Wednesday Update

Today the recovery started. Surgery went very well. The surgical team felt comfortable enough to close Shepherd’s chest as opposed to leaving it open as was the original plan. He was taken off the breathing tube and is breathing on his own. Justen and Mindy were able to hear their baby boy cry for the first time since the day he was born. Shepherd is doing very well, he is opening his eyes; something he has not done in a week. Shepherd also started feeding today by bottle; this will be a big step towards recovery, especially since most babies start with a feeding tube. Feeding is a huge step, once the eating starts the tubes and wires start to disappear.

The operation was a success!

Surgery went very well. Shepherd is recovering after 6 hours in the operating room. He still has a rough road ahead of him as the recovery process has now started.

Mom and Dad are so happy and exhausted, but extremely relieved.

More to come...

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

Justen and Mindy just found out that Shepherd is scheduled for open heart surgery at 8am. He will be 6 days old. Luckily Shep takes after his father and is a very strong little boy. The surgeons have opted for the single surgery approach. He will have a new conduit (artery) that connects the heart to the lungs, along with a new heart valve and his heart will be divided into four chambers. All of this on a heart smaller than a walnut, modern medicine is truly amazing!

Justen and Mindy are both looking forward to holding their baby tonight before he goes into surgery tomorrow. It really is the small things that mean the most. They can’t wait to hear him cry and get to hold him again. It looks like it will be another night on the hospital floor for dad and a bed that might be a little worse than the floor for mom. Not much sleep will be occurring tonight.

Thank you for all the kind words and support. It really does help.

Saturday Night Update

Mindy gets to hold Shepherd tonight! Just before putting in an arterial line (which will make holding him more difficult) the team is going to give "mom" a chance to hold son. The the arterial line will be put in, which will allow for easier blood draws, constant blood pressure monitoring, and get Shepherd ready for surgery on Tuesday. Thanks all, we will post again tomorrow.

Saturday, Dec 26 3:30PM update

The news is getting better. Tests today reveal some more detail into Shepherd's heart issues. Doctors have determined that the issue can be corrected by surgery, and this will likely take place on Tuesday. There are two basic options being considered by the medical team, a less invasive procedure involving a temporary stint (which would require an additional surgery in a few months) or an open heart surgery to permanently correct the problem. Doctors feel that Shepherd is strong enough for the surgery and believe the can correct the problem with only one surgery. He will continue to be monitored in the pediatric/cardiac intensive care unit and a final decision on a course of action will be made shortly (after his doctor consults with the surgeon). Other than the obvious heart issue, Shepherd is doing well. Justen and Mindy are also doing well, both of Mindy's parents have visited them for support, and Mindy's sister (who once worked in the N.I.C. unit) has been a great help, especially since she knows many of the staff taking care of Shepherd. The rest of the evening just involves taking it easy (Justen and Mindy were finally able to get a decent nights rest last night) . They will be staying in SF tonight and we will continue to keep this page updated with any news.

Welcome Shepherd James Cole!

Shepherd James Cole was born on Wed--December 23, 2009 at 8:06AM (8 pounds 1 oz) at Kaiser Hospital in Vallejo, CA. What a great, early Christmas gift. Mindy was a trooper, keeping her cool through a long labor!

On Christmas Eve, after a great first day, a nurse noticed that there was "something wrong" with Shepherd, (his color wasn't right and the nurse called for assistance). He was immediately stabilized and transported to the UCSF Childrens Hospital pediatric intensive care unit.

The initial diagnosis was that Shepherd had a hole in his heart or perhaps the veins and arteries connecting his heart with his lungs were not fully developed. Once the problem was traced to his heart, he was moved to the pediatric/cardiac intensive care unit, where he is receiving exceptional care. Tests will be run to determine where we go from here and what course of action his medical team will take.

This is a very difficult time for Justen and Mindy, yet they feel very blessed to have Shepherd and are thankful for the support of their friends and family. This blog has been created to assist them with keeping family and friends up to date, as it can be difficult to try to stay in contact with everyone (their main focus is lilltle baby shep right now).

Please check back here as often as you like, and any news will be shared as it becomes available. Justen and Mindy would like to thank all of you for your thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.