It’s been 7 weeks since Kelsey's last open heart surgery, a mitral tissue valve replacement. Since then, our Christmas prayers and New Years wishes have been replaced with again some very tragic news.
Kelsey's recovery from this surgery has been more complicated and daily we have watched and looked into Kelsey's eyes and seen her slip further away. Constant questions and meetings with her Doctors have been met with very little or no explanations. Kelsey to this point has remained in the cardiac intensive care unit at Boston Children’s Hospital. A baby so full of hope and in many times full of happiness before these turn of events:
She has been fed through continuous intravenous feedings (parenteral nutrition) and withdrawing from sedative medications, while fighting a septic blood infection from her broviac line, her face now disfigured by swelling, her sweet baby sounds and beautiful smile have been gone for weeks, replaced by constant grunting, vomiting and looks of constant confusion and despair. Those who haven’t seen her in recent weeks all have the same response, "What happened to Kelsey?"
Kelsey’s ammonia level which is a product of protein metabolism was 255, normal is 30 - 55. Kelsey was slipping into a coma in front of the ICU Doctor’s eyes. Medication for treatment was started immediately, but this news brought on more diagnostic tests. On Tuesday of this week a brain CAT scan showed a subdural hematoma, bleeding into her intracranial space... new or old or both, difficult for the neurosurgeons to say. On that same day, John and Lisa were pressured to do a cardiac cath, the risks explained, the consent signed, they waited. The results of the cardiac cath brought about tragic news - Kelsey has a paravalvular leak, not a leak from the valve, but a leak from the sutures connecting the valve to her heart. The answers to the questions that John and Lisa had been seeking for the last three weeks had been answered in one day. However, not all the questions are answered, we are now waiting for the same Miracle Worker that has saved her life many times before, to tell us what the next steps are in trying to save Kelsey’s life...
Please continue to pray for Kelsey, we know she is ultimately in God’s hands, but for now, she is in the hands of the Boston Children’s Hospital fighting for her life…
