Joseph Turns Four!

It was with profound thanks that we celebrated Joseph's fourth birthday! He is doing very well and enjoying the second half of the summer.  His first half was complicated by surgery but he is running around now like a normal 4 year old.  He swims like a fish, rides his electric ATV, and plays with all his toys--especially his trucks and trains.  As a family we are thrilled to reach this milestone with a boy who is so blessed and so very tough.  It has been a team effort and as we look back on his first four years we realize that we could not have made it without the consistent outpouring of support through every way possible by our family and friends.  This is a celebration for everyone who has been a part of this journey. 

We also hit another milestone in the family.  Joseph's oldest sister officially became a teenager on August 7.  Congratulations Clare!

Thank you all and thank you God!

The Lund Family

Playing in the yard.

It will be three week tomorrow since Joseph's surgery.  Today he was out playing in the yard and Ellie captured this video:

As you can see he is doing just fine and moving around without any pain.  We will keep him home for another week and then he will be off quarantine!  He will be able to go out and about again.  Yhat will make working through our family schedule much easier.  After that we just have to protect his chest from impact and strain until the end of July.  It could prove to be the toughest job in Pasadena!
Joseph is doing so well that I will probably only do one more post and then I will put up some pictures on his Birthday in August.  Thank you for taking interest in Joseph's story. 

Kenny

Check up was great!

Joseph went back today to see the cardiologist.  Great news! After several tests including an ultrasound of the heart the cardiologist said the surgery was successful and he does not need to come back until his next check up in six months.  Joseph's rash is gone and his battle scars are healing well.  He will need to stay home for 2 more week and then we can start to let him out of the house again.  That will make the family schedule much more easy to manage.
We are so thankful for a successful operation and very thankful for your help getting Joseph through this.  I think I have stated this before but it bears repeating.   I would not wish this situation on any parents but in many ways it has been a very positive experience.  Joseph and his story have given many friends and family a better perspective on life.  We have grown closer as a family and as a community.  We have a stronger appreciation for prayer and have been strengthened in our faith.  We are blessed.

Kenny

A fine weekend

Joseph had his checkup on Friday.  If he was brave and let the doctor see he chest he would get a chocolate shake. (I know --- do not give food as a reward---but give me a break, the kid had major surgery and can't stand the doctors touching him after all that) Anyway, he made it about half way through the removal of four stitches and start cry/yelling to make sure that everyone in the clinic knew that there was a three year old being tortured in room 4.  Time stands still when you are holding down your own kids as he is pleading for you to take him home.  It took 35 minutes to remove the stitches (OK-- I fibbed it took two minutes, but it sure seemed like 35 to Joseph.)
The medical team determined that he had a slight infection at one of the chest tube sites and sent us on our way with an order for antibiotics.  In the two days since he has been on the antibiotics he has improved greatly.  He is healing quickly and his rash is almost gone.  Mary took him outside to play and he enjoyed that tremendously.  He played with his cars in a pile of sand and was thrilled to smash his cars through the sand in mock NASCAR racing complete with crashes and sound effects.
I have to thank his grandma for letting him borrow her IPad.  He plays with it for hours and there are some decent learning games on it.  He missed the last month and a half of his preschool so we feel he is keeping up and in 13 years he won't blame his SAT scores on a stunted educational experience when he was three.  His class and teachers at St. Edmund's have been great and brought him over two baskets of toys. He made sure that he played with every single toy in the group. He teachers stopped by and gave him his book all about his year in preschool.  He has shown the book to anybody he can, as many times as he can.  The toys, books and IPad really helps because he is still limited in what he can do.  He will be able to do many more things in a few more weeks but is in protection mode for six more.  Here is a shot of him with HIS IPad.  His sisters cannot believe that he is the first in the family to have one!

Have a great week everyone and know that we appreciate all the love and prayers.

Peace

Kenny
PS  yes he did get his shake because he was brave for half the exam---but I took two sips out of it for the crying!

9 days and counting

It is hard to believe that Joseph's surgery was 9 days ago.  What a week!  He continues to do very well.  The only minor issue the rash on his arm on leg. A dermatologist looked at it and gave us some lotion for it.  The rash does not bother Joseph except for a little itching.  So it should be easy to rub a little painless cream on an arm that does not hurt---right.  Wrong!  I can always reason with Joseph except when it comes to getting him clean.  He must think the lotion is some kind of soap.  I cannot hold him down effectively because I do not want to hurt his chest.  It is like trying to put sunscreen on an octopus!  Except the octopus does not scream or try to to kick you. 
Oh well---If that is the biggest issue we have we are blessed.  Clare's eye is healing fine even though it looks worse. 
Peace,

Kenny

Sunday--Day six - NOT uneventful!

