Monday - CPR needed again today (Matthew)

I wanted to share with you updates on little Matthew and his fight.  I receive updates daily (thanks Pauline). I wanted to share these ones with you as I received them without much edification (names etc).   

"We're off to a bad start this week. Michelle and the nurse had just turned Matthew onto his belly and he turned almost black. They had to perform CPR to bring him back again. Michelle talked to Dr Litz and she said that he may have the NEC bowel infection again. If he does she feels that he may never be able to handle food. If this is the case she suggested that we strongly consider a DNR. It is hard to even type those letters let alone consider this for our son.

Matthew had an xray done a few minutes ago and we will have the results soon".
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Update: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:08:03 -0300
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Monday evening - what a day

"Hey folks,

From what I understand this daily update gets passed around quite a bit. I'm sure that in the course of its journey it reaches an inbox or two of some one who doesn't share my faith. There are some reading this that may not understand why I believe what I do or how I can have hope at all. I'll be perfectly honest. My faith hasn't been what it should have been over the past few years. Not that I abandoned it, but more that I was taking God for granted. Matthew's struggle has been like a bucket of cold water in the face helping me to realize how much I need to trust Him. Jeremiah 29:11 says, " For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Matthew's stay at the IWK has forced me into a place of complete dependence on God. I believe that the medical community is an amazing an essential part of the world, but it seems as if they are giving up on my little guy. Some view him as a puzzle, but when they can't explain or fix it they are eager to say things like, "He may not be compatible with life" or "He just may not be meant to be."

I believe we are at a point now where it is only God who can heal Matthew. Let me explain. If I go to the doctor and tell him with a broken arm he can put a cast on it and it will get better. I believe that God can heal a broken arm, too, but we often don't ask for things like this. Mostly, it is because we know the doc can fix it and it doesn't stretch us as people to go to the doctor. If I broke my arm tomorrow you would see me at the hospital. In Matthew's case the docs are completely baffled. They can't explain why he is as sick as he is. They have identified certain things, but they don't know why certain things are happening.

My prayer for Matthew is for God to heal Matthew's body and make him whole either through a divine touch or by giving the doctors a clue. I'm good either way, but at this point I believe that it will be God's intervention if the docs are able to treat him because this is more than a broken arm. Don't mistake this for frustration or feelings of incompetence with his doctors. Matthew has received excellent care. The docs don't know what is going on and they need God to help them "flick on the switch." God has already done some great things in Matthew's life and I would love to have Him show His power to his doctors and nurses by touching his body and healing it. I have heard some fantastic stories about things like that, too.

Michelle talked to Dr. Litz late this afternoon. She is confused that the arrests are so random and she told Michelle that they are waiting to get a consult from the chief of the surgical dept. who is on vacation for a few days. He will be able to tell if it is NEC or not. They are going to do another x-ray tomorrow to see if "he is miraculously better" (Dr. Litz's words). The doc has asked for a miracle...please pray for one. Dr. Litz has other theories. One is that it may be neurological. In this case his brain wouldn't be functioning well and the prognosis is not good. Another is that one of the collateral arteries (he has many which formed in the absence of pulmonary arteries) is attached directly to his belly and stealing oxygen from the belly. This would explain the NEC belly infection, but again the prognosis isn't good. Either would help to explain, but either of these diagnosis won't help Matthew. Dr. Litz said she would most likely recommend a DNR if either is found to be true.

For a couple of weeks now I ask God each morning for enough strength to make it through today. I don't need more than that. I'm good if I can make it through the day. Tomorrow I'll ask God for the same thing. I am asking for more for Matthew. He needs a miracle. Please continue your prayers for our family.

Thanks for listening,
Colin, Michelle and Matthew"

**Thank you to each of you who have shared your hopes for the best and prayers.**

Matthew's Saturday Story from Nova Scotia (update)

Hello once again,

Matthew had a decent day. His belly was smaller this morning by 2 cm, so that is good to see. He doesn’t seem to like being picked up and held when he is asleep. This wasn’t an issue a couple of weeks ago, but he is growing and changing. He wouldn’t settle down when I tried to hold him the 1st time, but the 2nd he was quite content until he threw up. We aren’t sure why he did that. It was bile colored and not milky, so it doesn’t necessarily mean that he isn’t handling his food. Time #3 was a nice, long snuggle.

The clot close to his liver has increased in size for the past 2 ultrasounds. They increased the med which is trying to keep it the same size until his body breaks it up.

His lungs are showing more and more signs of lung distress. The nurses who have worked in the NICU and the RTs are saying it seems like BPD. We need God to breathe health into his lungs so getting off the ventilator will not be a long and challenging task. Please put this as a specific prayer request for Matthew.

That’s all the news from our corner of the IWK.   Thank-you all for your prayers and support.
C & M (and Little M)

A Dream, A Fighter - Matthew (2)

"Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:38:09 -0300
Subject: Tuesday - are you sure that thing is plugged in?

