Fixed? Not so much

We. Must. Keep. Fighting.

9 years ago, today, at 12:30pm I heard it.  Standing in the hallway with his lunch tray in hands (I had missed post-surgical rounds, but that’s another story,) the world renowned Dr. Tweddle told me that Nicholas was fixed.  Yep, “fixed.”  

A week later our amazing pediatric cardiologist told me his heart was fixed and he would grow up without any problems. His words may have been slightly different, but the message was the same.

My first wake up call arrived when Nicholas was 4. I was sent a research study that hinted at the trouble some kids with coarcs have as adults.  Hmm… easy enough to ignore.  Especially since he met all his milestones, and was keeping up with his peers.

Then came the speed bump a year ago.  Nicholas’s blood pressure was abnormal, undetectable even, in his left arm.  Oh, and the funky looking thing on his echo, last summer.

Just last week, I had to listen as doctors planning a research study discussed recent information from Europe that stated most kids with coarcs will have problems as they get older. Ugh.

Fixed? Not so much.  I have faced the hard truth that there will be problems.  I will do everything I can to make sure that Nicholas stays in specialized care.

Yet, the cold hard truth is that there just isn’t enough information.