Hello fellow TSDers, My wife and I have been following the story of a little boy named Stellan. He happens to live just 45 min or so away from us, here in Minnesota. Stellan has a heart condition called SVT, where basically his heart beats way to fast (sometimes upwards of 240 beats per minute.) His mother who we know to me MckMama (what she calls herselve in her blog) is very strong person, with a very strong faith in the LORD. Stellan has recently been admitted to the Childrens Hospital on Minneapolis and is in a downward trend. He needs as many prayers as he can get! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pray for Stellan. Today his Dr's in Minneapolis have decided that he needs to go to Boston. There he will more than likely have an open heart operation. He will likely need to have a pacemaker implanted to help regulate his heart beat. Here is a link to MckMama's Blog... Stellan needs all of us to pray for him. Healing for Stellan, Strength for his parents, Wisdom and Guidence for his doctors. Thanks TSD! Gus
Hey Gus, My wife and I have been following this as well and praying for this lil guy. Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is something that is very near and dear to our family. Children's Hospital of Boston is the premiere hospital for CHD operations! He will be in good hands there by the leading doctors in this area of expertise. There needs to be more congenital heart disease (CHD) awareness. Congenital Heart Defect Fact Sheet Sometimes during early pregnancy, a baby's heart fails to form properly, resulting in structural abnormalities known as Congenital Heart Defects. Although some defects are genetic, in many cases the cause is unknown. It is estimated that 40,000 babies with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are born in the United States each year. More than 1 million American children and adults with Congenital Heart Defects and Childhood Onset Heart Disease are alive today.* CHD is the most frequently occurring birth defect, and is the leading cause of birth-defect related deaths. Although some babies will be diagnosed at birth, sometimes the diagnosis is not made until days, weeks, months, or even years after. In some cases, CHDs are not detected until adolescence or adulthood. Some CHDs may not require treatment other than periodic visits to a Pediatric Cardiologist. Others can be treated with medications or repaired with surgery and/or procedures. Complex defects may require several surgeries and are never really "cured". Many cases of sudden cardiac death in young athletes are caused by undiagnosed CHDs and Childhood Onset Heart Disease. It is estimated that more adults than children are living with congenital heart disease, and this population is expected to grow by 5% each year. Yet, many adults with CHD are not receiving adequate ongoing care from trained specialists.*** The Congenital Heart Information Network (http://tchin.org) is the only organization of international scope dedicated to meeting the needs of families and individuals affected by CHD. * American Heart Association: Statistical Update 2001 ** American College of Cardiology, 32nd Bethesda Conference: Care of the Adult With Congenital Heart Disease ***Report of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Working Group on Research in Adult Congenital Heart Disease, 2006
Thank you to everyone praying for this family! I have only physically met them once, but I feel like I am part of the family since I have been following his story for some time now. Please continue to keep them in your prayers, as they figure out their flight details. Stellan was out of SVT for nearly 1.5 hours last night! Praise the Lord. It sounds like he has been in and out of it for the last couple of hours. If you want to keep updated you can follow MckMama's Blog or Follow her on Twitter.
Just a little Update on Stellan. His heart seems to be staying under control, however his body is so many drugs run through it that he is starting to show the signs of toxicity. The family is still in Minneapolis Childrens right now. They are patiently waiting to get word that thay are off to Boston Childrens to get Stellans surgery, at least as Patient as they can. Please continue to for this little guy. MckMama's last post has a few pictures of Stellan in his Grandpa arms, he looks so worn out and drained. Dispite all that Stellan has been through, he continues to fight, and continues to hang in there! Links to read more about Stellan and stay updated on his Status! MckMama's Blog Twitter link
from the mom on her blg....While all the insurance logistics and flight arrangements have finally been ironed out as far as Stellan's travel to Boston, there still remains the need to wait until there is a bed available in the CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) at Boston Children's. The last we heard, there wasn't a bed.
Stellan seems to have had a pretty good day, all things considered. They are still awaiting an open bed at Boston Children's. It seems as though MckMama is in pretty good spirits today. Praise the Lord! God is Good! Please continue your prayers, as Stellan is not anywhere nears out of the woods yet... Thanks everyone! If it seems a little weird to any of you that I am gung ho about praying for this little one, I am sorry. As a father myself, I know your kids mean the world. It seems as though this little guy is a part of my family even though he is not. The power of prayer is so strong! God hears all of them. Thanks again. Again is the link to MckMama's Blog.
Just a quick update. There is question to whether Boston is going to happen at this point in time. Stellan's doctors need the prayers also right now.
Another short Update... Stellan will be going to Boston Children's at some point. They are pretty certain that there is an air ambulance that will take him, however MckMama has not yet given us a for sure time or day that the transfer will take place. Stellan seems to be doing fairly well today, my guess is about the same as yesterday. From the amount of drugs that are pumping threw his veins, he is definitely showing the signs of toxicity. Continue offering those prayers! Stellan still needs as many as possible. Thanks TSD! MckMama's Blog Mckmama Twitter Page
For those who have been following this thread, I am very happy to announce that Stellan was discharged from the hospital this morning! They never did take him to Boston Children's as there were some bumps that were not ironed out in time, in result his Dr continued to search for a drug combination that would work for Stellan. As it turns out, they were able to find the right combination that would allow Stellan to stay in sinus rhythm, and remain out of SVT. Yesterday there able to get him completely off his IV meds and onto Oral meds. Which means that Stellan got to go home this morning! Praise the LORD! Thank for all of your Praying. Please continue to pray that his little heart continues to function well and stay out of SVT. Thanks again! Gus
