Easton & Oakes

{Little Easton smiling in his sleep earlier this week!}

I have shared before about special children and families that we have fallen in love with in the CICU, right now there are several really amazing families on the floor that fall into this category. All with courageous stories, strong famililes, beautiful heart babies, and like us they are all hanging onto HOPE. There is no doubt that anyone with a child in the hospital is looking for prayers, and I hope that when you pray for us you pray for other families like ours. Tonight, I want to ask that you specifically include baby Easton and his family in your prayers.

Easton is a five month old baby, that transferred to SLCH from Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City some time around Christmas. Easton was born with the same congenital heart defect that Oakes was born with, Truncus Arteriosis. Easton is our new next door neighbor. He, like Oakes has had several set backs, several complications. Easton has never been home. Also like Oakes, Easton is a fighter, he is strong, and from the outside he looks perfect! He has surprised his doctors more than once and pulled thought when they didn't think he could. Easton and Oakes are buddies, no doubt. Earlier this week, after a trip to the Cath lab, Easton's parents got devastating news that his heart may be much more sick than his team originally believed it was. Easton has been put on new medication to try to help his heart, and in the mean time his friends and family are praying for healing miracles. I have been in tears over Easton's circumstances in the last couple of weeks and when I asked his Mom if I could blog about Easton, she said, "Yes, please!"

So please, when you think of Oakes, and pray for us, please, please pray for our friends. Pray for Easton especially. Please pray that he responds to his new meds, that his heart relaxes, that his belly dries up, and that he continues to heal and surprise his doctors. And of course, please pray that his loving parents feel comforted and supported, especially his amazing Mom that is so far away from friends and family. Please pray that they don't lose sight of HOPE, that they find the strength to continue to forge ahead with grace and love, and most importantly that they are able to take Easton home very soon. I am comforted imagining that our vortex is expanding into Easton's room, that his family will feel the love that we have felt from all of you. Heart strings to Easton! XO

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Oakes: Oakesie is awake, unparalyzed, and his numbers look pretty good. It has been determined that on top of being fluid overloaded Oakes has had some kind of infection in his lung. His right lower lobe was collapsed yesterday, but today it looks much better. He had such a good day that around 6pm his paralytic was turned off and he woke up pretty comfortably. Big sigh. He is on a broad spectrum of meds to wipe out whatever the infection was and that seems to be helping. Yesterday Dr. Gazit had said that he was perplexed with Oakes' symptoms because they haven't been able to pin point the source of the infection. When Oakes woke up he had a serious audience. Greg, Isla and myself, as well as Ena, Aunt Sally and Aunt Tina. Not so sure he was thrilled to see all of our masked faces gazing at him, but we were all over the moon to see his sleep eyes open up!

Hope you are all having a great and boring weekend!

XO

Ena, Sally and Tina

Sally & Oakes saying hello. Sally hasn't seen Oakes awake since the transplant! Every time she has scheduled a visit Oakes has been paralyzed.

Oakes was happy to see Sally!

If we could enter a poster contest, we would surely win! Today the Fox sisters, along with Isla and Ena, made a red heart "Oakes tree" for Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. We hung it on the doors to the CICU to remind everyone that comes and goes from the floor that this upcoming week is all about CHD awareness. If you are so inclined, wear red this week and spread the word about CHD awareness!