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:

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