Thank you for listening. Dedicated to Wesley… Wesley was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) while still in the womb. In non-medical terms his left ventricle was 1/3 the size of a normal heart and did not allow adequate blood flow to the body. It occurs in about 1 in 4000 births and is estimated that only 50-60% of infants with HLHS live to be five years old. It is unknown why this defect occurs, but it is life threating in every case. Every case of HLHS the patient will require at least 3 open heart surgeries. To date, Wesley has had 4 and is scheduled for his 5th in October. In any case, Wesley spent the first 4 years of his life sustained on a gastric feeding tube, and his parents spent that time caring for him through thick and thin. Thankfully Wesley is now a teenager, but those years have not been easy.

His open-heart surgeries included the Norwood procedure (construction of a new aortic artery), the Glenn Shunt procedure (the surgeon connects the superior vena cava from the heart and connects it to the pulmonary artery) and tricuspid valve repair. When the time came for Wesley’s third scheduled open heart surgery (which would be the Fontan procedure), somehow by the grace of God, Wesley’s left ventricle grew enough that the surgeons instead wanted his left ventricle to be reconnected. This 1.5 ventricle repair is very uncommon. With the partial left ventricle working, the surgeons felt it would prolong the longevity of his right ventricle. To an extent, these procedures have been successful.

Each of these surgeries could have taken his life. He has survived systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) due to infection, anemia due to acute blood loss, and vocal cord paralysis. The complications he has endured were also life threatening, particularly the infection. Infections leading to SIRS, more often than not, result in death or major complications. On top of that, as a baby the vocal cord paralysis meant he could not cry. I know right, a baby that doesn’t cry, a blessing? Not so much. His mother needed to be extremely vigilant, being next to him all the time (sleeping when she could on the couch or chair next to him, precious few hours to be sure), to insure he was safe, since crying is a baby’s primary means of communication. In need of comfort? Wet diaper? Feeding tube wrapped around your neck so you can’t breathe? No way to communicate that to your care giver? It has all happened. They have been through a lot. Wesley is a warrior.

Fast forward to 2022 and Wesley is now 13 years old, the artificial conduit the surgeons originally used was no longer allowing adequate blood flow. Thus, a fourth open heart surgery was deemed necessary. Once again Wesley surprised the doctors. His left ventricle had grown to a normal size, which is uncharted territory. HLHS left ventricles don’t usually recover and grow to normal sizes. The doctors performed a fourth open heart surgery to undo the previous Norwood, Glenn, and 1.5 ventricle repair procedures and reattach everything to make his heart function like a normal heart. This fourth surgery was meant to be his final open-heart surgery, unfortunately this was not to be the case.

Recently Wesley’s pressures have begun to climb to dangerous levels and the surgical team have determined that less invasive methods, such as catheterization procedures, would not work to prevent dire consequences such as aneurism, stroke, or death. Basically, his heart has adapted to the occluded flow and created a unique vasculature. In other terms his heart has rewired itself to adapt in an abnormal way. After numerous MRIs, CTs, you name it, he is scheduled for his 5th open heart surgery in October.

If you are reading this, you know that this is a serious situation, and we want him to have a chance at life. His life is on the line one way or another. I can write pages on why this is so important to me, why Wesley is so important to me.

During the procedure, recovery, and recuperation his family will be right there with him, no matter what. It might be a couple of weeks or a couple of months away from home, work, and school, but it doesn’t matter. Wesley is what matters. The purpose of this GoFundMe is to support care, travel, and unpaid medical expenses during this difficult time. The family will be taking unpaid time off from work to be right there by Wesley. His brother Luke will support him while trying to maintain his schooling as a high school junior. His mother has put her career on hold to be there with Wesley through it all, as she has done in the past. It is my hope that they will not need to worry about financial hardship while supporting Wesley as he fights for his life. Family and friends have supported them throughout the years and will continue to do so. We are working class people with not much extra to spare. But truly valuable things in life are right there on the operating able. I am writing out of my own motivations on behalf of my girlfriend and her son, Wesley. While we are not people that ask for help lightly, I have the support of Wesley’s family and friends. In any case, thank you for listening to our story. If anything, please pray for Wesley.

Please continue to follow this page for updates on how Wesley is doing!

UPDATE: Wesley is scheduled for surgery November 8. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers! Thank you

Update: Wesley’s surgery went well! Thank

you for all of your support. The family spent day and night in the hospital during and after his procedure. He is home now and recovering. One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with school work! Wesley has needed to continue to have blood draws every few days to monitor his medication levels. His family has been right there with him. Please continue to pray for him. He is in good spirits, and hopefully he can return to school in January.