Team Superman Liam Wyatt
Donation protected
I know this may seem lengthy. However, I wanted to show just how quickly my cousin and his wife's lives changed so drastically. They had what they thought was pretty well everything going for them. We were all so terribly wrong. Thanks for reading and helping in advance.
It all started 30 months ago when we found out we were getting a little addition to our family.
The pregnancy wasn't completely uneventful but nothing real serious.
Then 21 months ago, our lives changed forever. He had
arrived. Liam Wyatt Gregory.
He had the normal childhood illnesses, ear infections, sinus infections, asthma, etc. We were obliviously moseying along with our day to day lives. We had found out we were expecting again and everyone was excited to know……boy or girl?? On September 29, 2015, we found out that we are working on having our own baseball team. It was another boy. Then, on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, our busy scheduled lives came to a screeching halt. Liam hadn’t been “sick." He had a cough, which we expected, due to his recently having RSV and his ongoing asthma. However, it seemed as if Liam was short of breath. Still playful but having trouble breathing. So we took him to the doctor. They ran some tests on him and immediately rushed him 2.5 hours away to a Children's Hospital.
One minute, I started my day as normal as possible. Got ready for work, kiss the wife and kids and headed off and then I get the phone call that they are keeping Liam in the hospital. I got to the hospital as they were putting him and, of course, Jess in the ambulance with Laramy to follow if went from one minute seeing him smiling and saying, bye daddy I love you to watching them do chest compressions on my baby boy who had slipped so effortlessly into cardiac arrest. His little heart had finally given up the fight. It was tired. Luckily all the doctors and nurses and God, of course, knew we couldn't make it without him and gave him back to us.
There was instantly an overwhelming support system from all of our family and friends. Everybody was praying and our emotional roller coaster began.
On September 30, 2015 at 10:23 pm, I posted my first update. my first update read as follows: Not much to update. We get to see him whenever we wanted but it was not easy with all the tubes and wires but he was resting and the ECMO is running smoothly. It might take 4-5 days before we find anything out so please keep him in your prayers. Also, pray for my wife. She has went through more stress today than most pregnant women go through their entire pregnancy, so keep her and the baby in your prayers please. Thank you so much everybody for the thoughts and prayers. We will try to keep everybody updated as much as possible
Update #2: September 30, 2015 at 10:53pm: Ok the cardiologist came out. The machine wasn't able to get all of the blood out of the heart so they are calling a team in to make a small hole to help it drain. It will take a few hours before they start and will take 4-5 hours. It's going to be a long night guys. I couldn’t get this image out of my mind. Ok the cardiologist came out. The machine wasn't able to get all of the blood out of the heart so they are calling a team in to make a small hole to help it drain. It will take a few hours before they start and will take 4-5 hours. It's going to be a long night guys. No matter how hard I tried I could not get this image out of my head…
October 1st, 1:57 am, was the first time Jessica had responded to anyone. She was definitely too busy being my rock.
She said: Finally going to post, we are appreciating all the prayers thoughts and kind words for our precious baby boy. We have a lot of family here with us at the hospital so that is helping. Liam's still in surgery but we did hear that it's going well he's still stable. Will update more when we know more again keep those prayers coming love you all.
October 1st, 2:43 am, Update #3: A Dr. was passing through the PICU and gave me this. I take it as a good sign what a nice gentleman.
Finally October 1st at 2:58 am update #4: Thank you Jesus the surgery went good and in a quarter of the time. They got the pressure off of the left side of his heart and now it's on to find out what's wrong. Step 1 is down but he has a lot to go! Thank you everybody for the prayers but please keep them coming.
October 1st at 9:55 am Update #5: Not much to update this morning. He is still stable and his heart is resting with the machine running. They have lowered some medicine because his blood pressure has gone up. We got to go in earlier and give him kisses and tell him how much he meant to everybody. We appreciate the outpouring of support and it amazes us the amount of prayers my baby boy received. Thank you for sharing and asking for more prayers. We will need all we can get!
October 1st at 2:26 pm Update #6: Got to see my baby for a little while and give him some kisses from everybody. He is doing well. They lowered the level of flow on the ECMO so they will see how the heart is doing. We will find out more info tomorrow... Love you guys!!!
