Amazing Advancements

The advancements made in the medical field always amaze me.  If I were born with Stephen's condition I would not be alive, but over the last 30 years they have developed and improved upon a series of three surgeries that has brought some adults into their late twenties...amazing...but not good enough.  Stephen has only one functioning ventricle and his 1/2 of a heart has to work extra hard.  "In the normal heart each ventricle does a separate job. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs, and the left ventricle pumps blood to the body.  In a single ventricle heart, there is only one ventricle large enough to do the normal job of pumping blood. This ultimately requires committing the single ventricle to doing the harder work of the heart, pumping blood to the body while the job of getting blood to the lungs must be done without a pump".  In Stephen's case his single ventricle pumps blood returning from the lungs to the body, and the blood returning from the body travels to the lungs by direct blood vessel connections without ever entering into his heart or a pumping chamber.

The 1st two surgeries began this configuration where all of the oxygenated poor blood from his upper body bypasses his heart and flows passively through the venous system into his lungs. The third surgery will finalize that flow by connecting the lower half of his body ultimately making all oxygenated poor blood flow into his lungs to be oxygenated and will then enter his heart to be pumped out to his body. 
Crazy...right?!  He looks completely normal on the outside...but his entire system is plumbed so differently on the inside.  

I am so grateful that they have made these advancements and have these 3 surgeries.  Without them he wouldn't have survived more than a week.   However these surgeries are only palliative..meaning they only prolong life but do not cure his condition.  They have found that this type of circulation works for about 20 years (if the heart continues to pump strongly and no major complication arise) but the single ventricle tires out and a heart transplant may be necessary.  

Here is where research becomes so exciting.  The advancements being made are incredible.  Here is a short video that describes how some amazing advancements will be put into a clinical trial of 10 patients undergoing the 2nd surgery using stem cels banked from the child's cord blood.  
Stem Cell Use in Congenital Heart Disease
The hope is that these stem cells strengthen the single ventricle to give it greater durability and power to pump blood throughout the body.  This can potentially be amazing as Stephen gets older.  My hope is that this will be able to delay any heart failure or need for transplant for a time...or buy time before they find some amazing "cure".  The key however is funding.  
Funding = Research = Advancements = Life
I am so excited to help support CHD Awareness and research because it will make a difference in the life of my son and of so many other children.  The research brings hope to families like our and patients like Stephen.  Hope that they will one day find a "cure" or better way to make their 1/2 a heart function like a whole one.  
So as part of CHD Awareness Week I would like to show you one place you can donate towards this life saving research.  
You can donate to the Mayo Clinic 's research Center for Regenerative Medicine..the amazing center making this stem cell research possible!  

Here is al little more about the Mayo Clinic

and Here is where you can donate!  Giving to Regenerative Medicine


And while I do hope Stephen will benefit from these advancements and that a better solution to his condition will be available in the future, my ultimate trust and hope comes in the Lord.  For whether Stephen lives 80 years or 10 years...it is my prayer that his death, or any of ours, will not be the end of life but the launching pad into the glory we were made for.  


Thank you for letting me spread awareness...one blog post at a time!!!!

* Quotations were taken from Cincinnati Children's Website