Such a time as this...

So it's been awhile since I last posted, but I am due for an update post!  Most of you probably follow me on Facebook and know Liam recently had a heart cath procedure this past week.  This was due in response to his last cardiology visit which captured some higher pressures on his echo.  We were hopeful that these pressures were not consistent and that the heart cath might be able to balloon or stint some areas to relieve it.  However, the findings were that Liam's conduit and valve show severe calcification and stenosis, increasing the risk to any interventions by cath, and further indicating that now is the time to do his (hopefully) final heart surgery to get in a larger conduit to last into adulthood.

While obviously this news was hard to hear, we have been extremely blessed to have had virtually no interventions needed since his last surgery in December of 2010 - 8 years is a great sign to us that his next surgery can last even longer, and that any future interventions will be able to be made by cath and not surgery.  Huge praise!

Dr. V is looking over the cath results and meeting with the surgeon early next week to figure out the game plan and then scheduling will be calling us with dates after that.  So we should have a surgery date by next week! Eeek.  This is a whole new ball game with an older child (and now younger siblings at home), so I plan on doing some blog posts with how I am preparing our family and Liam for his upcoming surgery.  Just being in the hospital overnight for the cath was very different than our previous stays, because Liam is now much older and we also have our other children at home to care for as well.  God was so gracious during this recent cath, and has given Dustin and I much wisdom on how to proceed in preparing for surgery.

We appreciate your prayers for this upcoming surgery and will keep updates coming on here.  We love you all!