October 1st at 5:09 pm Update #7: Went and checked on Liam. The nurses said his arterial pressure is up and that is a really good sign! That shows that the side of his heart that wasn't doing well and wasn't pumping at all earlier is pumping!!! Please God continue your work. I want to hear my baby tell me he loves us soon!!!
He was hanging in there and chugging along on this uphill battle.
October 2nd at 9:45 am Update #8: Good morning everybody. Liam is doing about the same. They have started to slowly warm him and his arterial pressure is even better! He has started to move his hands and feet a little and even opened his eyes a few times! Hopefully we find out today what caused this and the doctors can move forward on how to fix superman. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers. And the Cardinal Glennon hospital staff has been absolutely amazing! We actually got a full night sleep in a little bunk room for parents and were hungry for the first time when we woke up. We love you guys so much and we can't wait for Liam to be able to tell you guy’s thanks!
October 2nd at 12:00 pm Update #9: Doctors lowered the ECMO flow again and superman kept his blood pressure up on his own. They are going to let his heart rest for a day or two before they try anything else but its good news!
On October 2nd, we got to see Riley. Here is Jessica’s response to his visit: When you’re so stressed and exhausted but you get some family time with your 4 year old you haven't seen in a few days you can breathe again. Riley's sad he can't see his brother but he's got his mind off of it thank God for Cardinal Glennon having this so Riley can have some fun.
October 3rd at 12:33 am Update #11: Late night update: Liam was very active when we went to tell him goodnight. He squeezed and held his pawpaw Jimmy's finger for a while and Jessica's and mine and was opening his eyes and was moving around a lot. The nurse did say if he moved around too much more they would have to give him some sedatives again, so no talking about jeep rides with daddy just gets too excited smile emoticon Again, we appreciate every kind word, prayer, visit, Facebook like, anything! Every little thing makes it that much easier on us all. We have come to realize that we have the most amazing family, friends and church that anybody could ask for. We love you all so much and please keep the prayers coming. Liam is in for a long slow recovery but my superman will be back before you know it!
October 3rd at 10:23 am Update #12: So no news is good news. He is still hanging out and being strong. The doctor did said his chest x ray looked a lot better today, but that's the only thing really that's changed. I am finally able to go see him without completely losing it but it really isn't getting any easier seeing him like that. Sure wish I could just hear him say night night. Ok enough of the sad stuff. We have a big day Monday! They are going to make his heart work a little harder and I'm praying it goes good! We love you guys!!
October 4th at 8:49 am Update #13: Good morning everybody. Liam is doing well this morning. The swelling has gone down a lot! He looks so much more like himself and he had some bleeding around the spot on his hand where they have some of the many tubes but that has stopped. He has been having some bleeding from all the blood thinners he is on. He is getting a teaspoon an hour of food (by tube) and I know my chunky monkey likes that! The doctor last night said if everything goes like she thinks it will tomorrow that we might get to hear his sweet voice this week!!! I can't begin to tell you how much we believe in the power of prayer now. God has shown us that he is watching out for our superman!
October 4th at 8:51 pm Update #14: Update on Liam: tomorrow is the big day. Starting at around noon they are going to start weaning Liam off of the ECMO while watching his heart to make sure his blood pressure and pulse stays up and watching it to make sure it is pumping right. As long as there are no complications he will be on his own heart by noon Tuesday! Please pray that everything goes smooth and my little superman shows how strong he is! Thank you guys for the prayers! We will update as we can.
October 5th at 8:22 am Update #15: Happy birthday to my beautiful strong wife. She has been my rock for a long time now and even now she is always finding the bright side in everything. I love you baby and I would give anything to give you a normal birthday with our little men, but God is in control and I know he is going to pull us through this and all of us will be stronger than ever! I'm sorry I don't have a birthday present for you but when Liam is off of ECMO and doing great, I will say it was because I told him to. I love you Jessica Ann and I will never stop loving you with all of my heart.
October 5th at 3:16 pm Update #16: Update time! They lowered the ECMO down as low as the machine would allow while doing an echo and his blood pressure and his pulse stayed strong and great! Another step in the right direction! Thank you God for watching after my baby boy!
October 5th at 5:56 pm Update #17: Keep praying guys. The cardiologist says his heart did well on low flow but unfortunately there is a chance of a heart transplant. We should be off of ECMO tomorrow then an MRI on his heart and head on Wednesday. This is such an emotional roller coaster, please; please pray for Good news Wednesday.