On Sunday everything was going along just fine.  That is until Joseph wanted to go on the swing outside.  He made it outside but I caught him and made him go inside and play a nice SAFE game with his sister Clare.  His SAFE room is where the blood curdling scream came from.  I suppose it was fortunate that it was not Joseph who was crying out in pain --- but Clare would think it was very unfortunate because it was her doing the screaming.  Joseph and Clare are both blessed with high thresholds for pain so it is always very concerning when Clare is writhing in pain.  Mary and Katherine got there first to find Clare on the floor with her hands over her face.  It would seem that Clare won game she and Joseph were playing--- (a game of chance) and Joseph got so upset that he took a swing at Clare with a game piece in his hand and cut the lower part of her left eyeball.   I arrived on scene to see Katherine screaming, Joseph crying, Mary running for ice and Clare on the floor in terrible pain and a blood in her eye!   You can see now why I write so fondly of the "uneventful" days.
We went into triage mode.  Katherine was sent from the room because she kept yelling that Clare was going to be blind.  Joseph ran to the couch and buried his head in the pillow while still sobbing because he hurt his sister, and Mary returned with the ice as I assessed Clare's eye.  At first it looked like a trip to the ER was in our immediate future but as things calmed down we could see that it was a small cut and there was not as much blood as it first appeared.  It only takes a bit of blood mixed with tears coming from an eye to really scare the be-jabbers out of a parent!  A call to Clare's aunt who is an ophthalmologist put us at ease and with did not head to the hospital.  Her eye will be OK and Joseph sat with her and made peace.  They even attempted to play the game again today but we told Clare to wear protective goggles! 

Joseph continues to heal and as you see in the previous video he is active and not in pain.  His rash is getting better and he is eating well.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone.  This is a day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to save and protect our freedom.  In particular I think of Grandpa Captain Edward Baranski who was one of only 20 Americans to be killed at Matthausen Concentration Camp in Austria.  He was on an OSS mission in occupied Slovakia when he was captured.  I know he looks after our family and I am sure he is thankful for all those that have helped Joseph. Joseph's middle name is Edward so I know he has a strong connection to his Great-Grandpa in heaven.

Peace,

Kenny

Message from Joseph

Uneventful day 5

When one flies on an airplane, the best kind of flight is uneventful.  If you are recovering from surgery the best kind of day is also uneventful.  Saturday was a very good day for Joseph because it was uneventful.  He is following the rules: no trampoline, always walking, no picking up anything heavy, no hitting your sister in the head with a toy truck and so on.  He has quickly learned that it is better to play quietly.  He stayed busy all day coloring, watching movies, playing with his new toys that his preschool class gave him.  He is pain free and quite content.  The only ill effect from surgery right now is a small rash on his arms that does not seem to bother him much.  It is probably from the drugs that he needed for surgery that are working their way out of the system. 
I will work on posting some pictures today so you can see how well he is doing. 

God Bless,

Kenny

Setting boundries---rule # one---NO TRAMPOLINE FOR JOSEPH

Last night was truly chaos.  When I wrote that Joseph was "running" it was not an exaggeration.  I was dropping two kids off at soccer and volleyball and had to call Mary.  While she was on the phone Joseph got up from where he was watching a movie and snuck into the backyard.  Elizabeth was not with him because he hit her in the head with a toy truck and she was putting ice on it. Elizabeth did see him go outside and yelled to mom.  Mary ran to the door and he took off running full speed.  Luckily Mary kicked into "superhuman mom" mode and caught him before he reached his destination.  It turns out he wanted to go and jump on the trampoline!  Can you imagine how we would explain that to the ER doctor if he had made it?  I picture the doctors shaking their heads as we try to explain how a kid, three days out of open heart surgery hurt himself while jumping on a trampoline!  I am sure a call to child protective services would be their next step. 
Fortunately, no harm came to Joseph but I am sure his angels (and parent, sisters, aunts, uncles....) will be completely worn out over the next eight weeks that we are tasked with protecting his sternum and heart. 
Today has been fine and he has settled down a bit.  Very little if any pain medication needed and he is thrilled to be home.  Lets hope it continues into the evening and we do not repeat last night....
Pray for peace and calm parents,

Kenny

Home and feeling fine---Too fine!

