Trenton's Story
written by mom Crystal
Trenton was born on February 19, 2005. He
was 5 lbs 6 ozs and 4 weeks early. He was fairly healthy despite a heart
murmur that they found, and after the required two day stay, we were sent
home. Two days later, I noticed that the whites of his eyes, were very
YELLOW. I called the pediatrician, and they had us get blood work. A lot of
his blood work was abnormal, so they requested that he have blood work done
again the next day, and then be seen in the office.
The next day we sat at the pediatrician's office waiting for the results.
They were not good at all. After reviewing the results with us, they said
they wanted Trenton to be admitted into the NICU at our local hospital. We
were devastated. We took Trenton into the NICU and watched as the nurses and
doctors swarmed around him. We were asked to leave at one point so they
could do a sterile procedure, which included inserting a tube into his
umbilical cord.
After a week of testing, the doctors all decided that Trenton had a form of
liver disease called Biliary Atresia. They took him into the operating room,
and at one and a half weeks old, Trenton had his first (of many) operations.
Unfortunately this first one was unsuccessful, as well as the second
attempt. Trenton was still very jaundiced, and his liver was failing fast.
The only other option was transplant.
On October 26, 2005 at nine months old, Trenton was listed for a liver
transplant through the University of Michigan Mott Children's Hospital. The
doctors at Mott's also re-diagnosed Trenton with Alagille Syndrome, which
can affect the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, sexual reproductive organs, and
can also affect growth.
On November 25, 2005, less than 30 days after being listed, we received that
call for transplant. We drove to Ann Arbor, and waited. A few minutes before
midnight, Trenton was brought into the OR for his life saving organ. On
November 26, Trenton was given the best gift of all.... The the gift of
Life.
While recuperating in the hospital after his transplant, the doctors
realized that something was wrong with his heart. The heart murmur that was
found at birth, caused by a narrowed artery, was not growing like they had
expected. There was very little blood flow to his left lung. The docs at U
of M referred us to a surgeon at U of M, who recommended reconstructing the
artery to widen it up.
Two days after Trenton's first birthday and only 3 months after his liver
transplant, he went in for his first heart surgery. The surgeon attempted to
repair his artery, and at the time was happy with the results.
Unfortunately, despite the doctors best efforts, the grafts used to
reconstruct the artery didn't take, and the artery continued to close up. We
didn't realize this until Trenton's check up in late March, when an
ultrasound was performed. There was NO blood flow to his left lung, at it
was not growing properly at all.
The doctors decided to place a shunt in the artery to help it grow, so in
June of 2006, Trenton went in for his second heart surgery. This time, the
shunt was placed, and the prayers began.
So far, almost one year later, things are going well. However, the next step
is to have the shunt removed, and the artery “rerouted” into place. This
would be Trenton's third heart surgery, and his sixth major surgery overall.
Trenton is small for his age, but he makes up for it with a HUGE
personality. He loves to play with his brothers. He is tough, and he is a
fighter. We have no doubt his next surgery will be a breeze!
Abilities:
See: Yes.
Hear: Yes.
Talk: Yes, beginning to learn lots of words and phrases, although not
always coherent!
Walk: Yes.
Read: No.
Use hands: Yes.
Siblings:
brother Brendon, age 10
brother Preston, age 4
Child's Interests:
Trenton LOVES Elmo. He loves to watch Sesame Street. He also likes cars,
books, balls, and basically anything BOY! He likes Weebles and the
Smartville toys, with the "talking" animals.
Sibling's Interests:
Brendon is into action figures (can't call them dolls!) and card games. He
also likes Legos, Magnetix and GameBoy.
Preston likes the same things Trenton does... Elmo, cars, toys, and balls.
He also likes the action figures.
Click
HERE
for recent updates on Trenton
(use the "Search" box on the sidebar of that page
to find updates on this particular child)