October 5th at 10:54 pm Jessica’s post: Just hoping everyone is holding their babies extra tight , Riley is in poplar bluff so he could go back to preschool to have some normal is his life so I'm missing him I haven't had a hug from my boys today and it's honestly the hardest thing I can imagine and it's past their normal bedtime and by now I've tucked them in and heard night night and luv ya from Liam and Riley not wanting to go to bed so he could stay up and watch TV with me and his daddy.. You don't realize how much you miss the little things. Every single day is getting a little easier but we have a long road ahead of us. I know soon enough I'll get to hear all the words Liam says even if Laramy ask Liam if I'm a poopy head and Liam says yesh(that's how he says yes) I'll be very happy . I'm sorry if my status makes anyone sad but I just needed to say you need to appreciate every single moment with your child even the ones when they aren't listening or they're screaming. I know I will from now on.
October 6th at 1:32 pm Update #18: The doctors are about to remove the ECMO. This is a very important moment. We are very lucky to have great family and friends with us. I know we have been asking for a lot of prayers but I truly believe that is the only reason he has been doing so good. So please take a second and send some more up for my little guy. Thank you
October 6th at 1:46 am Update #19: The surgeon has decided to wait 24 hours now before they remove the ECMO because his blood pressure had dropped a little. They want to monitor him a little more.
October 6th at 6:01 pm Update #20: Liam went in for a CT scan. There are signs of fluid buildup and some blood. Not sure where the blood has come from but they think it's from all the blood thinners he is on. They can't do anything until he comes off ECMO. He also has suffered a stroke. They think it will be mild. Should only bother his left leg but they think he will regain all strength in it. I am at my breaking point. I have tried to be strong and place all my faith in God but when does the punches stop? Why do this to a perfect 21 month old baby? I just want God to take me and leave my baby alone. The one thing holding me together is when I talk to Liam he turns his head and looks at me in the eyes and squeezes my finger. I know that God’s trying to reassure me but what is next? It seems like every time we go one step forward, we end up taking 4 back. Sorry for venting but I need some release. Please keep praying for my baby. I can’t live without him.
Jess’s Update on October 7th at 7:36 am: Thank you everyone for all the prayers we can still use them Dr. Huddleston said Liam looks better today than he did yesterday so they are going to try again to take him off of the ECMO machine. Please pray that his heart and blood pressure look well enough to do this we can move to the next step of getting Liam better once we get him off of the ECMO.
October 7th at 9:55 am Update 21: Liam is having a good morning so far. His erg looked good and no signs of seizures. They clamped the ECMO off and his blood pressure and heart rate stayed good. He got pretty mad when they washed his hair but EEG and Jessica (mostly Jessica) got him to calm down and relax. They are waiting to decide if they want to come off ECMO today but it is very likely. I pray God helps the doctors decided if his heart is strong enough for that or not. At 11:30 today will be 1 week from the time I got the call they were admitting him. By far the worst week of my life. All I want is for him to go back to how he was so I can make him mad by holding him and kissing those cheeks. I just want to be a dad again and do normal dad things. Thank you for the prayers, calls, texts and visits. We are so blessed with the friends and family God has given us. We wouldn’t have made it without all the prayers.
October 7th at 12:43pm Update #22: I'm trying to be strong here. I keep looking at this picture and reminding myself one day soon I will see this beautiful smile again. The doctors have decided Liam's heart is too weak to be removed from ECMO. They are still afraid he will go into cardiac arrest. They are doing another CT scan now to check the brain bleed and fluid buildup. They are also going to start the process to get him on the transplant list. We will stay strong and keep our faith in God to heal my baby. We appreciate all the prayers.
My mom’s Update October 7th at 4:35 pm: We finally got a little good news. The neurosurgeon said the brain bleed is not active and the pressure has gone down a little bit. Maybe we'll hear more of the plan tomorrow.
Jess’ update, October 7th at 12:46 pm: Having a pretty rough day but Riley came up to visit us and that makes it so much easier there's still a huge weight on my heart but I can at least smile while he's here. Please continue our prayers there is a very long road ahead of us and not getting to see our boys smiling faces is so hard.
October 8th at 1:00 am Update #23: Update: sorry I haven't posted in a while. The doctors have decided Liam's heart is too weak to come off ECMO. Tomorrow they will make the final call to order a different machine that is better for longer term. They are going to start the paperwork for a transplant. This will take a few days and as long as superman’s brain doesn't show any more signs of pressure or bleeds they think he will be on the top of the transplant list. It is going to be a very long road and we are looking at being here until January more than likely. I am amazed day after day of exactly how strong my wife is. Thank you all for the prayers and visits.
