We have been home for about 7 months now with Brave and Ever. They have both adjusted very well. It has been a VERY full 7 months filled with medical appointments, to say the least.
Brave was considered terminal in China. His heart was far too complex to be fixed, so for 10 years he sat in an orphanage without any intervention for his severe heart defect. When we first met him, he was a very sick little guy. Although he was 10 1/2 years old, he only weighed about 35 pounds. His O2 sats were in the 50s and 60s and his breathing was very, very labored. You could hear him breathing from the other side of the room. He was unable to walk very far at all, so I often carried him on my back in China.
Once home, we still weren't sure if he would be a candidate for any type of repair due to his heart defect being left untreated for so long. We made the 1,000 mile trip to our cardiac team in Boston for his very first heart catheterization. Surprisingly, his pulmonary pressures were not nearly as high as anticipated, but his anatomy was much more complex than anyone expected. His unique anatomy made an arterial switch much too risky. Instead, he underwent an atrial switch along with a complete replacement of his pulmonary artery, all while leaving his VSD open. His heart is currently palliated, but it is not fully repaired. He may never be a candidate for a full repair, but he is now THRIVING! He is full of energy with normal O2 sats. Our son, our AMAZING son went from being terminal to having HOPE for the future.
When I think of the years our son waited for a family to take the chance on him.....to fight for him, it breaks my heart. When I think of the other children just like him who are living out their last days, weeks, or years in an orphanage just waiting for a family to take the chance on them.......to give them even the possibility of HOPE for the future.....but, even more than that, to give them the LOVE of a family that every child deserves, it moves my heart to action. This boy, this AMAZING boy, reminds me so much of our son.
Tanner Jay, like Brave, is 10 years old, and he too is living with a severe, unrepaired heart defect just waiting for his chance......his chance at life and a family. And, that is why we have signed up to be his Angel Tree Warrior on Reece's Rainbow. We are working on raising the funds to help grow his adoption grant so that when a family does decide to take a chance on him, money won't stand in the way. This sweet boy will die without a family. There is no doubt about that.
Our very first fundraiser for him are these great "heart" MudLove bracelets. If you have never heard about this amazing company, every product purchased from them helps to bring one week of clean water to someone in need. So, not only will you be helping Tanner Jay's future chance at a family, but also helping support this great organization. Each "heart" bracelet is $10. You can purchase them using the top right donate button on this blog. If you would like to donate $2.50 to help cover shipping, feel free to do so, but it is not required. All profits (after costs) will go straight into Tanner Jay's grant on Reece's Rainbow.
If you would prefer just to donate to Tanner Jay's grant on Reece's Rainbow instead of buying a bracelet, we would also love you for that. All donations directly to his grant are tax deductible. You can donate directly to his grant fund right here: http://reecesrainbow.org/90308/tanner-jay
Please help us bring HOPE to Tanner Jay this Christmas season!
