UPDATE: 12 JANUARY 2007. It is too my deep sorrow & regret to tell you that our precious Little Baby Gabriel has died at 02:30 AM. after an attempt again to save his precious life which appeared to work from the 11th.. He had a minor operation 11 January where they took a catheter out of his left leg that was to be hooked up to a dyalisis machine called CVVH (4th try to put him on dialysis) as his kidneys were working but not enough. The operation was on the 11 January 2007 at 12:05 Pm. & they put a longer catheter in his right leg that would reach near his heart to get better blood flow & then they hooked him up to the dialysis machine. It was successful & we were celebrating another miracle with much joy. He was in stable but critical condition. By nightfall however, Gabriel's temperature had dropped from 98.6 to 95.5 degrees and his blood pressure went low which they expected. They had him in an incubator to keep him warm & it raised his temperature to 96. when I left. This day was special as I had slept over from the 10th -11th of january & on the 11th I was strangely awoken at 3:53 am. I got myself dressed & went outside had a couple cigarettes & went directly to Gabriels room #1088 which was his 2nd room now. I thought it strange when I looked up at the electronic clock above his room which said 11 January 2006 05:55 Am which was the time Gabriel was born. Then realized it was his 55th day of living & the 5th day of the week. I smiled as it seemed as a sign of something special for Gabriel as he always does things in 3's. I prayed the rosary over him. The 10th he had his 3rd try to put him on dialysis again to help him with his swelling but it failed as the catheter wasn't long enough & there was problems with blood clots, so I had put all my relics about him, read him "One fish, Two fish" by Dr. Seus & prayed the rosary & took some pictures. When I left Gabriel after my stay with him on the 11th, at 7:26 pm. all appeared well. It was to my horror when I was awoken by my husband with cell phone in hand on the 12th January at 2:59 AM (nearly 3 AM!!~ again with the 3's) (also noted was the 12th is Gabriel's great great grandfather-Thomas Barron's death day and his beloved cousin Blessed Brother Andre Bessette burial anniversary day which was ironic or not that Gabriel had died the 1st time on Cousin Andre's rejection day & our Baptism day on the 8th January for 45 minutes but was revived & thing started to go well from there) from my daughter crying saying Gabriel had died 12 January 2007 at 2:30 Am! Blood clots had clogged his dialysis CVVH tube & they backfired causing his precious heart to fail & vital signs. He had been also bleeding internally & this spread from his lungs, then his stomach, then it showed in his urine. The Blood clots & the bleeding & the failure of his lungs & kidneys to work on their own set his destiny. The Dr's in desperate attempts to save his life had no choice to take him off CVVH after many attempts to save his life. His kidneys failed then his heart & other vitals & the doctors found they could do no more. My poor daughter & son-n-law was forced to make the decision to take him off the ventilator as he was failing quickly & his stability was gone & couldn't be regained. My daughter & son-n-law could not let Gabriel suffer as Gabriel was beyond the point of return. I can't imagine how this turmoiled by daughter & son-n-law as they stood strong to help Gabriel through his entire fight for life. This was not an option for them & God was calling him home. We visited our Little Baby Gabriel at 2:30 P.m. til 5 Pm for the last time on the 12th January & got to hold him for the very FIRST TIME & LAST TIME & for 3 times that day. He died peacefully & looked peaceful & beautiful when we saw him. There wasn't a dry eye in that room as everyone bid the farewells & I love you's to him including Doctors, nurses, staff, & even newly aquaintances whom paid respects to our family & Gabriel. We are devestated from the loss of our Beloved Gabriel but very grateful to have been blessed to know him for 56 precious days & are comforted to know that our beloved Mamma Mary handed him in sweet Jesus's lap. In the 56 beautiful days of Gabriel's life, he had touched & united people from the 4 corners of the earth and will be deeply missed! We love you always Gabriel & Miss you deeply! With love, your Dad & Mom, Grandma & Grandpa, & Uncle! XOXOXO May you be a star in the heavens, light the ways with your love & will, be a light in Jesus's arms & lap with Mamma Mary & Pappa Joseph & family as you join them with their Holy Family, and Kiss your Pappa & Mamma each night. May you be blessed always & rest sweetly our beloved Little Baby Gabriel! In memory of our Beloved Little Gabriel (18 November 2006 - 12 November 2007)
My poem I wrote to our precious Grandbaby- Our Little Baby Gabriel whom I love and adore very much!
Little Baby Gabriel needs your prayers! I was informed tonight by my daughter that Little Gabriel isn't doing so well. The Dr's tried to get him off Ecmo machine (a machine that works for his heart and lungs) . When they take him off Ecmo it will also make him get off the Dialysis machine (that is helping him keep the swelling down) but so far all attempts have failed. His blood pressure dropped drastically low and he had his 1st ceisure. She said it was a small one but never-the-less there are concerns. She said time is running short that DR said they will have to get him off or take him off as they can't keep him on this machine much longer. They had to put him back on machines and upboost all his medicines which has caused the swelling to start again. Poor Gabriel is very sick and needs everyone that can be an Angel and pray for him. He has been a fighter so far but all that he has been through has take a toll. We thought he was doing better as tho one undersized lung is completely collapsed the other undersized one finally started expanding this last week. But this set back has us concerned. We thank all of you whom have sent such beautiful letters of support, prayer and love- Thank You for being our Angels. With love, Many Blessings, Laurie
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On Dec. 7, 2006, I found out some of Gabe's true diagnosis. He was born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) is a birth defect that occurs when the diaphragm does not fully form, allowing organs to enter the chest cavity preventing lung growth. CDH strikes 1 in every 2500 babies, of all races, religious backgrounds, and financial status - no matter how well the prenatal care. The cause is not yet known. 50% of these babies do not survive and sometimes the remaining 50% have to overcome very difficult medical complications. Many CDH babies have minor lasting health problems such as feeding aversions, asthma, scoliosis, or short-term oxygen dependency. A smalll number have major lasting health problems such as ventilator dependency, brain damage, or hearing problems. Many patients have no long-lasting medical problems at all other than a scar from the CDH repair. CDH can occur alone or with other birth defects, and rarely, it occurs as part of a syndrome. Every CDH baby is different, there is no way to predict the outcome of any patient. Some babies with no diaphragm and little lung growth have survived, while some babies with full lungs do not. These children are very different, requiring different treatments, and varying amounts of medical support.
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Congenital heart defects
Holes in the heart. Several defects can be thought of as holes in the walls between heart chambers or abnormal passageways between major blood vessels leaving the heart. These holes allow oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood to mix. If the holes are large and a lot of blood is mixed, the blood that ends up being circulated through your baby's body is not carrying as much oxygen as normal. Poorly oxygenated blood causes your baby's skin or fingernails to appear slightly bluish in color. Your baby may also develop signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure, such as shortness of breath, lethargy and leg swelling, because both oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood are flooding (overcirculating) the lungs.
Examples of hole defects include ventricular septal defect, which is a hole in the wall between the right and left ventricles; atrial septal defect, a hole between the upper heart chambers; and patent ductus arteriosus (DUK-tus ahr-teer-e-O-sus), an opening between the pulmonary artery and the aorta. During fetal development, this opening allows blood in the fetus to bypass the lungs. Within a few hours after birth, however, it should close. If it doesn't, oxygen-rich blood intended for the body is directed back to the lungs.
His lungs are underdevelped and had collapsed & his precious heart has a hole in it
