heart hero

I’ve been having fun sending mail to little Leo every day while he is away.  Yesterday I ran out of stamps and had to get more. They are cool Superman stamps and as I was putting them on I was thinking wow, these are kind of perfect because everything this little boy is going through he certainly is a little super hero.

From there the wheels kept turning and I decided to paint a little present for him. I am pretty happy about how it turned out! 🙂

I’ve had the privilege of meeting several other cardiac babies and they certainly are all little super heros and so are their parents.

I made a girlie one for Aleeda too (who got discharged from Sick Kids yesterday!! After more than a year there!) , then decided to be brave and put them up on Etsy so that if anyone is interested in a customized one for their own heart baby.  So ya, I have an Etsy shop now! Check it out here I will be adding other stuff as time goes by.

Day 8 Leo update

An update on Leo from Facebook:

“Day 8:

Today Leo has been pretty grumpy. He’s been pretty constipated so we’re trying to help him out  He’s feeling a little better now, but still is having tummy pains. Chest tube drainage is looking good.

He was also hooked up to a Holter monitor this morning which needs to be on for 24 hours. The nurse hinted at the possibility of discharge tomorrow. But it also depends on how is eating goes.

When Leo felt good today he was been playing and talking, and is moving a lot more. So that is good to see!”

#prayforLeo

Leo Update

Wahoo!! Thanks for all your prayers! This is a wonderful move! Please keep praying!

(update from Facebook)

“Day 7:

Leo is now in his own room! He is off all IV meds so they took out his central line. He still is having difficulty drinking the Portagen, and they are wanting him to eat 90 mL every 3 hours. They also want his heart rate to go down.”

#prayforLeo

fun mail

I have been having way too much fun sending mail to Leo while he is at Sick Kids. The kids made a whole bunch of cards for him and I made the envelopes pretty. LOL

He also will get a puzzle piece in each envelope. LOL I know. He is way too little to even care  but maybe it will make his mom and dad smile.

 

oops and update

I wrote yesterday that they kept Leo’s chest open but I published that before they changed their minds and decided to close him up.

His mommy and daddy updated today saying he is still sedated and medically paralyzed so he can heal. Pray that his fever will stay down and he can heal up quickly.

It is done

It is hard to believe it is over. All this waiting and wondering and worrying and hoping.

I was amazed at the calm all day in the waiting rooms. It was SO obvious that people all over the world were praying for us and Leo. The first hour was the hardest but the rest of them were great. We visited with each other (Lauren’s grandfather from Texas and her dad from California were here as well) and were able to hand out Healing Helpers to Aleeda (a little toddler who I have posted about before. She just got a heart transplant a few months ago and had a G tube surgery today which started at the same time as Leo’s surgery. She should be able to go home very soon which is so exciting!) and two other girls we had not met before.

It was very neat to meet little Sophie, a two and a half year old is still waiting for a heart transplant after 7 + months. It was neat to see how excited her mom was about the healing helper. She had seen it on their facebook page and was amazed that there was another Sophie with the same isssues so it was very cool to tell he that that was for her daughter. Sophie is adorable and chubby and it was so neat to see her.

We were able to see Lisa again as well. (You have probably seen her name many times on here. Her daughter, Ava, spent most of her life here at Sick Kids and she passed away a couple months ago.) Lisa looks great. She was up visiting Tania and Aleeda and stopped in for a visit with us and was so sweet to bring us timbits.

We didn’t get many updates but this surgeon is THE BEST and doesn’t like to give updates until everything is settled and up to his very high standards. He is the absolute best at this and we couldn’t ask for better

Lauren’s sister turned 20 today so they took a break to sing to her over the phone. That was amusing. J

Despite so long with no real updates at all the hours went pretty quickly.

When the surgeon finally came in and gave the good news and Lauren’s dad prayed to Praise God we all burst into tears. It is amazing the stress we didn’t feel that we were carrying. (there was a lot we did feel but in the calm today we didn’t feel too much of it.) When it all melted away we feel light and exhausted and excited. I want to run and jump but also to sleep for along time.

Praise our awesome God for taking such good care of Leo today.

They will keep his chest open for a couple of days to make sure everything is good and he still needs our prayers as he recovers.

pray for Leo

Today is the big day. The big scary day we have all been waiting for since the results from Lauren’s ultrasound came. We all covet prayer today.

My prayers for today:

1. Safety for my parents and myself as we drive down (and back) to wait with Mark and Lauren and Lauren’s dad, Glenn.
2. For safety for Leo and strength.
3. For wisdom for the surgeons, nurses,anesthesiologist and anyone else involved.
4. For calmness for Mark and Lauren (and the rest of us family and friends) while we wait.
5. For the surgery to go smoothly with no problems.

I am so thankful that our God is bigger than health issues, he is the great physician.

 

pray for rest

One more day. Today is the day that Mark, Lauren and Leo head down to Toronto.

I have a few things I am praying for today:

1. Safe travels to toronto – no more close calls with large animals…..
2. A restful sleep for all three of them at the Ronald MacDonald House. Sometimes it is hard to sleep in a bed that isn’t your own….
3. Restful minds that don’t keep thinking about what tomorrow will bring but just enjoy a day together.
4. Again for the doctors and nurses anyone involved in the surgery to also have a very restful night.

 

Don’t forget to follow my tweets tomorrow for updates at #prayforleo

pray for health

Today I am praying for continued health for Leo, Lauren and Mark as well as for my parents, Lauren’s dad and myself. Obviously good health is extremely important for any cardiac patient or their visitors.

Mark and Lauren have been very careful for Leo’s whole life to keep him healthy but these last few days pray for extra protection for nasty germs.

 

If you are praying and want to be added to the world prayer map that Lauren is making for Leo to show him all the parts of the world that prayers have been coming from please either leave a comment with your country and city. What a cool thing for Leo to have as he grows up!

 

pray for Leo’s parents

Today I am praying for Leo’s parents and their hearts as they prepare Leo and themselves for a fairly long stay (likely about 2 weeks) away from home.

I am praying for Mark and his anxiety levels to be miraculously low so that he can be a rock for Lauren and Leo.

I am praying for Lauren for extra strength (even though she is already one of the strongest people I know) as she prepares for long hours of waiting.

Keep up with prayer requests and updates on twitter (or Facebook) using hashtag #prayforleo and tweet back using it to let them know you are praying for them.