On November 11th, 2003 an angel was born.

I had been monitored through my entire pregnancy very closely. I had sonograms done every month and even had a level 2 sonogram done to make sure our little one was going to be born healthy, without any problems. Unfortunately that was not the case. Our little guy was born and was immediately rushed to the NICU. We were told that he swallowed some meconium, which was pretty common.

The next thing we knew we were being told he had to be immediately transported to Carolina’s Medical Center in downtown Charlotte, where they could see what was going on because they weren’t sure what was really wrong with him. The 1st time I saw my precious baby he was engulfed in tubes and hocked up to machines. It was so hard to see the baby amongst all the equipment that was keeping him alive.

Then one of the nurses asked me if we had a name for him, I said that I really wasn’t sure what we were going to name Zachary. Then I realized that name had come out before I could think it through. It must have been from God.
My doctor was able to have me transported to CMC as well, since I was a high-risk pregnancy. This was wonderful since that allowed me to go to the NICU as often as possible and knowing that we were in the same hospital meant the world to me!

After I checked in I went to the NICU where, Frank, my husband was sitting in tears with one of the doctors. The doctor was a pediatric cardiologist from Sanger Clinic. He was explaining to Frank what was wrong with our little Zachary.  At this point Zachary was only 4-5 hours old. The doctor explained that after examining Zachary they realized what was wrong with him. They diagnosed Zachary with a birth defect of the heart, which was called Transposition of the Great Vessels. We were told that surgery was the only way to correct this problem and they had to do a procedure immediately to put a balloon in his heart to allow the blood to flow correctly. Zachary was not able to breathe on his own, and this is why he was so blue when he was born. We were devastated but agreed to the surgery, they told us that they would need to wait a couple of days to get him ready to go through the surgery.

Neither one of us had a chance to hold our little Zachary. It was too risky to move or touch him because of all the equipment that was keeping him alive.

Matthew, our 2 almost 3 year old, couldn’t understand why he couldn’t see his new baby. Matthew was so excited to have a new baby brother and couldn’t wait to meet him. Matthew had been part of my pregnancy, going to the doctors and sonograms with me. He even got his own sonogram pictures of his unborn brother, showing anyone and everyone who would listen. Matthew too was devastated that “his” baby couldn’t come home and play.

I came home from the hospital the night before Zachary’s surgery so that we could spend time with Matthew to try to explain to him what was going to be happening over the next few days, weeks even months, and so that we could get as many prayers as possible. Zachary was baptized the morning of his surgery and the nurse Zachary had in the NICU had let me hold my little angel for the 1st time (which took 3 people to get him out of his incubator). Two nurses helped hold all the tubing so that I could actually hold Zachary. I will never forget that feeling. Then it was time for him to go into surgery, for 9 ½ hours my husband and I cried and prayed as we sat in a huge room filled with other people who were waiting for their loved ones to come out of surgery. We watched as people came in and left. Family after family, then finally it was our turn.

Zachary came out of surgery, now was the challenge to see how he reacts to everything from the surgery. Zachary was in the CVRU (Cardio Vascular Recovery Unit) for about 6 or7 days. It was so hard to see him and we could only see him for 15 minutes every 4 hours! He was the only baby in there everyone else was elderly. But everyone who was there was so good to us and to him. What a great comfort to know that your baby was getting great care. They tried to take Zachary off the breathing tubes but were unsuccessful. Eventually they moved Zachary out of the CVRU and back in to the NICU. Again the staff of nurses we had was awesome.

Thanksgiving came and we ate at Cracker Barrel, it didn’t feel much like a holiday for us. Matthew was asking a lot of questions about his brother. We had taken some pictures of Zachary to show Matthew. Matthew kept hugging the digital camera, saying that he loved his brother and couldn’t wait to show everyone. We decided that it was time for Matthew to finally meet Zachary. We called the NICU and arranged to have Matthew meet his brother. Matthew was so excited when we went, he went right over to Zachary’s bed and peeked over the side, We were a little nervous about him seeing all the tubes and machines but Matthew looked past all of that and said to us, Look how beautiful our baby is! Talk about a tearjerker! It was so amazing that he could see Zachary as a baby instead of all the machines.
 

Zachary stayed in the NICU for another 2 weeks then was graduated to the Progressive Care Unit where yet another challenge was in store for us. Zachary wasn’t in there for more than 4 hours when Frank went to see him. Frank found that Zachary’s feeding tube was wrapped around his neck and he had a dirty diaper that had gone unchanged for so long that it was actually dried to his bottom! Zachary’s heart monitor and respiratory monitor were going crazy, he was having problems and no one was helping him.

We begged them to let us take him home. They of course said that he wasn’t ready to go home yet and after a night of fighting for our child’s rights we were assigned a nurse strictly for Zachary. The ratio was 1 nurse to 4 babies. Things improved and after a week we were able to take our little bundle of joy home. We were extremely nervous but just as excited.

Zachary was only home a short time when he turned blue, we rushed him to the doctors and they put him back in the hospital for a few days because his oxygen levels had dropped. They said that they think it was from being on the chest tubes and having so much trouble coming off of them. Zachary came home in time to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s and then he got very sick with what we thought was a cold. After about three or four days of going back and forth to the doctors he ended up back in the hospital with RSV. He was so sick that he was put on oxygen 24 hours a day.

One night they told us not to leave because they were not sure if he would make it through the night. We were in the hospital for about 10 days and Zachary had a long recovery, but he fought his way through.

