Brycen’s Story

Site created on April 13, 2021

Brycen was diagnosed prenatally with Trisomy 21, Tetrology of Fallot, AV canal and a cleft lip and palate. He was born January 7, 2021 and had a 39 day NICU stay where he struggled with feeding and breathing due to his heart defects. His breathing issues resolved as he got bigger. He had his first surgery on February 12th to place his G-Tube. Brycen came home on February 15th and we were able to spend some time without issue enjoying our little man! On March 25th I took Brycen to the emergency room because he was extremely fussy, working harder to breathe and his color seemed off. When we arrived he was in respiratory failure. They called a code blue, he was intubated and placed on a ventilator. Over the next week he made huge improvements and was discharged home. After 4 days at home, Brycen seemed a bit off and as a precaution I brought him to get checked out. He was admitted for monitoring because his oxygen levels were dropping again. His team decided it was time for him to have his heart repaired. On April 12th, Dr. Hraska at Children’s in Milwaukee performed Brycen’s open heart surgery. There were some complications that resulted in an extended time on bypass and part of his heart repair having to be redone. His surgeon said his repair was an extremely difficult case. Brycen came out of repair in critical condition. His chest remained open for 4 days because his heart was swollen. He is on a lot of support but we are hoping to see improvement soon! 


We appreciate all the love and prayers for Brycen! I will try and update this page as much as I can! ❤️❤️❤️

Newest Update

cleft lip repair

Journal entry by Karissa Hoecherl —

Today was Brycen’s cleft lip repair! He did really well and is now napping comfortably. I’ve added a picture. Tomorrow we will be able to clean the blood up. He will have the nose stents in for about 2 weeks to help his nose keep it’s shape. We are spending the night at Children’s tonight and should be heading home tomorrow! 
Read More of the journal titled "cleft lip repair"
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