Fasting for Baby Seraph

Please join us in fasting for Baby Seraph this Sunday (May 3rd 2009).

Seraph's heart has several defects.  She needs another open-heart surgery, the Fontan (this link explains all 3 heart surgeries, the fontan is the last one).  Last January, the cardiology team decided she is NOT a candidate for this 3rd heart surgery.  Her pulmonary veins are too small.  Pulmonary veins don't grow bigger.  They also decided she's not a candidate for some intestinal surgeries she needs. They didn't expect her to live this long.

The pulmonary veins are actually in her lungs.  In the picture, the pulmonary

 veins are the RED tree-branch-looking veins in the lungs.  The pulmonary veins bring oxygen-rich blood back to the heart.

See how the veins are bigger the closer they get to what would be the "trunk" of a tree?

Seraph has 3 pulmonary veins on her right side.  One of those is fine.  Another is probably OK.  The third is too small.  Picture a long, narrow tree trunk that doesn't have many smaller limbs branching off it.

That's fine for a tree, but Seraph's blood flows through these branches.  If the branch is too narrow, the blood can't flow through fast enough.  (The pulmonary veins on her left side are fine.)

The Fontan surgery will double the volume of blood that has to flow through those veins.

Seraph's body is slowly outgrowing her heart's ability to pump enough oxygen to it.  She'll need the Fontan to survive.

May 8th, Seraph will have an echocardiogram--a high res ultrasound on her heart.  They'll be looking specifically at her blood flow and her pulmonary veins. We're praying that her doctors will find something to reverse their decision and allow her to have the Fontan procedure.  This will put her back on their list of "treatable" patients.  We're also hoping they decide she's well enough to have the intestinal surgeries to ease her GERD (really bad reflux).

Baby Seraph has thrived at home.  Despite catching 2 colds, she's done so well.  She went from constant pain to rolling onto her tummy (thus her scar) on purpose! She's gained weight and started physical therapy.  She has 3 new teeth :)  She scoots and wiggles and rolls as far as her cords will let her.

She loves being with her family and especially with her twin sister, Baby Angel.  They are very close.  They shared the same sac in utero.  It's a miracle that their cords didn't knot and twist each other off before they were born.

Baby Seraph needs (another) miracle.  We want her to grow up with her twin sister...and have a long & happy life.  Thank you for fasting with us. Please keep Seraph in your thoughts and prayers.  

I hope to have good news for you soon :)