If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would have never believed it was so.  Joseph is home and doing so well that we are having trouble keeping him slowed down.  He is up and about like nothing happened.  The staff at the hospital said it would be good to have him up and walking----he is running.  Seriously, the only pain medication he is on is alternating Tylenol and Advil and the kid says he has no pain and wants to go outside and play!  It would seem so simple to keep a young child sitting down who has a three day old, ten inch incision mark on his chest due to major open heart surgery.  Joseph and his parents all need a sedative!  Joseph is as active as he was before surgery and it is terrifying trying to keep him in check and worrying if he will fall and hurt himself.  I have two explanations for this phenomenon:
1. The surgery repaired a narrowing of his blood flow out of the heart.  The kinked hose is now working and allowing the blood to flow wide open.  The heart is learning that it does not need to work near as hard and will calm down over the next few weeks. 
2.  He has had so many people praying for him that a miracle recovery like this is to be expected.

The first would only explain a few things we have observed.
The second explanation is what really has happened and we could not be more appreciative for what you have done or happier with the incredible progress Joseph has made.
Joseph's sisters are all home as well and the house is back to the usual level of chaos. 

We are so blessed--Thank you God,


Kenny

Cleared to go home!!!!

The doctor just came in and cleared Joseph to go home!  We get to leave as soon as all the paperwork is done and they take out the last tube.  The doctor commented that Joseph is doing very well.

Joseph wants to go home

Last night Joseph asked Mary if he could sleep in the car so that when he woke up he could immediately go home.  He did not get his request but the doctors may let him go home today.  He has a few more hurdles to get over and then the hospital portion of his journey will be over.  He is still doing very well and they have done a great job of managing his pain.  Joseph misses his sisters and wants to see them at home.

Here is Joseph waving hello to everyone!  Have a great day.

Kenny

A great day!

Joseph is currently playing with blocks.  He got up out of bed and walked around.  He has hit his marks and is so different today it is almost liked they switched kids during the night. We find it quite miraculous that a three year old who has undergone such an invasive surgery can be up and around in 48 hours. It really is almost incomprehensible. If you time-traveled  and brought a doctor from 50 years ago to observe this process they would think they had been taken to a different planet.  There are several technological changes just the the 3 1/2 years since Joseph's last heart surgery. 
Going through this has brought back many memories of the 6 week stay in ICU when Joseph was born.  This has been a much better experience and, dare I say, almost easy compared to the last heart surgery.  We were so unprepared and lost back then.  This time we were familiar in the surroundings, could plan schedules ahead of time and Joseph is so strong.  The thing that is most similar is the tremendous sense of God, family, and  friendship surrounding us with prayer and support.  Unless you have gone through it there is no way to describe it properly. 
There is also an overwhelming sense that there is no way to properly say thank you to so many.  How does one thank a doctor who has spent a lifetime developing skills to perform such surgeries,or a nurse who works the night shift and then goes home to take care of their family,  or the hospital volunteer who  takes time out of their busy schedule to bring a coffee to a haggard dad, or the people who have never even met Joseph, yet find time to say a prayer and lift him up to the healing grace of God.  I would love to hear your ideas on this because I still have no clue in this regard.
I get so philosophical when I have little sleep--so I will stop--but before I sleep I will shout out a thank you and offer a prayer of gratitude for such a great day and so many friends.

God Bless,

Kenny 
   

Watching Shrek

Just hanging out and watching Shrek.  A good uneventful morning!

New day---New room

Joseph and I were sleeping soundly when the phone rang at 5AM.  We were going to move to the 6th floor.  Great news but tough timing!
 He is now settled in to 6th floor west.  He was able to eat breakfast and is doing great.  His numbers continue to show strength and they are even talking about letting him go home tomorrow instead of Friday.  We will see how today goes as they eliminate more meds and Joseph continues to get stronger.  Joseph tells me that he is not in any pain and he is comfortable.  Mary did a great job with him yesterday getting him through the tough tube removals and he is benefiting today.
It would be impossible to thank everyone who has helped but a special shout out goes to Anna, Mike, Christina, Steve, Kevin and Assumption School staff-- who have been taking care of our girls while we tend to Joseph.  It is a gift to know that they are in good hands while we are with Joseph.
May God bless you

Kenny

The end of a long day

I have a cell phone app that sends a bible verse every day.  Today's verse is Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
It was a perfect verse as Joseph was surrounded by a cloud of support through prayer and he laid aside all the weight(tubes) and showed his endurance.  There is joy in the struggle when looking to Jesus!
He is sleeping now after tough but successful day.  Wednesday he will move out of ICU and go to sixth floor.  He is one day closer to going home.  If he continues his progress he should go home by Friday. 

Amen!