October 8th at 9:10 pm Update #24: No real updates on Liam but just wanted to post and get my built up emotions out. We finally got a room at the Ronald McDonald house, but haven't gone yet. It's hard to leave even though we will be 5 minutes away. I find myself sitting here researching heart transplants... I never imagined i would be researching this 2 weeks ago. Guys, life can change in the blink of an eye. I thought my boys were as healthy as could be. I never thought I would have to let family and friends help me with my bills. But here were looking at being here until Christmas at least.... Man I just want to wake up!!! This has to be a nightmare right? I just want to grab my baby and hold him so bad. Be able to hear his sweet voice, see his sweet smile. Hold your babies guys. Kiss them until they go crazy! Spend every single extra second you have with them... I wish I would've. Ok that was my break down, tomorrow's a new day. Let's pray the doctors do their test and see a new heart in there beating perfectly... Love you guys
Jess’ Update October 9th at 12:45 am: Well today well stressful as most have been this last week but Riley is coming to see us again tomorrow & Liam is stable. Baby Gregory kicked for the first time today so I felt that as a sign from God that he is thinking about us and wanted to put a smile on my face. We are very blessed friends and family have visited us and Liam and I know a lot of people are praying and thinking of us and how lucky we are that people that don't even know who we are says prayers and offering to help in any way. Tomorrow is a new day and I hope it goes well feeling hope.
WE JUST WANT NORMALCY BACK IN OUR LIVES
October 9th at 4:30 pm: Update: Liam had a rough morning, the feeding tube wasn't set right so they had to suck the food out and he wasn't a happy camper. The sedatives isn't working as well for him. We met with the transplant team and signed the paperwork so Liam will be on the list Tuesday. Thank you everybody for the donations on the gofund me and the shares. Thank you Crystal Tuggle for setting it up. Love you guys
Updates to come....
Once again we want to thank all of our amazing friends and family. We had no idea there wwas so many people who cared about us and our boys.
Laramy, Jessica, Riley & Liam
It all started 30 months ago when we found out we were getting a little addition to our family.
The pregnancy wasn't completely uneventful but nothing real serious.
Then 21 months ago, our lives changed forever. He had
arrived. Liam Wyatt Gregory.
He had the normal childhood illnesses, ear infections, sinus infections, asthma, etc. We were obliviously moseying along with our day to day lives. We had found out we were expecting again and everyone was excited to know……boy or girl?? On September 29, 2015, we found out that we are working on having our own baseball team. It was another boy. Then, on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, our busy scheduled lives came to a screeching halt. Liam hadn’t been “sick." He had a cough, which we expected, due to his recently having RSV and his ongoing asthma. However, it seemed as if Liam was short of breath. Still playful but having trouble breathing. So we took him to the doctor. They ran some tests on him and immediately rushed him 2.5 hours away to a Children's Hospital.
One minute, I started my day as normal as possible. Got ready for work, kiss the wife and kids and headed off and then I get the phone call that they are keeping Liam in the hospital. I got to the hospital as they were putting him and, of course, Jess in the ambulance with Laramy to follow if went from one minute seeing him smiling and saying, bye daddy I love you to watching them do chest compressions on my baby boy who had slipped so effortlessly into cardiac arrest. His little heart had finally given up the fight. It was tired. Luckily all the doctors and nurses and God, of course, knew we couldn't make it without him and gave him back to us.
There was instantly an overwhelming support system from all of our family and friends. Everybody was praying and our emotional roller coaster began.
On September 30, 2015 at 10:23 pm, I posted my first update. my first update read as follows: Not much to update. We get to see him whenever we wanted but it was not easy with all the tubes and wires but he was resting and the ECMO is running smoothly. It might take 4-5 days before we find anything out so please keep him in your prayers. Also, pray for my wife. She has went through more stress today than most pregnant women go through their entire pregnancy, so keep her and the baby in your prayers please. Thank you so much everybody for the thoughts and prayers. We will try to keep everybody updated as much as possible
Update #2: September 30, 2015 at 10:53pm: Ok the cardiologist came out. The machine wasn't able to get all of the blood out of the heart so they are calling a team in to make a small hole to help it drain. It will take a few hours before they start and will take 4-5 hours. It's going to be a long night guys. I couldn’t get this image out of my mind. Ok the cardiologist came out. The machine wasn't able to get all of the blood out of the heart so they are calling a team in to make a small hole to help it drain. It will take a few hours before they start and will take 4-5 hours. It's going to be a long night guys. No matter how hard I tried I could not get this image out of my head…
October 1st, 1:57 am, was the first time Jessica had responded to anyone. She was definitely too busy being my rock.
