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:

It has been awhile...

If you are reading this then I must tip my hat to you that you have continued to check back to a blog that ran out last August. I hit a point with Joseph's story that I just felt I could not write about anymore. Back in August we felt like we were out of the woods and I guess that the mundane was not worth writing about and any setbacks were too depressing to go over.

But, here we are, and Joseph has turned two years old. Joseph is doing very well. He is extremely active and he is hitting all the marks he should. He also hits baseballs, shoots basketballs, swims like a fish and keeps us all on our toes. We find it hard to believe all he has gone through and to see how well he is doing is a recognition of the power of miracles and prayer everyday. He makes us laugh constantly and he has such a great attitude you cannot help but have fun when Joseph is around.

We have settled in our remodeled home and we are slowly working into routines and feeling very comfortable in our own space. Here are a few pictures of Joseph's birthday. It was truly a day to celebrate. Know that we keep you in our prayers.

God Bless,

Kenny

Joseph Turns ONE Year Old!

Words are completely inadequate at this time to express the happiness we have as Joseph turns one year old. We cannot believe that a year has passed. So much has happened in this little kid's life and he has had a good effect on so many people. It has been a struggle but it was a struggle we went through together and it made us all stronger.

On Monday Joseph saw his cardiologist and all the news was good news. His heart is doing very well and there are no surgeries in the near future. They do not even want to see him for another 6 months! Joseph has begun to walk and is now exploring his world with reckless abandon. Pictures say it best so here is a picture and a video:

As you can see he has grown from infant to toddler.

Within a few weeks I will write one more blog and that will hopefully be it for this site. Thank you so much for interest in this "story."

God Bless,

Kenny

Prayers of Thanksgiving!--a successful surgery

Look Ma---no tubes!

Today Joseph had his nasal tubes removed!

We left the house at 5:40AM to take Joseph in for his sixth surgery and hopefully the last one for a few years. He sailed through pre-op (they all seem to know him now) and went into surgery at 7:30. 50 minutes later doctor Geller came in to talk to us and asked that we go to one of the consult rooms---uh oh---that is not a good sign. He always talks to us in the waiting room. Our fears were soon replaced with joy, as he explained how well the procedure went to remove the tubes and more importantly how great his nasal passageways looked. The passageways should stay open based on how they look now. Never before have open nasal passageways been the cause for so much celebration! That was the great news we wanted to hear.

My blood pressure returned to normal and a few minutes later we went up to the recovery room. He looked very peaceful and noticeably different without the plastic tubes protruding from his nostrils. He woke up and immediately wanted his mom. He ate and was happy right from the start. He did so well that they released him an hour later.

We had enough time to go and visit a few of the nurses in the ICU. Michelle, his first nurse in ICU and Dana, the nurse who cared for him on the day before his heart surgery, were there and they got to hold the child that was almost three times larger than when he left the ICU. Joseph also got to see Denise the nurse manager and Al his Respiratory Therapist. It was a great reunion.

It is a day of thankful prayers. It is hard to look back and remember all the small miracles and amazing team that helped get Joseph to this point. Our family will be thankful for the rest of our lives for all you have given us.

Thank you and Thank You God!

In Gratitude,

Kenny

Joseph and his sister Megan

Joseph is 22 pounds and turns 10 months old on June 12!

Pictures

Here are some pictures to go with the previous post:

Fr. Matt with Joseph

Joseph and his sisters at Katherine's 1st Communion

Joseph being Joseph

Peace,

Kenny

More Good News

Joseph went to the cardiologist on May 5 and had an electrocardiogram. The news was all good. The blood flow through his heart and aorta is good and they are very happy with his progress. This continues to push his potential heart surgery out for at least a year. His narrowing of the aorta is improved and he does not need to return for his heart check up for at least three months.
Joseph's nose is a different story. Joseph still has the tubes to keep his nasal passageways open and he will have surgery on June 11 to remove the tubes. This will be a quick but very important surgery. His chances of the passageway staying open are 60/40. These are tough odds but Joseph is a tough kid. If all goes well his passageways will stay open until a corrective surgery at about 5 years old can be done. It is not good to have to do the surgery earlier because he is growing so much and it can lead to complications.
Joseph has been able to be out so much more and he loves being around many people. He is very happy and is generous with his smiles. It is good for the family to be able to do more things together and we are so appreciative of all the continued support and prayers for Joseph. Katherine received First Communion on Sunday and it was great to have the entire family all around to support her in this big step.
The girls are such great big sisters to Joseph and while they make us nervous when they carry him around, Joseph loves his sisters and yells in delight when they take care of him. Joseph is crawling more all the time. This is surprising because he almost never is on the ground if the girls are around because they hold him so much.
I am out of town right now so I do not have some new photos to upload but I will add some photos when I return. God Bless you all!