Kenny

Less is more

Preparing for and during surgery, Joseph was fitted with no less than 22 tubes or sensors that monitor, provide input for medications, drain or input fluids, help him to breath and nourish him.  It is quite the bowl of spaghetti that is attached to him. Today is all about removing as much of that apparatus as possible while still allowing for proper care.  So far 12 items have been removed and 3 more at least will go away by evening. It seems that the tape removal is the toughest!  Joseph is awake but groggy and gets agitated each time he is poked and prodded. He is being tough and has even managed some smiles.  We were laughing as he teased his nurse in between grimaces as he told her that Thomas the Tank Engine is purple (believe me, Joseph knows every character in Thomas the Tank Engine and Thomas is definitely blue)  He smiled when we called him on it and  that was when we really knew that he was returning to his usual great attitude. He has a ways to go however.


This is a much tougher day for him but all the doctors and staff are happy with his progress and go out of their way to encourage and provide the best care possible.  Assisted by the spiritual care provided by all of your prayers, Joseph is healing quickly and after a few more days will be well on his way to a full recovery.

Thank you

Kenny and Mary

Joseph had a good night

Joseph was able to sleep well and his numbers are very good---and there are lots of numbers!  They count everything!  His heart rate, fluid intake, oxygen level, fluid outflow, respiration rate, respiration strength,blood pressure, temperature, and a few things that I cannot read, are all tracked and noted.  They take a blood sample and send it to the lab and that gives them a whole page of numbers!  So when they say his numbers are very good it is really saying something!

May you have many good numbers today...

Kenny

Time for a good nights sleep. Thank you all so much

Prayers are powerful things.  It has been quite a day.  Our family is fortunate to have such a great "support group" out there. We wish you all a peaceful evening knowing that God is good and Joseph is doing well. 

Breathing on his own. No ventilator! Resting comfortably.

resting comfortably. Taking the breathing tube out soon.

Doing Well!

I just got to see him.  He is still sleeping.  His numbers are good but they had to leave his breathing tube in.  They will take that out tonight.  He has only been awake a few seconds at a time and is very out of it. 

Your prayers are working.

Thank you--Kenny

He is out of surgery and everything went well!

Our blood pressure is returning to normal. 

We just got word --- main surgery done! They are closing him up.

So far so good

It takes awhile to set up all the plumbing.  He will have lots of tubing when he gets out.  The tough part of surgery is coming up.  Here is a picure of Joseph when we checked in:

Here he is just before surgery---He would not smile but he was in good spirits:

Keep the prayers going!

Joseph has the same anesthesiologist as before. He is in good hands.

They took Joseph in early. The surgery should be about 3 hours.

Joseph is in surgery

May 23 is here

Two months have gone by since we found out Joseph needed another open heart surgery.  It has been a long process but we are finally at the surgery day.  The process is stressful on a family but it also provides some incredible insight.  Faith is strengthened, family gets closer and perspective is completely changed. Our conversations lately are not normal.  We try to keep things normal but eventually conversations focus on Joseph.  It is a humbling experience as so many friends offer prayers and support.  Again---we are so very grateful.

With the surgery being at noon it is tough on a kid as they cannot eat after midnight. To help Joseph we had an early dinner at five and then a "Pancake Party" at 9PM.  It was a bit unusual to be cooking pancakes at that time, but hopefully it will get him through a no breakfast morning.  Here is a picture from Joseph's special meal.

Next up---8:15 mass,

God Bless,

Kenny

One Day Away

Thank you so much for all the prayers that are offered for Joseph's surgery and quick recovery.  I have no idea how people without faith get through something like this.  It is tremendously helpful when you let us know that you are praying for Joseph.  It helps us stay calm and keep it in perspective. 

We will not have to rush on Monday morning as his surgery has been scheduled for around noon.  They generally take the infants or the more complicated surgeries first so I guess it is a good thing.  Monsignor Bob at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish is going to offer the mass at 8:15am for Joseph. The later schedule will allow us attend the mass (as long as we can get everything together.)  You are all invited.  It will be good for Joseph to get out as he has been quarantined  here at the house to keep him healthy for surgery.  Please understand that he cannot give you a hug if you see him at mass. After mass we will head to the hospital as they want us to check in at 10am.

If you want to get an automatic email update when there is a post please enter your email address at the very bottom of this page. 

With Gratitude,

Kenny

Here we go again!

Joseph has been doing great but our last check up revealed that he will need another open heart surgery on Monday, May 23.  We are reactivating this blog to keep his friends and family updated on his progress.

The surgery is necessary to correct a "sub aortic valve stenosis" or a narrowing of the aorta just inside the aortic valve.  It is a common occurrence in kids that have Joseph's history.  The doctors were not surprised to see it but they were surprised that it came on so quickly.

Joseph had is pre-op on Friday and all systems are go for Monday.   Thank you for all the love, concern and prayers directed at Joseph.  Once again we count on you to get us through and for that we are so grateful.
Kenny and Mary

p.s. we added the follow function--to get an email when there is a new post just enter your email at the bottom of the page.  Here is a little video message from Joseph: