Happy second heartiversary!

Happy second heartiversary to Ripley!

Two years ago, when Ripley was just 30 days old, he received his life saving open heart surgery to repair a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot.

Early in the morning, our tiny baby was wheeled out in his hospital bed by the anesthesia team to go to the Operating Room. I was just in survival mode when the anesthesiologist told me that I could kiss Ripley and say, "goodbye," to him. Then, we ran into his amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Reddy, and I wished him, "good luck and Godspeed."

Our son's chest was opened, his heart was stopped, and he had what is called a "full repair" performed. To pass the time, Hayes and I went out to brunch, walked around, I did some online shopping, and just generally tried to keep our minds off the surgery. Madison told me, "I love you," for the first time over FaceTime. I wonder if she knew I needed that.

In the afternoon, Dr. Reddy came by to see us, telling us that the surgery went well. A bit after that, we got to see Ripley. He was connected to so many tubes and wires. The room was filled with the sound of monitors beeping to give alerts about his vital signs and his medications were constantly adjusted by the team. Nothing prepares you to see your child in this condition. Nonetheless, we realize how blessed we are that we live in a time of advanced medical technology and in proximity to world class hospitals.

Now, those who meet Ripley for the first time have no idea he's a heart warrior unless they see his heart scar. He is such an exuberant little boy who spreads joy, love, and laughter to all he meets. He will receive lifelong cardiac follow-up (right now, he is cleared to see his cardiologist once a year) to see how his heart is developing and functioning. The hope is that he will not need additional surgical intervention, but we will see as time goes by.

In honor of his heartiversary, we signed up for the Bay Area Superhero Heart Run in Fremont on Sunday, November 4. We'd love for you to join Team Running for Ripley as we dress up like superheroes, get some fresh air, raise CHD awareness, and honor these amazing heart warriors and commemorate the heart angels too. You can register to join Team Running for Ripley here: https://my.superheroheartrun.com/team/187365

Here is a photo of Ripley with all of his heart and lion stuffies. It's hard to get a clear photo of him now because he's always on the run. May he always be kind, brave, and free.