In April 2003 they felt Zachary was healthy enough to have another surgery. This time it was for Hypospadias, another birth defect (a genital birth defect). The doctor was very optimistic about the surgery and said that he should only need one surgery to fix the problem. Unfortunately, Zachary ended up with a massive infection and complications from the surgery, and had to go back into the hospital for another 10 days. Again it was a long recovery for Zachary. As he was healing we were told that Zachary would need at least one to two more surgeries to fix the defect. At the end of September Zachary had a second surgery for the Hypospadias. He is still recovering from this surgery and we will know if he needs more surgery in the next few months.

In October Zachary was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus and again we were told that he might need surgery to correct it (swelling/fluid in the brain). Zachary goes for regular check ups with his Neurosurgeon/Pediatrician to monitor any problems he might have. Zachary has been through more in his short life of 14 months old than most people will ever go through and it is sad to say that we are not done yet. Zachary may need at least three more surgeries within the next year. Even though the heart surgery was successful, we were told that there would be times he will need repairs done as he grows.

I did not have an easy pregnancy. Those who know us know that I have my own heart problems and although not as extensive as our son’s heart defect, I was still a high-risk pregnancy and was monitored very closely. I went to regular check ups with my OB-GYN and cardiologist and had sonograms done every month. We even had a level two sonogram to rule out certain birth defects; however, Zachary’s birth defects went undetected. We were told that we were going to have a healthy baby boy.

The last two years have been spent going back and forth to doctors, hospitals and various appointments for both my pregnancy and our baby. Although we have medical insurance we have accumulated an enormous amount of medical bills, due to co-pays, lab fees, hospital stays, meeting deductibles and so on.

We are asking for your help so that we can pay off some of these medical bills and any future bills that arise for Zachary.
 

Zachary had another rough year, with 2 surgeries and numerous hospitalizations for illnesses and infections. Zachary seems to have a hard time fighting off infections; a common cold can quickly turn into pneumonia. Zachary was diagnosed with pneumonia 3 times this year and hospitalized each time.

During the month of February, Zachary was in and out of the doctor’s office and the hospital for a viral infection. He finally conquered it after 2 rounds of antibiotics and steroids.

In April 2005, Zachary was diagnosed with pneumonia and was having trouble with one of his lungs. He was hospitalized and referred to a Pulmonologist. They did many tests on him and found something abnormal in one of his lungs. Zachary was treated in the hospital and sent home with various medications, he seems to be doing better with his breathing but the doctors are still watching for any obstructions or abnormalities.

Zachary also had a situation with his heart in September and had to be admitted to the hospital and put on oxygen and watched for several days. His heart rate was high and his blood work showed an infection but they were not able to pin point where the infection was or what was causing it, despite the various tests the doctors preformed. Zachary was put on multiple IV medications and watched for about 4-5 days.

On October 24th, 2005, Zachary underwent another surgery to remove 5 tumors/cysts that had formed in his genital area. He started complaining of pain and discomfort, so after evaluating the growth and placement of the tumors the doctor decided that they needed to be removed immediately. We are still waiting for the results from the biopsies. As of November 15th, 2 out of the 5 results have come back and are negative. (The doctor sent them out to check for cancer or any other abnormalities)

On November 11th 2005, Zachary turned 2 years old and he needed to get an annual check-up with his pediatrician, so we went to the doctor and we were told that he needed to get some shots. He ended up having a reaction to the shots and we have spent the last few days going back and forth to the doctor’s office.

In January 2006 Zachary again got sick and it quickly turned into pneumonia, he is still having trouble with his breathing and is being referred to a specialist. Zachary continued to have a rough winter with various illnesses.

In April 2006 Zachary had a Bronchoscopy and it was determined that he had Streptococcus Pneumoniae.  He was treated aggressively with various medications for about six weeks.  There was no change in his health and the doctors decided he needed to be seen at a more specialized hospital.  Zachary started going to Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston Salem, he has been through several tests and is still undergoing treatment and tests for his lung deficiencies.  We were also told recently that he has a problem with his blood that we need further testing to ensure his health.  Zachary goes up to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital every 3-6 weeks for tests and check ups.
 

We have had a rough 2 1/2 years and we are asking you for help. Our medical expenses are extremely high and we need to pay them before Zachary has any more surgery. We do have insurance, however, between the co-pays, prescriptions and deductibles we are not able to pay all the past and present bills.  Zachary may need as many as three more surgeries in the next year, which is overwhelming for anyone financially, physically and emotionally.

Updates:

During the months of May, June, July and August of 2006 Zachary had 2 bouts of pneumonia, which caused another round of various testing which included x-rays, MRI’s Cat Scans and blood work to try to determine why he is continuously getting Pneumonia and respiratory issues. He was also placed on several rounds of antibiotics, steroids, and medications for his Nebulae. Zachary’s doctors are treating the symptoms but unfortunately they still have not come up with a diagnosis or a treatment. In September Zachary had pneumonia so bad that he was hospitalized for several days. At that point he was sent for genetic testing which proved to be inconclusive. No syndromes were found but some of his levels were borderline or irregular.

In December Zachary had surgery again, he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. The doctor cleaned out his sinuses, and checked for any abnormalities. After a couple of days at home Zachary ended up with a massive infection and had to be rushed back to the hospital, he spent some time there on various medications.  We hoped this would help him avoid the pneumonias and respiratory issues but unfortunately it did not.

In January 2007 Zachary continued to see the ENT Specialist, she changed some of his medications hoping to make a difference however after a few weeks she sent him on to see another specialist.

Zachary is scheduled for surgery the first week in April and we hope they find whatever it is that is causing him to have respiratory distress.

We will be having some fundraisers to help pay Zachary’s medical expenses, so that we can continue to focus on Zachary and his health instead of worrying how we are going to pay all the hospital, doctor and prescription bills.

Please keep Zachary in your thoughts and prayers.