Update on Jack
Jack will be going into Yale, mid march 2012, for his 2nd open heart surgery. He is having a ground breaking surgery with cardiothorasic surgeon, Dr Toshi Shinoka and his outstanding team. They will be starting the surgery with a bone marrow, to obtain his stem cells. They will then be inserting those cells onto a graft and into his heart. Jack will be able to grow his own artery and won't have to use anything artifical - there will be no fear of his body rejecting any foreign substance. Our hopes with all of this, is that over the years while he continues to grow, the artery will grow along with him, as the artificial one would not grow. It is an amazing opportunity with Jack being only the 2nd person in the United States to have this done. We consider this a miracle!!
After they complete step 1 with the stem cells, they have to move on to the bigger part called the Fontain. It is the 2nd part to the Glenn, which was done on Jack back on April 7th 2010. They will detach his inferior vena cava frtom his leg (which is the lower half of our body's, main artery) and
re-attach it to the lower part of his lungs. That will create a system for blood to flow. Our hopes are that this will be the last surgery for a VERY long time! This will be approximately a 12 hour surgery.
Jack has been living the life of a 2 year old just like any other, with the exception of his oxygen levels. Daily they are around 70%. He has a baseline color of skin, a little bluer than other kids. He also loses his breath a lot quicker than others and has a very hard time keeping up with his sister. But he never gives up!! He is a trooper, very tough and very stubborn!
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View our gallery page for pics of last year's 1st ever JOAH Walk-A-Thon!