Kenny

P.S. The Men's Guild of Childrens Hospital is hold a fundraising poker tournament on May 17 at the museum of design. If you would like to play please call me at 626-840-9474 and I will send you information. But please call soon as the reservations are almost closed.

Time has accelerated!

I find it hard to believe that we are in April. Joseph and the girls are growing like weeds. Joseph will turn 8 months old on April 12. Easter has come and gone and and life continues on even if we are not ready for it. The last few weeks have been challenging. Joseph's great-grandmother, Maxine Lund, passed away at the young age of 87. We had a wonderful celebration of her life and Joseph was able to meet some of his cousins. Joseph was a trooper through it and always had a smile for everyone he met. Just like this one from today:



We had family in from Utah and Fresno. It was a wonderful family gathering. It was great to celebrate Maxine's life and to be together to share stories and support each other. Here is one section of Joseph's family. He is in there somewhere!



Joseph is over 20 pounds now and he has forward motion as he learns to crawl. He starts in a nice crawl position:




But he puts is bottom in the air in a strange attempt to fly rather than crawl:


Then his arms go out and he moves one inch forward.---Hey it is a start!

We hope this Easter was as special for you as it was for us. It was the first one for Joseph and he loved playing with the Easter Eggs. It was a special family time to reflect on the sacrifice that saved us all. I found myself reflecting on the sacrifice so many made to take care of Joseph. It is what makes it all worthwhile.

God Bless,


Kenny

Joseph Lund- 20 pounds of fun

Joseph is doing very well! He is gaining weight. He takes up much of our time but he is well worth it. He has started eating baby food and some formula. He loves to laugh and his sisters make him scream with delight as they laugh with him. He has been out and about more and seems to tolerate it very well. We took him on a short trip to attend the company board meeting.

I am thankful to those who still check into this site. I am sorry I have not written in awhile -- but to reward your diligence here are some new pictures:

Joseph and his Godmother

Bathing in the sink at the hotel!

All Clean!

Celebrating Saint Patrick's Day!

(yes those are green scrambled eggs)

We are getting ready to celebrate Joseph's first EASTER. This will be a special Easter as we recall the sacrifice our God has made for us. It will be a celebration of Life. We hope this Easter is a great one for you. God Bless.

Kenny, Mary and the kids

A Deep Breath

It is time to slow down and take a deep breath. Joseph has been breathing better through his new and improved nostril extenders. He is starting to get back into a better sleep mode and is generally happy again now that the recovery from surgery is almost complete. It is AWESOME to hear him breathe and the familiar whistle noise from the tubes is back. Joseph is able to feed well and he is putting weight back on.

Through the kindness of a great friend we have been able to take a much needed family vacation to a nearby beach. We are enjoying a four day get-a-way and it has been great to regroup. It is especially wonderful to have the whole family together and not be running around to the next event. We played a marathon game of Monopoly and Mary did needlepoint. The girls have enjoyed the undivided time with mom and dad. I even feel like my heart rate has slowed to its proper speed and I am able to allow myself to actually get a bit bored. Being bored---I never thought I could enjoy it so much! We used to complain when we were young about there being nothing to do and whining to our parents, "I'm bored!" We never realized how good we had it! We wish you some nice, peaceful, relaxing, boring days ahead.

Kenny

Breathing Better But a Bit Bothersome

Joseph and his bionic nose

Joseph was able to go home the day of surgery at 6PM. That was a good thing as it is easier to care for him at home. Today (Thursday) he has been cranky and it is challenging to keep the new tubes clear because he cannot stand to have them touched and he fights pretty hard. He is a fighter but we do not want him to fight us. Mary has been incredibly patient and now knows more than she ever wanted to about suctioning goop out of a child's nose!

