A picture update of Kathleen's little David's recent first heart surgery.....

[Dan Murphy]

<p>Here is a short update, in pictures and a few words, of Kathleen's little
David's first heart surgery, back a few weeks ago.  Little David has quite
a few more surgeries ahead of him, but one down, and successful it was. 
Please keep this little guy in your good thoughts and prayers, along with mom
and dad, Kathleen and Norm.  Kathleen is so very busy and really has no
time to drop by and DIS a bit, but is so very appreciative of our care and
concern, along with past prayers and good wishes for David.</p>
<p>A few of the pictures are, for lack of a word, tough to see, a little guy all
hooked up to tubes and machines and all, but really go to show how much we all
love our children, or just people in general.</p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60654_FS.jpg" width="420" height="281"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">On my way to the hospital for my first surgery.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60661_FS.jpg" width="420" height="284"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">This is my bedspace in the Cardiac Intensive Care
Unit. Bedspace 19. On the left is a computer just for me, with all my
information. In the middle is my bed. All around me are my special machines,
tubes, wires, and medicines. Over on the right are chairs and a rocking chair so
Mom and Dad can sit near me.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60664_FS.jpg" width="420" height="282"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Here is me and my elephant. My elephant is holding my
oxygen tube for me. The nurses always use my stuffed animals to do things like
this. It makes Mommy and Daddy smile. And look at my binky! It is cut across the
top. The nurse did that so it wouldn't rub against my feeding tube and bother
me.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60657_FS.jpg" width="420" height="280"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">A picture of me just a little while after my surgery.
I'm so tough!</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60659_FS.jpg" width="420" height="282"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">This is me a day after my surgery, with my little
just-the-right-size-for-me "Feel Better" bear!</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60660_FS.jpg" width="420" height="284"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">This is when my dressings came off and Mom and Dad
could see my scar (Badge of Courage) for the first time.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60662_FS.jpg" width="420" height="280"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Here is Dad holding me for the first time after my
surgery. It takes a long time for my nurses to get my tubes and wires in order,
so I can get out of my bed. But they are nice and they don't mind doing it so
that Mom and Dad can cuddle with me.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60667_FS.jpg" width="420" height="282"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Here's Daddy and me. I'm drinking my milk so I can
gain back some of the weight I lost after the surgery.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60665_FS.jpg" width="420" height="282"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Feeling much better!</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60655_FS.jpg" width="420" height="287"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Me and Daddy reading my CarePage while waiting for
surgery at the hospital. I loved all the messages people left for me that day!
They gave me courage, and they gave Mom and Dad lots of strength and hope!</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60656_FS.jpg" width="275" height="420"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Me and Daddy at the hospital window watching the snow
fall. Thanks Nannie for sending me my first snow on the day of my surgery.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60669_FS.jpg" width="278" height="420"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">Here is my Courage bear from Auntie Denyse. In this
box are three bears - each one has a medal. One is hope, one is love, one is
courage. My favorite one is courage, because I have a lot of that.</font></p>
<p><img alt="Carepage Photo" src="http://www.tlcontact.com/usr/G20839/P60654_FS.jpg" width="420" height="281"></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">On my way to the hospital for my first surgery.</font></p>
<p><font class="bodycopy">So again, among everything we are all asked of, please
do keep this little guy in your thoughts and prayers.  Kathleen and Norm
are thankful for our continued support of David.  And next time we have to
have you, Norm, take the pictures, so we have a few of Kathleen too, LOL.</font></p>

 

[preshi]

Oh he is so beautiful and so strong! They are all in my continued thoughts. Those pictures of all those tubes is just heartbreaking. Thank goodness though for all the advances in medicine!

to Kathleen, Norm and baby David.

 

[rbuzzotta]

What a beautiful baby..............Courage....he sure has alot of it! So does Mom and Dad........May he grow to be one of the most courageous young men of our times!!!

 

[Patabel]

Oh, thanks, Dan, for posting these pictures. It truly brought tears to my eyes seeing David, so little, yet such a fighter! God's blessings to David and all his family. We will certainly keep them all in our prayers, and look forward to when the surgeries are completed!