She said: Finally going to post, we are appreciating all the prayers thoughts and kind words for our precious baby boy. We have a lot of family here with us at the hospital so that is helping. Liam's still in surgery but we did hear that it's going well he's still stable. Will update more when we know more again keep those prayers coming love you all.
October 1st, 2:43 am, Update #3: A Dr. was passing through the PICU and gave me this. I take it as a good sign what a nice gentleman.
Finally October 1st at 2:58 am update #4: Thank you Jesus the surgery went good and in a quarter of the time. They got the pressure off of the left side of his heart and now it's on to find out what's wrong. Step 1 is down but he has a lot to go! Thank you everybody for the prayers but please keep them coming. October 1st at 9:55 am Update #5: Not much to update this morning. He is still stable and his heart is resting with the machine running. They have lowered some medicine because his blood pressure has gone up. We got to go in earlier and give him kisses and tell him how much he meant to everybody. We appreciate the outpouring of support and it amazes us the amount of prayers my baby boy received. Thank you for sharing and asking for more prayers. We will need all we can get!
October 1st at 2:26 pm Update #6: Got to see my baby for a little while and give him some kisses from everybody. He is doing well. They lowered the level of flow on the ECMO so they will see how the heart is doing. We will find out more info tomorrow... Love you guys!!!
October 1st at 5:09 pm Update #7: Went and checked on Liam. The nurses said his arterial pressure is up and that is a really good sign! That shows that the side of his heart that wasn't doing well and wasn't pumping at all earlier is pumping!!! Please God continue your work. I want to hear my baby tell me he loves us soon!!!
He was hanging in there and chugging along on this uphill battle.
October 2nd at 9:45 am Update #8: Good morning everybody. Liam is doing about the same. They have started to slowly warm him and his arterial pressure is even better! He has started to move his hands and feet a little and even opened his eyes a few times! Hopefully we find out today what caused this and the doctors can move forward on how to fix superman. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers. And the Cardinal Glennon hospital staff has been absolutely amazing! We actually got a full night sleep in a little bunk room for parents and were hungry for the first time when we woke up. We love you guys so much and we can't wait for Liam to be able to tell you guy’s thanks!
October 2nd at 12:00 pm Update #9: Doctors lowered the ECMO flow again and superman kept his blood pressure up on his own. They are going to let his heart rest for a day or two before they try anything else but its good news!
On October 2nd, we got to see Riley. Here is Jessica’s response to his visit: When you’re so stressed and exhausted but you get some family time with your 4 year old you haven't seen in a few days you can breathe again. Riley's sad he can't see his brother but he's got his mind off of it thank God for Cardinal Glennon having this so Riley can have some fun.
October 3rd at 12:33 am Update #11: Late night update: Liam was very active when we went to tell him goodnight. He squeezed and held his pawpaw Jimmy's finger for a while and Jessica's and mine and was opening his eyes and was moving around a lot. The nurse did say if he moved around too much more they would have to give him some sedatives again, so no talking about jeep rides with daddy just gets too excited smile emoticon Again, we appreciate every kind word, prayer, visit, Facebook like, anything! Every little thing makes it that much easier on us all. We have come to realize that we have the most amazing family, friends and church that anybody could ask for. We love you all so much and please keep the prayers coming. Liam is in for a long slow recovery but my superman will be back before you know it!
