#TuckerStrong - our heart warrior
Spende geschützt
My nephew, Tucker Allan Hewson, was born on April 23, 2019 with a broken heart. His parents, Mark and Megan, found out that Tucker suffered from Interrupted Aortic Arch Type B, had a hole in his heart as well as an obstruction on the left-side of his heart when they were 24 weeks pregnant. Megan was admitted to the high-risk pregnancy unit 4-weeks prior to his birth. They were informed that he would require open heart surgery in the first 5-10 days of his life.
On May 1, 2019, Tucker underwent his first open-heart surgery to repair the Interrupted Aortic Arch and patch the hole in his heart. The surgery was very successful (Tucker is such a fighter!!) Four days later Tucker was able to have his chest closed and was on the road to recovery. Eight days later, while recovering in the NICU, Tucker started experiencing some complications and was moved back to the PCICU (Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) as they specialize in cardiac care. It was determined that the obstruction was causing issues and he would require a second open-heart surgery ASAP. The surgery this time would be the most dangerous surgery they perform in this unit and due to his age/size they would not do it unless absolutely necessary. The medical team did absolutely everything possible to avoid going in for a second surgery so soon after the first one but Tucker let us know that this was required in order for him to get better.
On May 13, 2019, Tucker underwent the extremely complex Ross-Konno operation. After 8.5 hours, we were informed that the surgery went exceptionally well. As expected, there have been some setbacks along the way: he required pacing wires to keep his heart beating at a steady pace, severe swelling, more IVs than you can count, blood pressure instability, and so many others that have been very difficult to watch our poor Tucker experience but he was on the road to recovery and every day was a day closer to getting to hold him again.
May 24, 2019, was the scariest day of all of our lives. Tucker went into Cardiac Arrest while Mark was on his way to visit him at the hospital (and Megan was at the Ronald McDonald house with their 2-year old son, Berkley). The medical team performed CPR on Tucker for over 20 minutes and eventually were able to get him on ECMO (bypass - artificial heart and lung). At this point they have not determined if there was any permanent damage to his brain or other organs as he has not been stable enough to undergo the testing that would confirm this.
Tucker's story does not end here - after 6 days of being on ECMO, Mark and Megan learned that Tucker was not recovering and would require his third open-heart surgery as he can not remain on ECMO much longer due to the serious risk of severe complications. May 29, 2019 Tucker underwent his third open heart surgery to clear the obstruction. While the surgery was successful, Tucker has a very long road ahead of him towards recovery. His mitral valve is leaking and he has complete heart block (the two sides of his heart are not communicating) which means he will most likely require a permanent pacemaker.
June 3rd will possibly be the final attempt to get him off the ECMO machine. If this is not successful he will be put on a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Tucker is not eligible for a heart transplant at this time, but we are hopeful that if he does require the VAD that down the road his body will heal to a point that he will become eligible for one.
Megan, Mark and Tucker have a very long road ahead of them. They are expecting to stay in the hospital for several months or potentially could be over a year if he does require a heart transplant and becomes eligible for one.
So many people have been touched by Tucker's story and have asked how they can help. This will help keep them together as a family as any parent couldn't imagine being away from their child while they are in critical condition. They are truly grateful for all the love and support given to them during this difficult time.
On May 1, 2019, Tucker underwent his first open-heart surgery to repair the Interrupted Aortic Arch and patch the hole in his heart. The surgery was very successful (Tucker is such a fighter!!) Four days later Tucker was able to have his chest closed and was on the road to recovery. Eight days later, while recovering in the NICU, Tucker started experiencing some complications and was moved back to the PCICU (Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) as they specialize in cardiac care. It was determined that the obstruction was causing issues and he would require a second open-heart surgery ASAP. The surgery this time would be the most dangerous surgery they perform in this unit and due to his age/size they would not do it unless absolutely necessary. The medical team did absolutely everything possible to avoid going in for a second surgery so soon after the first one but Tucker let us know that this was required in order for him to get better.
On May 13, 2019, Tucker underwent the extremely complex Ross-Konno operation. After 8.5 hours, we were informed that the surgery went exceptionally well. As expected, there have been some setbacks along the way: he required pacing wires to keep his heart beating at a steady pace, severe swelling, more IVs than you can count, blood pressure instability, and so many others that have been very difficult to watch our poor Tucker experience but he was on the road to recovery and every day was a day closer to getting to hold him again.
May 24, 2019, was the scariest day of all of our lives. Tucker went into Cardiac Arrest while Mark was on his way to visit him at the hospital (and Megan was at the Ronald McDonald house with their 2-year old son, Berkley). The medical team performed CPR on Tucker for over 20 minutes and eventually were able to get him on ECMO (bypass - artificial heart and lung). At this point they have not determined if there was any permanent damage to his brain or other organs as he has not been stable enough to undergo the testing that would confirm this.
Tucker's story does not end here - after 6 days of being on ECMO, Mark and Megan learned that Tucker was not recovering and would require his third open-heart surgery as he can not remain on ECMO much longer due to the serious risk of severe complications. May 29, 2019 Tucker underwent his third open heart surgery to clear the obstruction. While the surgery was successful, Tucker has a very long road ahead of him towards recovery. His mitral valve is leaking and he has complete heart block (the two sides of his heart are not communicating) which means he will most likely require a permanent pacemaker.
June 3rd will possibly be the final attempt to get him off the ECMO machine. If this is not successful he will be put on a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). Tucker is not eligible for a heart transplant at this time, but we are hopeful that if he does require the VAD that down the road his body will heal to a point that he will become eligible for one.
Megan, Mark and Tucker have a very long road ahead of them. They are expecting to stay in the hospital for several months or potentially could be over a year if he does require a heart transplant and becomes eligible for one.
So many people have been touched by Tucker's story and have asked how they can help. This will help keep them together as a family as any parent couldn't imagine being away from their child while they are in critical condition. They are truly grateful for all the love and support given to them during this difficult time.
Organisator und Spendenbegünstigter
Kristin Norberg Teskey
Organisator
Blackfalds, AB
Mark Hewson
Spendenbegünstigte