Most people know that our third child, Maisy, had complications that led to her current special needs, but I sometimes get asked what those complications were and I often get asked about what happened in those first six months.

Maisy was born with Transposition of the Great Vessels (TOGV) and her vital organs were not receiving oxygenated blood. She had Open Heart Surgery (open, meaning that she is on bypass during surgery so that her heart is not functioning during the procedure) at nine days old.
Maisy then developed an array of complications following her initial surgery that led to many more trips to the OR and Cardiac Cath Lab, as well as other steps to save her life. Her lungs collapsed on multiple occasions, she developed infections in her blood stream as well as her heart, she had a pulmonary embolism and a clot in a major vein that carries blood from the upper portion of the body.
Long term ventilation required a tracheostomy, a need for IV access meant a trip to the OR for a special port that offered direct access to her heart (her veins were collapsing.) It was a long six months, with Maisy and I living about five hours from Evan, Sadie, and Ella for most of the time. Sadie and Ella would come to stay with me periodically and our Moms were a wonderful help to us.

We still have the occasional drama and Maisy has developmental delays, but things are progressing and changing. We no longer have six specialists that we visit almost monthly, we are down to yearly visits to two, sometimes three. Maisy had her trach removed just before her third birthday. She has a wheelchair, but gets around quite well by crawling and coaxing unsuspecting friends into carrying her. She signs and has a few "words" to let us know what she wants.

Maisy is a miracle and a blessing and reminds us everyday of the strength we have within us all.