Hello once again,
Last night after I sent the update I talked to Michelle again. She told me that Matthew's breathing was very laboured and he was having a hard time. This had been happening since about 1 pm yesterday. I didn't understand that in my conversation with her yesterday afternoon. When I talked to her last night they had discovered that his life support machine wasn't working. I'm very disturbed that it took them 5 hours or more to find this out. When they tried to take the breathing tube out last week Matthew was breathing just as hard. At that time they let it go on for 28 minutes before they decided he needed the tube again. They said that if he kept up that way he would be in a critical state. Yesterday he started breathing that way and it took until after 6 pm for them to realize this. They said that this never happens, etc. That was our adventure yesterday.
Part of Matthew's trouble yesterday was due to the situation I just described. His fever is still an issue, but he had a much better day today. He only had a slight fever at 7 am that didn't last long. They aren't sure why this happens each day.
Because of the issue with the life support yesterday Matthew tired himself out. They had to put him on full support as they did when we first arrived. This is best for him for the time being as he needs to rest and grow. He does need to get back to a place where he is breathing some on his own and then move to only pressure support as he was before the attempt to remove the tube. Doing some of the work himself will help to build the muscles used for breathing.
He had some blood in his urine today. The doctors are not overly concerned. They think it is attributed to all of the diuretic medication he has been given to make him pee high amounts. This can have some strain on the kidneys. They are going to watch this very closely and make sure it is nothing else. The doctors check some blood work regularly to monitor this. The number was quite high yesterday. It is supposed to be between 1-7 and it was at 50. They have decided to not automatically give a diuretic but only give it if he starts to retain liquid. They want to keep his liquid between +50 and -50. It is a very difficult balance with Matthew. He is getting too dry, but he cannot retain too much or his heart will have to work very hard and his lungs will not be able to function well.
This morning they weighed him and he gained around 3 oz. This was quite a surprise because of all of the energy he expelled yesterday when the machine was not working. This is great. He needs to continue that trend.
Michelle talked to the original cardiologist that did Matthew's first IWK echo, Dr Wong. He talked to her about the heart - the original reason why Matthew was brought to the IWK. He said that the condition, Pulmonary Atresia, is the most challenging heart defect that they work with. With Matthew's anatomy it is even more challenging than most. They are still waiting for Matthew to grow to determine when or IF they will be able to do surgery for his heart. He also pointed out to us that Matthew has really been through a lot and really "should not be here". He has surprised many doctors there. He said that even a small thing like a cold can be fatal for Matthew. This really puts things into perspective when we are praying.
I know that is a lot of info and these updates are never-ending, but we appreciate all of you who are on this journey with us. We appreciate your prayers and support during this time. Sometimes it feels like it is more than we can handle, but God is giving us the strength to carry on.
Thanks for reading", Mom & Dad

Please remember these folks as they travel through this.

A Dream, A Fighter - Meet Matthew

A couple have waited 10 years to adopt a little one and finally had their prayers answered when little Matthew was born on June 1st and weighed in at 5 lbs 11 oz and 19 in.. On June 4th Matthew was air-lifted to IWK in Halifax. As I learn more, I will share with you. I have a month plus to catch up on, so it may take me a day or so to read fully through the email chains that are being forwarded to me:

"Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2010 04:20:31 -0300
Subject: update from the IWK
Hey folks,
Matthew is doing well. He is stable, happy and comfortable. He arrived at the IWK around 1 am where we were waiting for him. We were with him and the people looking after him for about 2 hours. A pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Wong, did another echo of his heart. He told us that Matthew's case is complicated. He also seemed optimistic about his prognosis. He will, however, need surgery. The only question is when this will happen. It may be in the next 7 days or in a few months. If we do wait for a few months we will bring Matthew home and life will look somewhat normal until the surgery. From what they see right now this isn't a case of leaving him hooked up to crazy machines for months. That is very encouraging.
The next step for the little guy is more tests. They will inject some contrast material (like a dye) into his veins which will give Dr. Wong a better picture of what things inside look like as he wasn't able to see things as clearly as he would like during the echo. This will help to tell him when the surgery will be needed.
Michelle and I are doing fairly well considering. We have seen God at work in the little things which gives us confidence in the bigger things. We are staying in a comfortable room at the IWK for the weekend and we will move to the Ronald McDonald House next week. Everyone has been great and we are very thankful for the people God has placed to care for Matthew.
Please pray for Matthew's continued stability, specifically the oxygen level in his blood. Also, that each of the doctors involved will be able to find out all of the things that are wrong.
I'll send along more info as it is available". Dad & Mom


I used to work with Matthew's dad.  I know from experience how tiresome and stressful waiting word from NeoNatal Intensive Care Unit is, please pray for this new family.