tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76490447791657483722011-11-27T18:41:35.456-07:00{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.comBlogger1101100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-30999058333414391032008-11-18T07:51:00.003-07:002008-11-18T07:54:10.325-07:00

One of the writers at the American Liver Foundation heard about Gavin's story and wrote an article about him. It's on the front page of their website:http://www.liverfoundation.org/

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-77376042402527206772008-11-05T14:23:00.005-07:002008-11-18T09:02:47.193-07:00

I decided to start a new blog. I have been thinking about it a lot, trying to decide if I would, or if I would just continue to post here, or if I would make it public or private...finally I decided that there have been so many people that have shared in Gavin's story, followed him during all of his ups and downs, read all of our feelings and emotions and how we were dealing with it, gave us so

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-56772535895793835152008-11-02T12:39:00.001-07:002008-11-02T12:41:28.045-07:00

I am putting a small book together with pictures and stories about Gavin (mostly for his silblings, but also for us!). I read about the idea from another mom who had lost a child and she said it helped her other children remember their sibling. I thought it was a nice idea since Joenick and Evienne are so young and we might forget a lot of these special little stories over the years. I want them

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-89947948089089315132008-11-02T10:58:00.001-07:002008-11-02T13:20:31.847-07:00

There were two poems included in the program at Gavin's funeral. It is a sort of a "tradition" in our family. One was written for him by my Aunt Nanette, and the other was written a long time ago by my Great-Grandma Vida when she lost her infant son, Robert. Knowing that she went through so similar an experience has helped me a little bit. Gavin's GiftOur gift was so precious,With big brown eyes

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-61023976232892764682008-10-31T16:10:00.016-07:002010-09-08T15:11:53.320-07:00

{you may scroll down to see more pictures from the funeral service; remember to turn off the music in the sidebar before listening to the links} Opening remarks by Bishop Free Opening Hymn "Teach Me to Walk in the Light" Invocation by Gavin's great-grandfather "Papa" Bishop Free outlining program Musical number "Jesus Savior Pilot Me" by Bethany's cousin James Life Sketch by Gavin's "

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-74930141645403079092008-09-29T17:00:00.005-07:002008-09-29T17:22:12.675-07:00

Obituaries were printed in both the AZ Republic and the East Valley Tribune on 9/26.Online Guestbook

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-89289570330847654292008-09-28T14:57:00.003-07:002008-09-28T15:00:52.489-07:00

Thank you for all your support. We have been surrounded by family and friends, and can feel all of your prayers and love lifting us up during this hard time. We love reading the comments...it helps so much. Our extended family gathers around the laptop and we read them aloud often.It has been a long week. I will continue to update this website, and will post pictures and insight from Gavin's

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-51596142285945041692008-09-24T09:52:00.013-07:002008-09-26T09:01:04.064-07:00

It is our deepest sorrow to inform you that Gavin Charles Sprague passed away Monday evening. Information on his viewing and funeral arrangements will follow.Thank you to all those who loved our special little boy so much.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Gavin's funeral will be held this Saturday, September 27th at the LDS Mesa Central Stake Center at 925 N. Harris Dr.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com140tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-76091414280018405002008-09-22T16:05:00.004-07:002008-09-22T16:19:48.261-07:00

If you are able, we are asking our friends and family to fast and pray for Gavin starting tonight.They re-did his catheter but so far there hasn't been any urine. He just got a big dose of the diruetic and they are hoping that will do something positive. If it doesn't, they are going to put him on dialysis tomorrow morning. Tonight is going to be a very long night. We could really use some peace

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-11390625037754914862008-09-22T11:17:00.004-07:002008-09-22T11:22:32.431-07:00

His blood pressure keeps dropping, its only in the 80's right now. His chest x-ray looked worse today. They don't know whats wrong. They think the infection may have spread through his body. They turned the oscillator back up to 22. Please please pray for him. He's come so far...we can't lose him now. I don't know what else they can do. We're just sitting here waiting and praying. I don't

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-56210617550243648072008-09-22T08:26:00.004-07:002008-09-22T08:38:19.093-07:00

