Brave little Hearts

Michael’s Story

MICHAEL RICHARD WI******ER 3/26/2014 - 3/06/2017 December 2, 2013, at 9am in Annapolis, Maryland is a date and time that will forever be stamped in my heart. My husband and I went to what we thought was a routine doctor's appointment. I was far enough along in my pregnancy that they would tell us the s*x of the new addition to our family. We were elated to find out we were having another Boy! It was the next part of the news that was numbing - something was wrong with his heart. The confusion of what the doctor was saying raced through my mind so fast. I could only call on the name of Jesus believing he would see us through. We followed up with a specialist and the final the diagnosis was that my youngest son Michael Richard Wi******er was going to be born with a Heart Defect called Left Heart Syndrome . In the same breath the doctor stated because we are in the state of Maryland he could give us the option to terminate. He said - "This heart condition will not go away, your baby is unlikely to survive and faces a grim future if he does and that your family lifestyle could be turned upside down." My husband and I looked at each other and at the same exact moment shook our heads no. My husband said "We have to give him a fighting chance." I was still in a daze when the receptionist handed me a 3D photo of my sick unborn son on the way out the door. The car door shuts, I look at the photo and tears came so quickly that I couldn't fight them. I had a million why’s for God and fear overwhelmed me. Our lives have now forever changed without warning. Michael’s heart defect meant we had to prepare for the fight of a lifetime. We didn't know why or how this happened but we were going to see this through to victory. This situation was extra rough because I was also battling a resurgence of Crones disease which had been in remission for 12 years combined with other life challenges. I knew right away this was going to be an uphill battle for the whole family. After long days of extensive research and phone calls we concluded that Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) would be the best place to receive prenatal care and to deliver Michael. We found that CHOP was number one in the country for his condition and we had family support in the Philadelphia area. As Michael continued to grow nicely inside me, I became sicker and lost 25 lbs during my pregnancy. Through the grace of God my illness did not affect our baby boy Michael. I knew I had to stay strong and I made weekly visits up to Pennsylvania, to the Special Delivery Unit (SDU) at CHOP. I prayed for a miracle hoping it would go away but images continued to show anomalies in the heart. God did give me a miracle just not the one I thought - Michael's life miracle began in the wound. He continued to show us he was a special person he couldn't wait one extra minute more he was born in the ambulance on the way to the closest hospital that was only 10 minutes away. This local hospital was not prepared for such a child and CHOP was called and transported him to the Cardiac Intensive care Unit (CICU) where Michael spent the first 12 months of his life. After Michael was born other problems were found such as Heterodoxy , where his organs were not in the usual location. Michael at five days old went through two open heart surgeries and at six months another major procedure. Our little Michael was on over 20 daily medications, tubes and IV lines were coming from everywhere. There were countless sleepless nights for our family and the doctors; CHOP became our second home. With all the uncertainty one thing was for sure - Michael was an over comer. Every obstacle Michael pushed through encouraging everyone who walked by his bed to smile. Michael was later diagnosed with Trachea Malaysia , which required a trache and ventilator to help keep his lungs and airway from closing. When Michael was about nine months old we were told Michael may be able to go home soon but we had to be trained to care for him. Michael would have nursing home care but if a nurse was not able to come in we had to know how to care for him. We completed courses on respiratory/ventilation, trache care, G-tube feeding care, and medication administration. The doctors signed off on our training and said Michael could go home with 24 hours of home nursing care. Michael also needed Early Intervention Services to assist him with motor skills and developmental therapy. Its been a long road home and Michael made a lot of progress. Even when Michael was on life sustaining equipment and depended on a ventilator, suction machine, G-tube for feeding, a blood oxygen saturation heart rate monitoring machine, and in-title monitor. All of those equipment requires electric to ensure all of his forward strides will not be jeopardized. Michael’s needs were many. there are other strong CHD survivers still suffering with lack of lack of support and proper medical equipment.

Although Michael was called home to glory during a routine cardiologist visit Monday, March 6, 2017. We plan to shine his light THROUGH the continued practices of Brave little Hearts for Michael and Friends. his smiling half-a-heart is beating on through the services of www.bravelittlehearts.org

We are praying for you, as you help us bless and support others with kind donations. to lift the daily struggles of the families and medical needs of the sick children. Life can be challenging, but we trust God is good. Please share the link to everyone you know, and from our hearts to your hearts – May you be blessed beyond measure. Thank you in advance for the prayers, well wishes and donations.