Timmy, born 2001

Timmy was born in January of 2001.  His diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome was not detected until he began to go down hill in the hospital and as a result transferred to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York thirty hours after he was born.

The first week was the hardest.  But really so was the first year and the second and third.  He had his first surgery at one week and only 4 1/2 pounds. He really was and is a fighter.  After struggling with feeding issues for the first month in the hospital, Timmy decided to crash in the hospital.  Timmy lives today because God placed a cardiac fellow, Ashwin, by his side with an echo machine. The Fellow watched Timmy's stats go lower and lower and was able to administer all the medication needed for Timmy not to miss a beat.

Three months after being admitted to the hospital and dealing with chylus effusions and not being able to orally feed our son for more than three weeks, we were finally able to take him home with a NG tube and a lot of medications.

We went to the doctors almost every day for the next six months.  Back to Columbia for surgery #2 and g-tube placement and abdominal correction for malrotation.  Finally surgery #3 just after he turned three years old.

Every year was another problem for Timmy to handle.  Every year, we have been in the ER for dehydration from vomiting from flu like symptoms.  But he remains strong. God definitely has his timing for everything in this child's life.  He had a catheterization to close his fenestration in August of 2004. One month later and back to the ER, we found that Timmy also had another birth defect called Chiari Malformation.  Another surgery sometime in his life, but this time to his head.

The summer of 2005, severe asthma was added to our list of diagnoses.

Timmy's is a story of a very strong child.  A very small child that has the strength of King David and demonstrated God's strength in all that he has been through.

Story by Timmy's mom, Kathy - CONNECTICUT