Will's Story

Will was born on Monday, October 10, 2005. He was five weeks early, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He came out screaming and weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces with a head full of hair!!

We knew before he was born that he would have some health issues, particularly with his heart. He has been diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and Double Outlet Right Ventricle, both of which are serious heart defects.

He also was born with one kidney, which is a bit abnormal in shape and it is located in the middle of his body, rather than on the left or right side. Luckily, the kidney has been functioning adequately... as he showed us right away when he urinated on the doctor who delivered him!!

He also has a cleft palate, which is a hole on the roof of his mouth. This is not a big problem... it will be repaired when he gets older.

Will's heart defects require 3 surgeries, the first of which must be performed within the first 10-14 days after birth. It is called the Norwood Procedure.

Will's first heart surgery was this morning at 7 am, and it was performed by the famous Dr. Bove at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

We saw him early this afternoon, and all seems well so far. Dr. Bove was very pleased with Will's surgery. He tolerated the procedure very well, and his blood pressure, etc. was stable immediately after they took him off the heart & lung machine.

The next 72 hours are critical. His doctors' main concern is his kidney function post-op. It is always a big shock to the body after a surgery like his, and sometimes even in children with 2 healthy kidneys, there is kidney failure. As a precautionary measure, Dr. Bove inserted a dialysis catheder in his abdomen in the event his kidney cannot efficiently rid his body of the excess fluids and toxins. We will know tomorrow if he is experiencing any kidney problems, because this is when they expect him to start producing urine.