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| Posted by: Kelley Thomas |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 14:08:11 |
| Travis & Kelly - I just loved seeing the pictures of you both getting to hold precious Bennett. I am so happy that he is doing better. We will continue to pray for him and you guys too! |
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| Posted by: Matthew Taylor |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 12:54:44 |
Great seeing you guys and Bennett today. We continue to pray for your beautiful family and for Bennett's miracle.
Here's another "miracle baby" story, which includes a quote that I love: "I want other parents to know that there is hope for their children if they are ill."
Baby recovers after 120 days with artificial heart
David Batty and agencies
Friday August 24, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A 13-month-old baby left hospital today after undergoing pioneering life-saving treatment in which he was kept alive by an artificial heart for 120 days.
Jack Vellam became the youngest patient to be connected to such a device for such a length of time as he recovered from myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
The boy, from Pitsford, Northamptonshire, was listed for a heart transplant after suffering a heart attack in March that left him so ill his mother initially agreed that his life support machine should be switched off.
After being transferred to the Freeman hospital, in Newcastle, Jack was placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which acts as a temporary heart and lungs for those awaiting transplant.
But doctors decided to see if Jack could pull through without a transplant because around one in three children recover on their own. He was put on a device known as a Berlin heart - an external artificial heart, connected to his chest by four tubes, which pumps blood around the body.
The device stayed on for 120 days before it was removed in a complex operation 15 days ago. The longest period a Berlin heart has been used at the hospital is 150 days, but the patient in that case eventually had a heart transplant.
The consultant paediatric cardiologist Richard Kirk said: "He [Jack] would have died without the Berlin heart. You can realistically live on the ECMO life support machine he was using for four weeks - that would not have been enough time for a transplant or for him to recover from the myocarditis.
"What is unique about Jack is that he is the youngest patient ever to have this myocarditis and be kept alive on a Berlin heart for so long."
Jack's mother, Danielle Hastings, 18, said: "At first it was scary seeing the big tubes going in and out of my child's body but he soon got used to it. He used to sit on the tubes because they were nice and warm."
Ms Hastings said Jack remained cheerful throughout his treatment, which would now be continued at their local hospital in Northampton.
She added that she was looking forward to doing ordinary things with her son, such as taking him swimming or watching him learn to walk.
"It's still dawning on me that we are going home. I'm trying to take it all in. I want other parents to know that there is hope for their children if they are ill," she said.
Robin Martin, a heart consultant at Bristol hospital, said the Berlin heart was usually used to keep alive children waiting for a heart transplant.
"It serves as a bridge to transplant when the heart is weakened. It's usually used in cases of cardiomyopathy - where the heart muscle becomes inflamed and cannot pump blood round the body properly. It's a way of buying time until a new heart can be found for transplant."
The procedure is still rare in this country. Only seven patients at London's Great Ormond Street hospital for children and 10 at Freeman hospital have received Berlin hearts in the past two years. |
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| Posted by: Bethany |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 12:00:07 |
| Praying for you three to have a nice weekend together. |
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| Posted by: Manley and Emily Fortune |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 10:35:17 |
| We read every update; thank you for the "ease-of-heart" that affords us far-away folks. It is easier to know than wonder. Just assuring you we remain constant in appealing to the Father for Bennett. |
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| Posted by: Richard & Charlotte |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 05:16:28 |
| Have a wonderful weekend you 3. May God continue to bless you & help you as you wait to be home together. May God continue to help Bennett to become healthy so he can go home. May God help Bennett as he adjusts to being taken off the medicine and help Kelly & Travis as they watch him doing it. God bless you all, you are such an inspiration. Thank you God for all you have done. Love and prayers R/C. |
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| Posted by: Colleen & Phil |
| Posted at: Sat, Sep 15, 2007 - 04:40:39 |
We hope y'all's weekend is full of lots of "cuddling" moments, "blue-eyed" looks of love, and good "peaceful tummy" naps (for all three of y'all.) We are looking forward to more precious pictures. Sweet Bennett is soooo BEAUTIFUL! He is going to be the STAR on the NICU Graduate board; in fact I think he deserves an entire board of his own!
May the Lord continue to bless and completely heal sweet Bennett and take-away ALL of his pain as he comes off the morphine. We will continue to pray BOLDLY for his lungs to heal and fully expand and for them to completely support his sweet breaths. We will also continue to praise God in all his glory for all the work he has done through y'all, the nurses, & the doctors, and will continue to do. God is AWESOME and continues to shine through all three of y'all! We love y'all! |
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| Posted by: Stuart & Stacie Sperry |
| Posted at: Fri, Sep 14, 2007 - 20:25:51 |
We are so thrilled to hear about all of Bennett's steps to becoming more "normal" and ultimately closer to riding home in the Camry. (I've been picturing the ride home for the past several weeks -- with Kelly riding in the back and a very nervous Travis driving the car!)
We praise God for the miracles he is doing in Bennett, and we also praise Him for the great example of faith the two of you continue to be.
We are praying, praying, praying, and we look forward to Bennett coming home.
We love you all! |
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| Posted by: Richard & Charlotte |
| Posted at: Fri, Sep 14, 2007 - 19:03:56 |
| I think Bennett was very smart. He knew if he didn't go to sleep mommie would continue to rub his back and sing, pray and talk to him. You have a very smart little boy Kelly and Travis. May God bless all 3 of you and make it possible for you to take Bennett home soon. So glad you can at least hold him some. Love & prayers R/C |
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| Posted by: Zach & Parul |
| Posted at: Fri, Sep 14, 2007 - 15:20:36 |
Travis and Kelly,
Your baby boy is so beautiful and lucky to have such wonderful parents. We continue to keep him and you in our thoughts and prayers.
Love,
Zach & Parul |
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| Posted by: Aunt Carol and cousin Lauren |
| Posted at: Fri, Sep 14, 2007 - 12:40:55 |
| Precious Trav and Kelly, Lauren and I just looked at the recent photos with tears of Joy once again. We love seeing you hold your baby. We love you dearly, and continue to pray fervently for Bennett! |
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