Wesley Theodore Foundation

05/21/2024

🏁5th Annual Childrens Miracle Car Show! 🏁

Mark your calendars and support our home hospital, Niswonger Children's Hospital!

June 8th
8am - 12pm
Greeneville, TN

See the flyer below for the details. ⤵️

03/14/2024

Mark your caledars for the first Nashville Congenital Heart Walk. September 21st we will be walking for our heart warriors William & Wesley! ❤️💙

Register to walk on our team at the link below ⤵️

Placing Children at the Heart of Research

02/28/2024

Eight months ago we handed our forever eight month old to heaven.

The worst day of our lives was his best day. The day he entered heaven and was free of the hard fought hospital stays.

This journey has taught us more than I ever wanted to know. How fragile life is and how fast time can really move.

Milestones pass and the world keeps turning.

We know what it is like to leave a hospital for the last time, knowing you baby isn’t coming with you. The weight of going through photos, clothes, toys, and hospital bags. Hanging up dreams for harsh realities.

But we also know hope, prayer, and action. Not allowing overselves to be consumed but rather launched into service.

Our mission is now his legacy. And our actions will shape not only how we prepare to meet him but how our family views devastation.

Craft kits, parent esential bags, care packages, and end of life memories all wrap up the beginning of that charge forward. Meeting needs that are overlooked.

Its been 8 months of pain with purpose. Not purposeless pain.

We love you, Wesley Theodore!

02/02/2024

It’s heart month!

We have been busy working and supporting those sweet kiddos and families in the hospital. We made the choice to spend the holidays with family and away from social media. Christmas and New Year’s hit especially hard as last year Wesley was home and this year that void was bigger than words can describe.

Thanks to your support we were able to send holiday craft kits to both Vanderbilt and Niswonger Children’s Hospitals.

We are ready to jump back in on social media and share all of the amazing things that we get to do in honor of our Sweet Wesley.

📸: photo of Wesley when he was home from the hospital

12/01/2023

Hospital stays are hard on everyone. You want more than anything to take away the pain and struggle that your kiddo is facing. The hospital is overwhelming, stressful, and unpredictable.

We often have no idea that we are about to embark on a lengthy hospital stay until an emergency happens. For example, Wesley had a GI study and was admitted into our home hospital. THE DAY we got discharged and home, William decided that he needed some emergency attention. Having a tet spell and turning blue. Off to the ER we raced. One emergency transfer later, we ended up at Vanderbilt. We had nothing but adrenaline and a prayer.

That first night is always rocky, and most of the time, you have nothing. We feel strongly about meeting these needs. We love doing footprint crafts and making memories with sweet babies. We love caring for nurses and staff that help heal and nurture our children. But we also love showing support to parents who are juggling all of the emotions and stress that come from having a baby in the hospital in a world that doesn't stop moving.

If you are interested in supporting us as we start this project, please check out our Amazon wishlist. We want nothing more than to take some of the burden of unpredictability by providing some of the essentials that make us all feel a little better and a little more human.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/14WJXPNNM97DJ?ref_=wl_share

11/30/2023

Fun little fact about Dr. Thomas his full name was Vivien Theodore Thomas. We didn’t know our boys would be born with ToF or that we coincidentally named both of them after one of the Doctors who would help extend/save their lives. I still smile at the fact that both Wesley Theodore and William Thomas are so beautifully connected to the brave men and women who skillfully make a way so others may live. That’s a pretty cool legacy if you ask me. It 🤍💙

11/23/2023

Thankfulness is easy when everything is going your way. When tomorrow holds all of the possibilities. It’s a lot harder when you feel like you are at rock bottom or have recently hit it.

Today marks the first major holiday where we are without our Sweet Wesley. I can remember everything from that first and only Thanksgiving we had with him.

We were so excited. We had been at Vanderbilt, away from our support system and the hospital was still under strict Covid protocols. Only Matt and I were allowed to see the boys. However, the hospital had allowed for Thanksgiving day only for each baby in the NICU to have two guests outside of the parents. Grandparents could look but not touch and yes, masks were required at all times.

Both boys were battling NEC at the time and were not being fed. William had just had his first heart cath and Wesley was working on getting bigger. Although he was still considered the “big twin” at that point.

Those four hours with our family were more valuable than we could have ever put into words. We were tired and were still recovering from a c-section. Plus, we were bouncing around from hotel to hotel cashing in every hotel point and flyer mile we had.

We ate at a Cracker Barrel in Nashville and said goodbye to our parents and just like that it was over.

We are so thankful for our family. They always show up for us. Even if it is just for a few hours.

I am also thankful that we got to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family together. We have a first Thanksgiving to look back on. Even if my mom heart hurts a little more when I think about the fact that he never got a Thanksgiving meal.

But it also gives me tremendous gratitude for the doctors, nurses, and staff who sacrifice their own family time to serve others. They show up even to take care of sweet little sick babies every single shift, regardless of what day it is.

So while we are sad about what could have, should have been. We are so thankful that it happened. For our family and the care teams and for your constant prayer that made every day we did have possible.

Because you don’t have true thankfulness until it’s tested.

We love you Wesley and we will see you again soon.

Happy Thanksgiving.

11/17/2023

Thank you for your constant care and compassion. The hours both on and off the clock that you spend think about and caring for those under your care.

We have been blessed with a fabulous care team and family who have displayed for us the highest standard compassion, knowledge and courage in the face of every challenge we have been faced with.

One week will never be enough to celebrate you.

11/08/2023

One cake gets smashed while one sits perfectly intact. And our heart breaks for what should have, could have been.

The understanding that HIS plan is greater than ours is one of the hardest things to come to terms with.

I will admit that their birthday was hard; the birthday party was hard. We put on a mask of being okay, took pictures, and smiled. We did it for Will, and he is worth it. Don't get me wrong, we count every single moment as a blessing. We did all of the things that you do as parents as we embraced the fact that half our heart was missing.

It hurts, but how thankful we are for the pain. The pain means he lived, that he was loved fully, and that he is missed...fully.

CHD sucks, and we will do whatever we can to strengthen, educate and support a community that we didn't want to belong to but proudly represent.

I miss you, Wesley, every moment of every day. It is our honor to carry on your legacy each and every day.

10/28/2023

Happy Birthday to our two amazing little men. Our two heart babies who challenged us and showed us so much love.

William, watching you grow and thrive is such a joy. You have overcome so much and we are so proud of your reliance. You are always happy (unless you are hungry) and so much fun. We love you so much and look forward to watching you grow.

Wesley, our forever 8 month old. It doesn’t seem possible that life continues to move without you in it. But here we are celebrating your first birthday with broken hearts. I can’t help but wonder what you would be like. It’s hard to image your smile brighter that it was but I am sure you would have looked so cute with little teeth. We love you and will spend our life continuing your legacy.

It’s amazing how much can change in a year. From some of the first photos of the boys to where Will is now and where Wesley was right before the blood clot.

Thank you for journeying with us.

- Matt & Kailey

10/27/2023

🌟 Happy Respiratory Therapist Week! 🌟

This week, we're celebrating the unsung heroes of the healthcare world – our incredible Respiratory Therapists! From the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU), these dedicated professionals play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of our sweet little kiddos! 🌬️

While RTs were not Wesley’s (or William’s) favorite people in the hospital we are forever thankful for them. 🧸

Their commitment and compassion go beyond measure, making them indispensable members of every child's care team. 💚

Let’s take a moment to show our appreciation for these heroes! 💙

Thank you, Respiratory Therapists! 🫁