Gavin has taken a turn for the worst...within the last 24 hours he has stopped urinating completely and his kidney function numbers have risen from 0.7 to 1.1 (they have been saying all week that when it gets to 1 its really bad). His blood pressure dropped again last night and they had to turn the dopamine back up to 12 and the oscillator back up to 21. He drained a lot of bloody fluid from his

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-63151438293045697432008-09-21T21:08:00.004-07:002008-09-21T21:21:45.183-07:00

They turned down the oscillator to 20 tonight! So far, so good. Heart rate is in the 130's, blood pressure is staying steady in the 100's, and his oxygenation is still at 100%. Tomorrow morning(if all goes well) will be 19...tomorrow night switch to the vent!He had a pretty stable day, and only a couple hiccups...this morning his blood pressure dropped for a minute so they turned up the dopamine

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-90274179678886357912008-09-21T08:52:00.008-07:002008-09-21T09:48:06.134-07:00

During the early morning they turned the oscillator down to 21! He is handling it really well. So tonight will be 20, and tomorrow morning they'll try 19, if he tolerates that, they'll switch him to the ventilator sometime tomorrow. I can't even express the joy and thankfulness I felt when Andre called and told me (I slept at the hotel, he stayed at the hospital last night). I was just in tears

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-18134183138767176342008-09-20T21:27:00.004-07:002008-09-20T22:14:23.444-07:00

Gavin is down to 23 on the oscillator. His blood pressure dipped to the 80's for awhile, but it finally stablized in the 90s. (they don't want it to go under 80) The infection is what makes it hard for him to keep his blood pressure up, so we are praying that the anti-fungals will continue to hammer away at the fungus. We keep telling him to think of little army guys killing all the bad fungus

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-83198807626416740752008-09-20T14:32:00.004-07:002008-09-20T15:12:49.989-07:00

Gavin had another stable night. They moved the oscillator down to 24. And they've turned down some of his meds, his blood gas is good, his blood pressure has been stable, and he is about half the size he was yesterday- he looks so much better! His kindey function numbers went down by one point.He did develop a fever during the night, and it has been up and down all day today, but the infectious

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-14409828292433846832008-09-19T21:18:00.003-07:002008-09-19T21:32:35.553-07:00

Gavin has had a good day. Everything has remained stable. Most of his numbers are looking better than yesterday. His urine output doubled after the drain was put in! That is so so so great. They will start weaning off the diruetic, which will also give his kidneys a break. Hopefully his urine output will remain the same, even without the extra drugs. That would be such a great step in the right

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-56535490189710222072008-09-19T13:41:00.011-07:002008-09-19T14:19:20.967-07:00

The drain is in, it was successful and went in quickly. They already drained 1/2 a liter of fluid from his abdomen. (think of a 2 liter bottle soda...1/4 of that!) I'm sure this will help him breathe a lot easier.We are so extremely grateful that this is in and it is working. We continue to pray that will strengthen his body and continue to work properly and avoid any new infection or bleeding.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-2076253051261588322008-09-19T13:41:00.006-07:002008-09-19T14:01:44.961-07:00

Gavin remained stable the rest of the night and this morning. They needed to turn up his oscillator and start some different meds to help with his blood pressure and heart rate, but he responded to them appropriately and quickly, so that is is okay, even if its not the best scenario. The only problem with this is that the more meds = the more damage to his liver and kidneys.He did start urinating

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-46174777836725020632008-09-17T22:06:00.005-07:002008-09-18T21:33:57.175-07:00

Gavin is having a really rough day. His kidneys are in bad shape. His blood pressure keeps dropping. He isn't urinating very well. And his bleeding is bad. Tonight is crucial. Please pray for him. He needs more time for his lungs to heal. All he needs is more time. Andre's mission president came and gave Gavin a beautiful blessing. We are all trying to have faith he will fight through this night.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-69219585190162888602008-09-17T22:06:00.004-07:002008-09-17T22:39:19.553-07:00

Gavin made some good progress yesterday, he was down to a 23 on the oscillator, and off both drugs that were keeping his heart rate and blood pressure stable. But by tonight they had to switch the oscillator back up to a 28, where it was Monday evening when I first got here, and had to restart the med for his blood pressure again. He also had more blood in the samples from his lungs again. If

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-57322892886969153092008-09-16T13:17:00.011-07:002009-06-09T10:36:23.120-07:00