Once again we owe so much to so many--the doctors, nurses, staff, the children's school, our family, friends, and many more. A special thanks to Christina at the hospital who brought us breakfast and lunch and to Autumn who brought us coffee as we waited for Joseph to get out of surgery. Joseph has conquered 5 surgeries with a few more to go and he is very strong and has proven his resilience. Having gone through it with him, those reading this blog are stronger as well. That is a great accomplishment for all!

still humbled,

Kenny

surgery went well

Joseph is out of surgery and it went well. He has new larger nasal tubes and is breathing through them like a champ.

Nasal Tubes--The New Fashion Statement!

Joseph will once again be a trendsetter and will soon be sporting new, larger, classic, and aero-dynamic NASAL TUBES! Yes, they are coming back in style after just a few weeks. They will be installed on Wednesday morning. Look for Joseph on the cover of Gerber Weekly and Fashon Babies. All the kids will want them his summer!

OK seriously now-----

Joseph will have his fifth surgery this Wednesday. He cannot get enough air in through his nose and babies need some air in order to feed properly and to thrive. We have tried all the tricks but it is very frustrating to feed him and he tries so hard that he burns about as many calories when eating as he is taking in. This does not let him eat properly and he has lost some weight.

The surgeon will open up his nasal passageways and then will put the reliable tubes back in place. They will be in for about 3 months before this set is retired. If the surgeon can get the passagways open up some more and if the tubes allow him to eat well and thrive then he should be in good shape when they are taken out. In this video clip you can hear his nasal breathing right at the beginning:

It is just not good enough airflow to get by. You can also see how happy he is. With everything he has been through he remains happy and he is very good natured. He still sleeps through the night and overall he is doing well. He just needs to breathe better!

Joseph jabbers all the time but for the record he nows says DADA regularly(well once to be exact.) Never mind that I say it to him a thousand times a day-- He still said DADA and this video proves it:

Joseph will be in the hospital over-night this time. It is a tougher surgery so they want to observe him longer after surgery. It will be a long week but we will get through it! Thanks for keeping the faith. Since I owe a few pictures I am going to close this blog with several of them. Enjoy, and keep us in your prayers--you continue to be in ours.

Kenny

Still a journey

Today February 12, Joseph is six months old. His half birthday. It has been an amazing journey and it will continue on for quite some time. I remember when he was about 4 weeks old and he was still in the hospital. Some friends asked us when they could see him and I replied, "not until at least 2008." They were shocked because it had not really sunk in how we would have to keep him out of circulation. It kind of shocked me too. Maybe we are over protective but until we hear one of the doctors say, "they surgery went much better than expected." we are going to stay a little gun shy. I think that not hearing that line has been our biggest frustration. Each surgery has been a step forward but not the leap forward we hope for. This last surgery has proven to be the same. It is progress but now there are other issues.
Joseph is having a tough time breathing out his tube free nose. It is hard for him to eat and sleep so he is a bit less happy and we are a bit more frustrated with the effort it takes for him to feed. He has to stop and start constantly to catch his breath. Watching him eat actually makes us breath harder as we try to will more air into him. We saw the doctor on the 11th and he gave us a few more tricks to try to help Joseph tough it out. If it gets worse or if Joseph starts losing weight, he will go back in surgery to have new tubes put back in. That will allow him to eat better, but it will mean an additional surgery to remove them once again. Each surgery is tough on him and tough on us. (But they tell us that the tenth surgery is free--as long as we have our card punched!)
I learned to like the tubes that Joseph had for 5 1/2 months. They were easy to keep clear and he tolerated them very well. But I was so glad to see them go. Now we are facing the prospect of having them return. That is not our goal. We are going to do all we can to keep him tube free. So we ask you once again to keep him in your prayers. This child has taught us so much. He has also confused us so throughly at times. I have a few questions for God that I hope will be answered some day--but for now we are content to continue the journey with all of you walking along with us.
HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY JOSEPH!
Someday he will read that and know how he has been loved from the start.

In gratitude,

Kenny

p.s. Come back soon and I will have some more pictures