October 3rd at 10:23 am Update #12: So no news is good news. He is still hanging out and being strong. The doctor did said his chest x ray looked a lot better today, but that's the only thing really that's changed. I am finally able to go see him without completely losing it but it really isn't getting any easier seeing him like that. Sure wish I could just hear him say night night. Ok enough of the sad stuff. We have a big day Monday! They are going to make his heart work a little harder and I'm praying it goes good! We love you guys!!October 4th at 8:49 am Update #13: Good morning everybody. Liam is doing well this morning. The swelling has gone down a lot! He looks so much more like himself and he had some bleeding around the spot on his hand where they have some of the many tubes but that has stopped. He has been having some bleeding from all the blood thinners he is on. He is getting a teaspoon an hour of food (by tube) and I know my chunky monkey likes that! The doctor last night said if everything goes like she thinks it will tomorrow that we might get to hear his sweet voice this week!!! I can't begin to tell you how much we believe in the power of prayer now. God has shown us that he is watching out for our superman!
October 4th at 8:51 pm Update #14: Update on Liam: tomorrow is the big day. Starting at around noon they are going to start weaning Liam off of the ECMO while watching his heart to make sure his blood pressure and pulse stays up and watching it to make sure it is pumping right. As long as there are no complications he will be on his own heart by noon Tuesday! Please pray that everything goes smooth and my little superman shows how strong he is! Thank you guys for the prayers! We will update as we can.
October 5th at 8:22 am Update #15: Happy birthday to my beautiful strong wife. She has been my rock for a long time now and even now she is always finding the bright side in everything. I love you baby and I would give anything to give you a normal birthday with our little men, but God is in control and I know he is going to pull us through this and all of us will be stronger than ever! I'm sorry I don't have a birthday present for you but when Liam is off of ECMO and doing great, I will say it was because I told him to. I love you Jessica Ann and I will never stop loving you with all of my heart.October 5th at 3:16 pm Update #16: Update time! They lowered the ECMO down as low as the machine would allow while doing an echo and his blood pressure and his pulse stayed strong and great! Another step in the right direction! Thank you God for watching after my baby boy!October 5th at 5:56 pm Update #17: Keep praying guys. The cardiologist says his heart did well on low flow but unfortunately there is a chance of a heart transplant. We should be off of ECMO tomorrow then an MRI on his heart and head on Wednesday. This is such an emotional roller coaster, please; please pray for Good news Wednesday.
October 5th at 10:54 pm Jessica’s post: Just hoping everyone is holding their babies extra tight , Riley is in poplar bluff so he could go back to preschool to have some normal is his life so I'm missing him I haven't had a hug from my boys today and it's honestly the hardest thing I can imagine and it's past their normal bedtime and by now I've tucked them in and heard night night and luv ya from Liam and Riley not wanting to go to bed so he could stay up and watch TV with me and his daddy.. You don't realize how much you miss the little things. Every single day is getting a little easier but we have a long road ahead of us. I know soon enough I'll get to hear all the words Liam says even if Laramy ask Liam if I'm a poopy head and Liam says yesh(that's how he says yes) I'll be very happy . I'm sorry if my status makes anyone sad but I just needed to say you need to appreciate every single moment with your child even the ones when they aren't listening or they're screaming. I know I will from now on.
October 6th at 1:32 pm Update #18: The doctors are about to remove the ECMO. This is a very important moment. We are very lucky to have great family and friends with us. I know we have been asking for a lot of prayers but I truly believe that is the only reason he has been doing so good. So please take a second and send some more up for my little guy. Thank you
October 6th at 1:46 am Update #19: The surgeon has decided to wait 24 hours now before they remove the ECMO because his blood pressure had dropped a little. They want to monitor him a little more.
October 6th at 6:01 pm Update #20: Liam went in for a CT scan. There are signs of fluid buildup and some blood. Not sure where the blood has come from but they think it's from all the blood thinners he is on. They can't do anything until he comes off ECMO. He also has suffered a stroke. They think it will be mild. Should only bother his left leg but they think he will regain all strength in it. I am at my breaking point. I have tried to be strong and place all my faith in God but when does the punches stop? Why do this to a perfect 21 month old baby? I just want God to take me and leave my baby alone. The one thing holding me together is when I talk to Liam he turns his head and looks at me in the eyes and squeezes my finger. I know that God’s trying to reassure me but what is next? It seems like every time we go one step forward, we end up taking 4 back. Sorry for venting but I need some release. Please keep praying for my baby. I can’t live without him.
Jess’s Update on October 7th at 7:36 am: Thank you everyone for all the prayers we can still use them Dr. Huddleston said Liam looks better today than he did yesterday so they are going to try again to take him off of the ECMO machine. Please pray that his heart and blood pressure look well enough to do this we can move to the next step of getting Liam better once we get him off of the ECMO.
