Ruth ’s Story

Site created on December 15, 2022

Thank you for visiting our Caring Bridge website for our sweet Ruth Isabel. She was born on March 15, 2021 with a complex congenital heart defect: Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA) with a large Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). She had her first surgery on March 22, 2021 involving an arch reconstruction and VSD closure with a 6 week hospital stay.

During her first year of life she had recurring respiratory infections with respiratory distress requiring breathing treatments and oral steroids. She also had severe asthma. She can only tolerate honey thickened liquids due to aspirating on regular thin liquids. After some testing earlier in 2022 it was revealed that her left main bronchus was compressed. She underwent another surgery via thoracotomy to release the aorta off the main bronchus April 12, 2022.

This fall, she had testing to evaluate her throat and a cleft was found, which is possibly causing the aspiration of thin liquids. Around the same to she had her follow-up bronchoscopy to reevaluate her left main bronchus. Unfortunately there was not much improvement, which explained her continued respiratory distress when ill. Now we are anticipating her third open heart surgery in Boston (more info in journal entry from 12/15/22).

Ruth has an older sister Ivy (3) and is expecting a new baby sister in January 2023. Baby sister’s fetal echo showed a beautiful heart. We are all eager to meet her.

As this journey feels like a wilderness at times, we are confident that God is with us and leading us. We have been so comforted by our family, friends, and local church. We are repeatedly reminded that our true hope comes not from this life but the eternal life God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are able to bless Him even in the hard moments.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬-‭3‬, ‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Newest Update

February 12, 2023

Journal entry by Sophie Henricks —

It has been 4 weeks since we brought Millie home! Thank you for praying as we adjust to our family of 5. 

I remember fearing the newborn stage when Ruth was still waking up at night. But Ruth has been sleeping through the night ever since coming home from Boston. This is truly a praise! 

Ruth is strong and eating and breathing so well. She seems like a whole new toddler. Her cardiac ECHO with her cardiologist in Peoria looked good. She will have a repeat CT this summer for a check up. We hope to wean off some asthma meds this summer too. 

Ruth had her ENT appointment on Friday to scope her airway. Her left vocal chord still has no movement. We will wait 2 more months to wait for improvement. Ruth is communicating with sign and pronouncing some words. Our speech therapist comes every Wednesday morning and Ruth adores her. When Ruth can’t communicate what she wants with sign language or her words, she throws a tantrum. These tantrums initially would last up to an hour, but thankfully they are only a couple minutes now. 

We are currently fighting our first virus. Ruth is able to cough up her secretions and not requiring frequent breathing treatments like before surgery. Praise!!! Please pray she can continue to fight this virus!

Thanks for thinking of us and praying during these busy newborn weeks. 💕

Love, Dylan & Sophie, Ivy, Ruth, & Millie 

***Ruth’s sweet little friend from Boston made it back home to Poland last week! Praise God!💖
Read More of the journal titled "February 12, 2023"
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