Letter from Dr. Bove
Josh & I are back in Nashville. We arrived here late last night. We wanted to be back for church this morning. It felt good to get out and go to church this morning with Hunter and Sarah.
When we arrived home last night, we were greeted with a large stack of mail. The first letter I noticed was from the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center. I wondered what this could be. It was a letter from Dr. Bove, Will's heart surgeon. We never got a chance to speak with him after Will's death, since it occured over the weekend when he was not in. His letter was very comforting to us. Here it is:
Dear Josh and Stephanie:
Please accept my sincerest condolences over the death of your son, Will. As you know, Will had a very serious heart defect further complicated by a number of other abnormalities. When Will returned to our institution in early February, we felt that an attempt to repair his heart using all four chambers was his best chance and, in fact, this seemed to be successful. Most unfortunately, the gravity of the other issues including infection, kidney dysfunction, and neurological issues, eventually took their toll. I hope that you were comfortable knowing that all the best decisions were made for Will and I hope that you can achieve some closure in that knowledge.
Again, please accept my sincerest condolences and those of my entire staff.
Sincerely,
Edward Bove, M.D.
Josh is returning to work tomorrow, while I figure out where to go from here.
As for our future family, Josh and I will probably look into genetics counseling before trying again. The genetics team at Vanderbilt did a series of tests on Will, but they all turned out to be normal. His abnormalities were more than likely a fluke thing that will never happen again. We're not sure at this point when we will try to have children again, but we will know when the time is right. We look forward to the day when we become parents again.
Having Will made me realize that one of the main reasons why I am here on earth is to be a mother. It is the most wonderful gift that I could ever have. I am so thankful that God chose Josh & I to be the parents of Will. We are so blessed to have been given the opportunity to know and love him.
When we arrived home last night, we were greeted with a large stack of mail. The first letter I noticed was from the University of Michigan Congenital Heart Center. I wondered what this could be. It was a letter from Dr. Bove, Will's heart surgeon. We never got a chance to speak with him after Will's death, since it occured over the weekend when he was not in. His letter was very comforting to us. Here it is:
Dear Josh and Stephanie:
Please accept my sincerest condolences over the death of your son, Will. As you know, Will had a very serious heart defect further complicated by a number of other abnormalities. When Will returned to our institution in early February, we felt that an attempt to repair his heart using all four chambers was his best chance and, in fact, this seemed to be successful. Most unfortunately, the gravity of the other issues including infection, kidney dysfunction, and neurological issues, eventually took their toll. I hope that you were comfortable knowing that all the best decisions were made for Will and I hope that you can achieve some closure in that knowledge.
Again, please accept my sincerest condolences and those of my entire staff.
Sincerely,
Edward Bove, M.D.
Josh is returning to work tomorrow, while I figure out where to go from here.
As for our future family, Josh and I will probably look into genetics counseling before trying again. The genetics team at Vanderbilt did a series of tests on Will, but they all turned out to be normal. His abnormalities were more than likely a fluke thing that will never happen again. We're not sure at this point when we will try to have children again, but we will know when the time is right. We look forward to the day when we become parents again.
Having Will made me realize that one of the main reasons why I am here on earth is to be a mother. It is the most wonderful gift that I could ever have. I am so thankful that God chose Josh & I to be the parents of Will. We are so blessed to have been given the opportunity to know and love him.
posted by Stephanie Burns @ 12:18 PM
7 Comments:
At 2:57 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hi Stephanie and Josh! We just want you to know that we think about you daily. Prayers go out for your family - that you rely on the Lord for your strength. We miss you!
Love, the Strausers
At 10:43 PM,
Mama Barn said…
Hey Steph!
So glad that you had a good time with your husband. Weren't you amazed at how tired you were. I sure was.
Please atay in touch, because when people stop calling and writing, it can get lonely and you just need to talk to someone who has been there. I'm amazed at how many people think that because I have so many children and that I have her twin that I can get over Eliya quickly. But Eliya had a personality all her own and I miss her. I still cry when I'm alone and it still hurts very much. People just go on with their lives and don't say anything anymore. It is a real scary thing to me to think they just all forgot. She was such a little stinker, singing and shh!ing people and she LOVED being held and she loved music and dancing. She was just starting to walk...and her smile...
Sorry! I just need to vent sometimes!
Love ya,
Angela
At 10:46 PM,
Mama Barn said…
Hey I forgot, can you give me your address so I can send you a card?
At 10:03 AM,
Anonymous said…
So thrilled that you two had a week at the lake together and, while it was wonderful and relaxing, etc., you felt it was more important to return home in time to go Worship God, and be around friends that have shown (and who do) love you all for all these past many months!! I know from my own experience that I get strength from my fellow Christian friends when I go and Worship God at Church, and get warm hugs from them ! It sure has changed my like!
Love You Always,
In His Name,
GGD Perdue
At 10:50 AM,
Anonymous said…
Amen, Stephanie! God chose you both to be Will's parents because of the great love He has for him and the selfless love He knew you would give him, but in doing so, He blessed us all. Sometime I want to sit down and share with you some of how I feel particularly blessed.
Remember in the days, weeks, months, years ahead, that when some people may stop mentioning Will, more often than not, it will be out a misguided fear they would be reminding you of your loss and pain (as if we need to be reminded!), and not because they have forgotten him or expect you to be "over it". Or because they are at a loss as to what to say, and so say nothing. We have witnessed over and over during Will's life the overwhelming goodness and caring in people. We just have to remind ourselves of that and not be hurt by those who later may appear to be indifferent.
Love,
Kirk/Mom
At 2:05 PM,
Anonymous said…
Stephanie, you will be wonderful at whatever you decide to do! We love you guys!
At 2:32 PM,
Anonymous said…
Dear Stephanie and Josh,
I feel as though I know you, even though we've never met. When I learned of Will becoming an angel, I went back to the very beginning of this site, reading every word that you had posted, looking at every picture that you so faithfully shared with all of us. I am so inspired by your courage, your faith, and your hopefulness for the future. God is truly great and, just as He now holds precious Will in His arms, He holds you in His hands as well. You can be assured that He and Will are watching over you every minute of every day!
I'm also touched by the impact that precious little boy has had on so many lives. As I provide notification to you of the donations made to Saving Little Hearts in Will's name, it just shows me over and over how much Will was loved and how much your entire family is loved by so many people!
Please take care and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers daily.
In Christian Love -
Sieglinda Hoodenpyle
Saving Little Hearts family
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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