Kevin's Healing Journey: A New Heart and A Little Guy with a Big Heart

Thursday, October 17, 2013

A New Heart and A Little Guy with a Big Heart

On September 9, 2013, Kevin's Pap received a most precious gift...a new heart! Last summer we were told that there was nothing more they could do for my Dad's heart and a heart transplant would be the next step. We feel very blessed that we were able to have a family vacation at Myrtle Beach this past June 2013 but then at the end of July 2013 Dad was back in the hospital. On August 8, 2013 Dad was put at the top of The List for a heart transplant and 31 days later he received The Call that he would be receiving his new heart. It will be a long recovery but we are happy to report that he is home and doing well.

This is a picture that was taken of Kevin and Pap while he was in the hospital waiting for his new heart. When we arrived, Kevin sat next to him and put his head on my Dad's heart! Kevin is a little guy with a big heart!

Kevin and I were actually lucky enough to be visiting my Dad and Mom in the hospital when they received The Call that he would be getting his heart...a moment I will never forget!

One more story about my Dad...Three days after the transplant surgery, I returned home and was sitting on the couch with Kevin. I was talking on the phone with my sister getting the latest update on my Dad and then I heard my Mom's voice. I looked over at Kevin sitting next to me on the couch with the iPad and saw my Mom and Dad on the screen. Kevin had called my Mom through FaceTime on the iPad. It was a good idea Kevin had so we could see their face and hear their voice. But he did surprise me and give us a good laugh!

This picture was taken just a few hours before Dad got The Call for his NEW HEART

1 comment:

UnknownThursday, October 17, 2013
What special little guy in so many ways!
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My Blog

This blog was created to keep our family and friends updated on Kevin's healing journey. It is also our hope that others may find this blog to give help and hope to other delayed kids.

About Kevin

They told us Kevin would never walk or talk. But with lots of prayers, hard work, and extra hands, he began walking when he was four years old and we continue to have faith and hope as we wait patiently for his speech to develop. Kevin is now eight years old. He is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy due to a brain-injury he had before birth that was caused by a stroke. In 2006, before Kevin was 2 years old, we found Glenn Doman’s book "What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child" that had answers to help children with special needs and developmental delays. We began an individualized home treatment program for Kevin immediately and have been dedicated to our program ever since. We spent three years with the Doman family at The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP) and now we are with Matthew and Carol Newell at The Family Hope Center (FHC). Twice a year we return to Philadelphia where Kevin receives a neurological evaluation to determine the progress he has made in the last six months. Then they provide us with an individualized, program that puts me in charge to help Kevin develop and reach his fullest potential.

Do You Know a Delayed Child?

The best recommendation we can give to another parent with a special needs or developmentally delayed child (brain-injured, brain-damaged, mentally retarded, mentally deficient, cerebral-palsied, epileptic, autistic, athetoid, hyperactive, attention deficit disordered, developmentally delayed, or down's) is to read Glenn Doman's book What To Do About Your Brain-Injured Child and/or Dr. Coralee Thompson and Dr. Philip Maffetone's book Healthy Brains, Healthy Children. By simply reading these books, you will gain valuable information to help your child which will begin to unlock the potential your child has. And best of all you will learn that there are other options to helping your child that you can do yourself. We would also highly recommend attending the parent course at FHC or IAHP. To read how our journey began and the successful progress Kevin has had refer to the January 2010 blog archive.