bride (with hidden veil), construction worker, Chiefs player
two years ago today...
...Ethan had open heart surgery! The surgeon sawed through his sternum, stopped his heart, sliced open his aortic artery and sewed in a patch to make the artery wider. Miraculously, his heart started back up, his sternum was wired together, and staples were put in his chest to close the incision. He was 13 days old. Five days later, we took him home. It was such a scary time and I am so thankful that it is behind us.
God's grace is all over Ethan's life
I took Ethan to the cardiologist this morning. I just have to brag about this little guy. He sat so still for his blood pressure check, his EKG and his echo, thanks to bubbles, Nick Jr cartoons and lots of prayer! Being still is so critical for each of these tests and for this active little guy to be still for even 30 seconds is a little miracle in itself. His blood pressure is great, which is just amazing with the type of heart defects he has. So, he is still on no heart meds. His EKG is the same as before, which is good. He will never have a "normal" EKG, the doctor just checks to make sure there are no significant changes.And now the BIG miraculous news...his heart looks GREAT! Better than the cardiologist could have hoped for! Can I get a "PRAISE GOD!"? His aortic artery is still wide open, showing no signs of renarrowing, and the blood flow through it looks like it would in a little guy Ethan's age with a normal heart! Dr. Ardinger actually said the words "his aortic artery is a non-issue now." I can't explain how miraculous that is. His aortic artery has been the reason for his two heart surgeries, his three heart caths, and cardiologist appointments every 4 to 6 weeks, and to be told that it is now a non-issue, that is just God's grace and healing - there is no other way to explain it. His mitral valve looks just fine - showing no signs of the problems that have showed up in the past. His aortic valve is still narrow and this will be the main issue now and the thing the doctors keep a close eye on. But God has still worked in this area of Ethan's heart because the narrowing has been downgraded from severe to MILD. If this aortic valve can keep up with Ethan's growth, it shouldn't become a big issue.
And another miracle is that Ethan doesn't have to go back for six months! He can continue to act like a normal toddler, with no physical limitations. Dr. Ardinger even said that his heart is in good enough shape to where he would be able to play t-ball, soccer, etc.
There are no words to thank all of you for the part you have played in God's healing of Ethan. Why would God choose to bring Ethan to this point when He didn't have to? It is because of His grace. His grace is so undeserving, yet He gives it so freely. Thank you!
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