day.
October, 2009 Update
Nicholas is now 6 years old and in the first grade. He is
very bright already reading and doing math well enough to be
considered for the gifted program at his school. In his free
time, he plays soccer even though his aerobic abilities are
limited. This summer, he took a camping trip across country with
his brother, Ethan and his grandparents. We are all so blessed
and thankful to have Nicholas and his brother and sister.
There will be more surgeries, but for now we concentrate on
making the most of every day.
