Support Wyatt's Heart Surgery Journey

On July 22, at a 25 week ultrasound, we received the news that baby Wyatt’s heart has not developed correctly. This news has been an absolute mountain of emotions to work through. Tears, anger, fear, worry, and anxiety have been replaced with a sense of peace and trust that God has a plan for Wyatt and has formed him exactly as He planned. I wanted to share with all of you exactly what is going on with his heart and how it will affect the coming months and years.

Wyatt has been diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) which is a severe congenital heart defect causing the left side of the heart to develop incorrectly resulting in a significantly smaller left ventricle and atrium. In his case they believe this to have been the result a longstanding and previously undetected genetic issue in either Stef or I. Aside from the left half of his heart, his body is developing perfectly and is expected to be healthy.

Our care has been transferred to MUSC Charleston where Wyatt will be born sometime near the end of October. Following birth he will undergo intensive care for several days until he is cleared for his first surgery. His first surgery will be within days after birth, his second surgery at 4-6 months, and his third surgery at 3-5 years of age. All three surgeries will be open heart and very intensive. This will mean a temporary move to the Ronald McDonald House in Charleston for the duration of his care as well as a myriad of expenses for Stef and I to figure out.

Pray for Dwayne & Stef during this time of uncertainty, for healing and strength for Wyatt, and for Sybbie as her world will be turned upside down for a while. Pray for us as we put together a support team to come alongside them during these next few months. Pray for wisdom for the amazing medical team at MUSC who will be working to create a functioning heart for Wyatt and caring for him during his months in the hospital.

We're raising money to help support them in a couple specific areas. First, they've been living in a fixer upper house while working on remodeling it. With Wyatt's diagnosis, the timeline for finishing some of these projects has to be moved up so he has a quiet, safe place to return to following his surgeries. Secondly, there will be extra expenses - gas for the drive back and forth to Charleston, meals out, time off of work beyond paternity leave, etc.

We appreciate your care, prayers, good thoughts and financial support - so very much, so thank you in advance!