October 7th at 9:55 am Update 21: Liam is having a good morning so far. His erg looked good and no signs of seizures. They clamped the ECMO off and his blood pressure and heart rate stayed good. He got pretty mad when they washed his hair but EEG and Jessica (mostly Jessica) got him to calm down and relax. They are waiting to decide if they want to come off ECMO today but it is very likely. I pray God helps the doctors decided if his heart is strong enough for that or not. At 11:30 today will be 1 week from the time I got the call they were admitting him. By far the worst week of my life. All I want is for him to go back to how he was so I can make him mad by holding him and kissing those cheeks. I just want to be a dad again and do normal dad things. Thank you for the prayers, calls, texts and visits. We are so blessed with the friends and family God has given us. We wouldn’t have made it without all the prayers.
October 7th at 12:43pm Update #22: I'm trying to be strong here. I keep looking at this picture and reminding myself one day soon I will see this beautiful smile again. The doctors have decided Liam's heart is too weak to be removed from ECMO. They are still afraid he will go into cardiac arrest. They are doing another CT scan now to check the brain bleed and fluid buildup. They are also going to start the process to get him on the transplant list. We will stay strong and keep our faith in God to heal my baby. We appreciate all the prayers.
My mom’s Update October 7th at 4:35 pm: We finally got a little good news. The neurosurgeon said the brain bleed is not active and the pressure has gone down a little bit. Maybe we'll hear more of the plan tomorrow.
Jess’ update, October 7th at 12:46 pm: Having a pretty rough day but Riley came up to visit us and that makes it so much easier there's still a huge weight on my heart but I can at least smile while he's here. Please continue our prayers there is a very long road ahead of us and not getting to see our boys smiling faces is so hard.
October 8th at 1:00 am Update #23: Update: sorry I haven't posted in a while. The doctors have decided Liam's heart is too weak to come off ECMO. Tomorrow they will make the final call to order a different machine that is better for longer term. They are going to start the paperwork for a transplant. This will take a few days and as long as superman’s brain doesn't show any more signs of pressure or bleeds they think he will be on the top of the transplant list. It is going to be a very long road and we are looking at being here until January more than likely. I am amazed day after day of exactly how strong my wife is. Thank you all for the prayers and visits.
October 8th at 9:10 pm Update #24: No real updates on Liam but just wanted to post and get my built up emotions out. We finally got a room at the Ronald McDonald house, but haven't gone yet. It's hard to leave even though we will be 5 minutes away. I find myself sitting here researching heart transplants... I never imagined i would be researching this 2 weeks ago. Guys, life can change in the blink of an eye. I thought my boys were as healthy as could be. I never thought I would have to let family and friends help me with my bills. But here were looking at being here until Christmas at least.... Man I just want to wake up!!! This has to be a nightmare right? I just want to grab my baby and hold him so bad. Be able to hear his sweet voice, see his sweet smile. Hold your babies guys. Kiss them until they go crazy! Spend every single extra second you have with them... I wish I would've. Ok that was my break down, tomorrow's a new day. Let's pray the doctors do their test and see a new heart in there beating perfectly... Love you guys
Jess’ Update October 9th at 12:45 am: Well today well stressful as most have been this last week but Riley is coming to see us again tomorrow & Liam is stable. Baby Gregory kicked for the first time today so I felt that as a sign from God that he is thinking about us and wanted to put a smile on my face. We are very blessed friends and family have visited us and Liam and I know a lot of people are praying and thinking of us and how lucky we are that people that don't even know who we are says prayers and offering to help in any way. Tomorrow is a new day and I hope it goes well feeling hope.
WE JUST WANT NORMALCY BACK IN OUR LIVES
October 9th at 4:30 pm: Update: Liam had a rough morning, the feeding tube wasn't set right so they had to suck the food out and he wasn't a happy camper. The sedatives isn't working as well for him. We met with the transplant team and signed the paperwork so Liam will be on the list Tuesday. Thank you everybody for the donations on the gofund me and the shares. Thank you Crystal Tuggle for setting it up. Love you guys
Updates to come....
Once again we want to thank all of our amazing friends and family. We had no idea there wwas so many people who cared about us and our boys.
Laramy, Jessica, Riley & Liam
Organizer and beneficiary
Crystal Tuggle Josh Thomas
Organizer
Poplar Bluff, MO
Laramy Gregory
Beneficiary