#fightlikeTyson

 (For those of you not familiar with the story of Tyson King Lennear, please watch this video posted on March 11, 2018: https://bit.ly/2OuVqZq.) For the most recent updates: www.facebook.com/tashalennear22. Tyson King Lennear was born on December 28, 2018 in Orlando, FL, with the congenital heart defect known as with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with Pulmonary Atresia and MAPCAS. Having TOF means Tyson’s arteries aren’t mapped out correctly and doesn’t send proper blood-flow to his lungs. As if he didn’t face enough challenges with TOF, his newborn screening unveiled an immune deficiency. The medical staff at Arnold Palmer Hospital suspected a condition called SCID (known as “bubble boy syndrome”). As a precaution, he was transferred to the University of Florida Shands Hospital in Gainesville (3 hours away from his parents’ home), one of only 3 hospitals in the state equipped to address SCID. While his family anxiously awaited results from the SCID test, Tyson’s oxygen level started to decrease which required him to be intubated. During his intubation procedure, his intestine was punctured, resulting in emergency surgery, and his right arm burned from an IV infiltration. He spent 13 days with his abdomen open as the doctors awaited his internal swelling to decrease before stitching him back up. It was soon after confirmed that Tyson didn’t have SCID and he also tested negative for the chromosomal defect (DiGeorge Syndrome) known to cause TOF, but the surgeries were a major setback for his overall health. Two months later, Tyson is still recovering from the abdominal surgeries. He continues to suffer from extreme TOF-related oxygen decreases and does not tolerate feedings. Recently, Tyson was in so much pain, he didn’t respond to 2 doses of morphine combined with a sedative. He wasn’t a candidate for surgery at Shands because of his lack of immunity, but thankfully, his mother found Dr. Frank Hanley of Stanford Children’s Hospital, one of the most respected doctors for the unifocalization heart surgery necessary for Tyson to survive. We are elated to have received word yesterday that Dr. Hanley’s team has agreed to perform surgery on Tyson!!! The emotional and financial support from our extended family, friends and complete strangers has helped get us through the last 3 months. We thank you in advance for any contribution in assisting Tyson and Tasha in their travel to and extended stay in Stanford, CA.