First post:
May 16, 2017 Latest post:
Aug 30, 2020
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Ben and Elizabeth Boesiger's story begins:
Ben, Elizabeth and two year old daughter Avery are excited to share the upcoming birth of another daughter / sister , MAZIE RAY BOESIGER! Elizabeth will be journeying to Childrens Hospital, Denver Colorado on Sunday May 14, 2017. Mazie should be born on Monday May 15, 2017 . Mazie has a heart defect, known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or HLHS. This heart defect is caused when the left side of the heart does not form during the early stages of life. The heart is one of the few organs that is not able to "fix" itself during the pregnancy. The right side of the heart sends blood to the lungs and the left side sends blood to the rest of the body. Mazie will need to have three different sugeries to enable the right side of her heart to send blood to all areas of her body.
Tenetative schedule:
Day 3 (after birth): Surgery #1: The Norwood Procedure Connects the pulmonary artery to the hypoplastic aorta enabling the right ventricle (RV) to maintain the system circulation. Pulmonary blood flow is supplied by a systemic to pulmonary artery (PA) shunt or a non-valved conduit between the RV and the main PA, (a Sano Shunt) The atrial sepum is removed to allow free egress of oxygenated blood from the LA to the RA
4 to 6 months old: Surgery #2: The Bidirectional Glenn Anastomosis Systemic ( deoxygenated ) blood from the upper body enters the SVC. The SVC is detached from the right atrium and an end to side anastomosis attaches it directly to the pulmonary artery. This improves pulmonary blood flow and reduces the workload and volume of the right ventricle.
Around two Years of Age: Surgery #3:The Fontan Procedure Involves diverting the venous blood from the IVC and SVC to the pulmonary arteries without passing through the morphologic right ventricle. The systemic and pulmonary circulations are placed in series with the functional single ventricle.
I don't understand all the " BIG " words. You can find more information if you look up HLHS.
God has blessed the Medical community with brilliant minds that have developed the procedures to enable children , like Mazie, to experience life to the fullest!
Please join Ben and Elizabeth in prayers for the medical team(s) who will take care of Elizabeth and Mazie as their journey begins. Mazie will probably be in Children Hospital for three (3) to Six (6) weeks. Please pray for Ben as he tries to balance time with Elizabeth and their girls in Denver, while tring to support his family working in Loveland. Please pray for safe travel for everyone driving back and forth to Denver.
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