Mary Catherine’s Next Big Step: Open-Heart Surgery #20

Update 8/5:  We just spoke with the surgeon. He said it was a successful operation and he’s very optimistic about how it turned out. She had some scarring in her pulmonary artery and Dr. Dabal opened the length of the RPA from her lung to the conduit and patched it with cow pericardium. She currently has elevated blood pressure, which they’re treating with medication. They ended up using a 16mm conduit because they had the space for it. She’s being moved to recovery now, and we’re hoping to see her around 4 o’clock. The next step is to get her off the ventilator and then work with her on her time. No signs of another stroke!!

Update 8/4: Hey everyone, just wanted to give you a quick update. We just left pre-op. We’re still waiting on a few test results, and they said they’ll give us a call—so there could be a slight delay—but for now, we’re set for tomorrow morning. We spoke with Dr. Dabal, the heart surgeon, and he said he’s extremely optimistic about the surgery. They’ll be replacing the conduit with a cow valve. He expects her to stay in the hospital somewhere between 4 to 5 days—maybe a little longer—but at this point, there’s no reason to think the surgery won’t be completely successful. He also said she’s in a much better place than she was during her first open-heart surgery. She’s bigger, stronger, and healthier now. The surgery is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., and we have to be there at 6:30. The whole procedure should take around 4 to 5 hours. He went over all the possible complications and why they could happen, but he said the risk for anything serious is very, very low. He also mentioned that given her current size, this next conduit might last up to 10 years before needing to be replaced. Of course, we always take everything with a grain of salt—but that’s incredibly encouraging news. That’s all we’ve got for now. I’ll keep everyone updated as we learn more. Update 2: Just got the call her bloodwork is clear. They had to do additional testing bc her white blood cell count was up but she didn't test positive for any viruses. 

God is so, so good!!   

#TEAMMC 

#HEARTWARRIORPRINCESS 

#FIGHTMC

On August 5th, our daughter Mary Catherine will undergo her second open-heart surgery in Birmingham. She just turned 18 months old, and this will be her 20th+ surgery. As with every step of her journey, we go into this one with hope, preparation, and the same goal we’ve had since day one: to give her the healthiest and happiest life possible.

We’ll be relocating from Fairhope to Birmingham for her care, splitting our time between the Ronald McDonald House and the home of a kindhearted woman we call “Grammie”—a friend who’s become family and has been there for us through so much of this journey. God puts certain people in your life for a reason, and Grammie is one of those people.

Melissa will be taking time off under unpaid FMLA to care for Mary Catherine full-time. James/Joey will be working remotely from the hospital during our stay, but as you can imagine, even with work and planning, the expenses pile up—travel, keeping the bills paid back home, food, insurance, and the curveballs that always seem to come with medical care.

This fundraiser isn’t about hardship. It’s about giving Mary Catherine what she needs, staying close by her side, and making sure we can focus on her healing—not on logistics. She is the strongest person we know, and we’ve learned to match her strength step for step.

If you’re able to support us—through a donation, sharing this page, or simply keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers—we are deeply grateful. Every bit of help lets us keep showing up for her the way she needs us to.

With love and thanks,

James, Melissa, Elizabeth Anne, and Mary Catherine

#TeamMC

#FightMC