 

[debster812]

Wow! I'm with Preshi, some of those pictures are heartbreaking. I cannot imagine what his parents must be feeling.

What a trouper he is, and his parents too.

I'll just repeat, he is in great great hands here at Boston Children's.

I gotta go hug DS!

 

[newholiday]

Hope all continues to go well
Hang in there little David - you have a great mom & dad

 

[Lorix2]

How precious he is. My continued good thoughts and prayers are with David and his family.

Looks like he is getting fantastic care, those nurses are special people to do what they do.

I think we all want to cuddle him!

 

[phillybeth]

So sweet, thanks for posting. I had a neice born with a serious heart defect (HLHS for those in the know), and it is amazing how brave a little baby can be. She also had multiple surgeries, and is now a beautiful 6 YO, smart as a whip. To see her you would never guess she started life with the odds stacked against her. I wish the same for this little one.

 

[DD2Disney]

Words fail me when I hear stories like these. My prayers go out to little David. To Norm and Katleen I wish you strength and will continue to pray for your family. God bless you all.

 

[Dixielady908]

Poor little guy...I hope everyting continues to go well...prayers to him and his family.


Denise

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have one more here, from Kathleen's Christmas card she sent us.......

 

[6_Time_Momma]

Oh, what a sweetie. Those pics bring back soooo many memories. I have a pic of Garrett with all those tubes and such, too. Prayers going for the little guy.

 

[Charleneluvsdisney]

Thanks for the update Dan, I am glad he is doing OK. My continued prayers for their family.

 

[huey duey & luey]

Sending David hugs from Katie Zachary and Christian

To Norm and Kathleen wishing your son a speedy recovery. He ia a beautiful little boy. God Bless you all
Tara

 

[nativetxn]

Our little David is so handsome and so brave. I will keep him in my prayers, always.

 

[kathleen]

Hi all you DISers!
I really, really, really wish I had more time to come back on the DIS, but I'm so far behind on everything around here. Hopefully someday soon I'll have some spare time for DISing.
I have to say, I just poked around a little here though, and wow, what a blast from the past! I remember SO many of you, recognized SO MANY usernames. It's just wonderful that so many of you are still here after several years. What a great community. I was on here many times DAILY back in 1999- all the way through somewhere around 2001 I'd say (?)....I really do miss it.

Anyway I wanted to say thanks to the wonderful DAN MURPHY for posting my story here, for sharing the pictures, asking for your prayers and good thoughts. Dan you are the BEST! And thank you to everyone else who kept/keeps David in their thoughts and prayers. It means the world to us. We are truly overwhelmed by all the support we've been given since October.

Like Dan said, David has had one open-heart surgery so far. He will have several more in the future, as well as many cardiac catheterizations. In fact his next step is a cardiac catheterization coming up in February. David's congenital heart defects are mainly Tetralogy of Fallot and Pulmonary Atresia. He also has many other smaller things wrong with his heart. He has also been diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome, aka deletion on the 22q11 chromosome, aka VeloCardioFacial Syndrome. We have a long journey ahead of us, but he's worth every single step.

Thanks again for all your support and good wishes. I wish I had more time to come here and thank you all, but please know we are very grateful for your support.

Anyone who would like to see David's website, it is www.tlcontact.com and his CarePage name (which you will need) is DavidUpdates.

Thanks again DISers. Love, Kathleen, Norm, & David

 

[binny]

prayers on the way!
What a brave little guy!

Were so proud of all of you!!

 

[sammi]

What a little sweatheart. It breaks my heart to see little ones go through surgery but with all the prayers and good wishes from the nice folks here then I'm sure he'll be healed up in no time.

Prayers and PD being sent to David and his whole family.

 

[Ranatra]

Thanks Dan for posting the pics.
I will keep this little angel in prayer.

 

[damo]

Thanks so much for the incredible pictures. It really puts life into perspective. What a little trooper he is although I'm sure it was just as hard for his parents.