Four Years Ago!

I've wanted to share Luke's story here for awhile, to have a digital copy of his story and because this blog is public, and should someone happen onto it and be in a similar situation, I'd like them to hear his story to give them hope.

The task of actually getting in typed out is a bit daunting and I'm not sure how detailed I want to be. So here's the abridged version.

Our second son Luke was born April 5, 2005 weighing 10lb 7oz. He was born with a congenital heart disease known as Transposition of the Greater Arteries. More info here.

We found out about this 6 weeks before he was born during a fetal assessment. And so he was born in the high risk area at Women's Hospital, with a Cardiac team waiting for him.

This is the first picture we took of Luke, an hour and a half after he was born. The color is not off, he was actually this blue. He was then rushed to the children's hospital where they did a balloon septostomy to encourage the flow of oxygenated blood to the body.

Luke stayed in the NICU in Winnipeg for 10 days before he was stable enough to be transferred to Edmonton. He struggled with extra fluid in his lungs which led to his lungs collapsing twice. He baffled the doctors because he was a lot sicker than they expected him to be.

He was flown to Edmonton April 16th, to Stollery Children's Hospital where Dr. Ross would do the surgery. Upon arrival in Edmonton we found out he had a blood infection which once again postponed surgery and meant more medications.

When Luke was 14 days old he had his surgery called the Arterial Switch. It was supposed to take 4-6 hours, and ended up taken 8 hours. It was the longest afternoon of our lives. Especially the last 4 hours, because they don't tell you anything until the surgery is over. Apparently it took longer because he had a lot of extra bleeding.

This is after his surgery.

We spent a total of two weeks in Edmonton before Luke was flown back to Winnipeg NICU.


He spent a few more days there before being transferred to the regular ward in the Children's Hospital. Then the focus moved from heart issues to feeding issues. His first taste of milk in his stomach came through a tube through his nose to his stomach, attached to a pump. His first feedings were through a continuous pump that started at 8 ml per hour. He worked his way up to bolus feedings and finally to breastfeeding.


Luke went home from the hospital at 5 weeks of age without any medication, and just a feeding tube.

Luke is a healthy 4 year old now, he goes for annual check ups with the cardiologist, which he has passed with flying colors. He has no restrictions for physical activity, and you'd never know he's a heart baby other than a faint scar on his chest. If you have any questions about any of this feel free to leave a comment or email me.

Psalm 119:13-16

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my
mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not
hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven
together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of
them came to be. NIV