Tristan, born 2009

We found out about Tristan's heart when I was just 19 weeks pregnant during a routine ultrasound. While we thought we were going to find out the sex of our baby we found out the worst news possible. At the time, Oklahoma Children's Hospital did not have a heart surgeon that could perform the required surgeries so we were referred to Dallas Children's Medical Center where we met with the whole cardiac surgeon and team before Tristan was born. On October 31, 2009 (two days before our scheduled induction) Tristan decided he was ready to make his entrance into the world! From that point forward, Tristan had his own timing on EVERYTHING!

 

He was born without any problems. The NICU team was ready and whisked him away after I gave a quick kiss on his cheek. Tristan has his first surgery, The Norwood (Sano Shunt) at three days old. He was there for four weeks. We went home three days after Thanksgiving. Tristan had to be on a tube feeding because he would not take enough milk from the bottle. At five months old, Tristan was ready for his second surgery, the Bidirectional Glenn. We had to travel back down to Dallas for that. He did great and we were home within two weeks. At seven months old, he was drinking enough milk and eating enough baby food to get off of the tube feeding. Hooray! From then on he continued to get stronger and stronger. On August 29, 2013, just before his 4th birthday, Tristan had his 3rd surgery, the Fontan. Tristan is one tough kid and an absolute joy!

 

While his life started off rough and there were scary moments, Tristan prevailed and fought through it all! He is in preschool now, playing with friends and learning so much. He does require physical, occupational and speech therapies because he has experienced delays in development from his early surgeries. Tristan is a typical little boy and enjoys playing with his big brother and loves our dog Roscoe! He has an addiction to Toy Story, which before that was Sesame Street! Watching him grow and overcome so many obstacles is such a blessing and I thank God daily that we have Tristan. He has brought so much to our lives!

 

Story by Tristan’s mom, Jessica - Oklahoma