Graham's Heart Journey
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Graham's Heart Journey
Our son, Graham, was born with a rare Congenital Heart disorder called Shone’s Syndrome. This means that he has a variety of heart defects that are as unique as our charming son. As new parents, we were completely unaware of any issues regarding his heart throughout the pregnancy and in the first days of his life. Our joy of having our first child turned to fear. We happened to be at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital for Billie Light treatment when Graham went into cardiac arrest. Within moments, our lives were completely altered. It was also at this moment we were embraced and shown the full warmth, compassion and ability of Children’s Hospital. Due to the seriousness of Graham’s condition and the fact that he went into surgery already in heart failure at less than week old, it took a month for Graham to recover before he could come home. During this time, the hospital became our new home.
Since that initial surgery, Graham has undergone a second open-heart surgery and a catheterization in his 3 short years of life. Throughout his life, Graham’s heart will require additional surgeries and treatment. His biggest surgery to-date will occur in the near future when his Mitral valve is no longer functional. This surgery is called the Ross procedure. The Aortic valve will be replaced by his Pulmonary valve and an artificial valve will be put into his Pulmonary. Graham will also have his inadequate Mitral valve replaced with an artificial valve. Until this surgery, Graham’s heart will increasingly become worse which will make him more prone to becoming seriously ill. After this surgery, Graham will continue to undergo echocardiograms, treatments, medication and additional surgeries to maintain the artificial valves.
Throughout this experience, we have been blessed by the compassion of Graham’s doctors, nurses, family and friends. They have been able to provide emotional support for us during this stressful time and also take care of Graham when both my husband and I have to work. Through the frequent hospital stays, surgeries and pay lost from missed days of work, staying financially afloat, has become an unreachable goal. One of the biggest issues we have encountered is the loss of pay to effectively care for Graham. Graham’s Mitral valve stenosis makes him especially susceptible to more severe colds and is at a much higher risk of developing pneumonia. Having to miss work, to stay with him in the hospital and even taking time off work to minimize his exposure at Day Care, has made it more and more difficult to stay on payment schedules. The ability to pay-off all of the current medical expenses would enable us to wholeheartedly put our complete focus on Graham, making sure that Graham remains healthy and that any recovery is as smooth as possible.
Our deepest gratitude,
-The Wycklendt Family
Graham's Heart Artwork:
Our son, Graham, was born with a rare Congenital Heart disorder called Shone’s Syndrome. This means that he has a variety of heart defects that are as unique as our charming son. As new parents, we were completely unaware of any issues regarding his heart throughout the pregnancy and in the first days of his life. Our joy of having our first child turned to fear. We happened to be at Milwaukee Children’s Hospital for Billie Light treatment when Graham went into cardiac arrest. Within moments, our lives were completely altered. It was also at this moment we were embraced and shown the full warmth, compassion and ability of Children’s Hospital. Due to the seriousness of Graham’s condition and the fact that he went into surgery already in heart failure at less than week old, it took a month for Graham to recover before he could come home. During this time, the hospital became our new home.
Since that initial surgery, Graham has undergone a second open-heart surgery and a catheterization in his 3 short years of life. Throughout his life, Graham’s heart will require additional surgeries and treatment. His biggest surgery to-date will occur in the near future when his Mitral valve is no longer functional. This surgery is called the Ross procedure. The Aortic valve will be replaced by his Pulmonary valve and an artificial valve will be put into his Pulmonary. Graham will also have his inadequate Mitral valve replaced with an artificial valve. Until this surgery, Graham’s heart will increasingly become worse which will make him more prone to becoming seriously ill. After this surgery, Graham will continue to undergo echocardiograms, treatments, medication and additional surgeries to maintain the artificial valves.Throughout this experience, we have been blessed by the compassion of Graham’s doctors, nurses, family and friends. They have been able to provide emotional support for us during this stressful time and also take care of Graham when both my husband and I have to work. Through the frequent hospital stays, surgeries and pay lost from missed days of work, staying financially afloat, has become an unreachable goal. One of the biggest issues we have encountered is the loss of pay to effectively care for Graham. Graham’s Mitral valve stenosis makes him especially susceptible to more severe colds and is at a much higher risk of developing pneumonia. Having to miss work, to stay with him in the hospital and even taking time off work to minimize his exposure at Day Care, has made it more and more difficult to stay on payment schedules. The ability to pay-off all of the current medical expenses would enable us to wholeheartedly put our complete focus on Graham, making sure that Graham remains healthy and that any recovery is as smooth as possible.Our deepest gratitude,
-The Wycklendt Family
Graham's Heart Artwork:
Fundraising team: The EchoGrahams (3)
Maeve Wycklendt
Organizer
Cudahy, WI
Jeanette Wycklendt
Team member
Jane Wilm
Team member
Wilm Herb
Team member