Gavin was moved to the PICU late Sunday night. He was having trouble breathing and coughing up blood. Since then its been a nightmare. He crashed so suddenly, its so scary...right now he is completely sedated and paralyzed and hooked up to a bazillion machines. I feel like its a house of cards right now, at any moment everything could just fall.They had to switch him from a normal ventilator to

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-86996421369832256872008-09-14T12:50:00.005-07:002008-09-16T17:06:24.196-07:00

After the 3rd dry run I was ready to finally go home, and I flew home the next day. It was sooooooooooooooooooo nice to sleep in my own bed, and to get to see my kiddos. I got to take them to our church overnight "camp out" (its was actually cabins) and it was SOOOOOO great, the kids had a blast!!!! It was my small triumph over this CRAPPY liver disease. HA! A NORMAL WEEKEND WITH MY KIDS!!! :DThe

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-38355538550979575182008-09-10T20:25:00.004-07:002008-09-10T20:33:58.950-07:00

We got another offer this evening while we were here. Everyone was hopeful, his whole team came in to talk to us. We just heard it was a no go. Too big. Again. This time was much harder than last time. Its harder to numb out the feelings. And we're HERE this time...and we're not going to be able to just come home tomorrow. Doc says we'll probably be here into next week. How is this ever going to

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-64192812225764829122008-09-09T20:16:00.003-07:002008-09-09T20:39:41.252-07:00

Well, we didn't go home on Monday. It looks like we may be here until this weekend, possibly the beginning of NEXT week as well. I am thinking of flying home Thursday though, so I can see the kids and get some other things in order just in case Gavin gets another offer this weekend. Its been really hard for me though...everytime I look at flight schedules and think of packing my bag and calling a

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-15672968173078542632008-09-06T11:23:00.003-07:002008-09-06T11:32:05.937-07:00

They have decided to keep us here until Monday, partly b/c I think his doctor is doing rounds then, so we won't have to fly back out here in 2 weeks for his scheduled check-up. And I think they are also hoping they'll get another offer while he is here.Gavin was finally moved from the PICU to the peds floor late last night, I am so glad! He was not sick enough to be in the PICU, all the cords (

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-38032180205048842402008-09-05T09:09:00.001-07:002008-09-05T09:12:12.536-07:00

...and its another no go. Too big to split. But they are keeping him overnight (well, last night) b/c they want to give him a blood transfusion before we go home. I just hope we get out of here by tonight. I am just choosing to not think/feel about it. It seems to be working. oh well.btw: I hate flying. I hate taxicab drivers. I hate sitting in the ER. I hate sleeping in the ICU.I do like buying

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-33426597685908789782008-09-04T19:46:00.002-07:002008-09-04T19:48:35.387-07:00

I'm whispering so I don't jinx it...Gavin got another offer, we're sitting in the airport right now waiting to go to LA. Its another split offer, so it still may fall through like last time. Either way, prayers would be very much appreciated. Love ya, everyone! I'll try to update soon.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-33846345889284762922008-09-01T15:33:00.005-07:002008-11-18T09:20:21.486-07:00

I realized we hadn't taken any "nice" pictures of Gavin for awhile, so I figured we needed to that sooner, rather than later! We went over to the park near our house, and Andre entertained Gavin while I snapped the pictures. There were a lot of cute ones...and some really silly ones, too! Ohhhh, this little boy makes me laugh!!! :)Here is another link if this slideshow doesn't load:http://

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-60455413178767637462008-08-31T22:13:00.003-07:002008-08-31T22:40:26.213-07:00

Last night Andre and I were changing Gavin's line dressing and there was a bunch of tape surrounding the line so I was cutting through it...and you guessed it...I CUT THE LINE!!! I was so upset! We immediately clamped it, then packed up to go to the ER. We were so worried they'd have to take it out and replace it again, and with the holiday weekend, there was no way it would've been done before

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-37744321684170778072008-08-29T19:54:00.004-07:002008-08-30T12:59:28.294-07:00

Since Gavins score is so high, his transplant team has decided to treat his fibrinogen levels now (remember the ER debacle after the "dry run"?!). Usually they would only treat it if he was showing other symptoms of bleeding, but since they think his transplant could be very close, they want to go ahead and keep his levels up. His nurse said "he's running on empty in a lot of areas."So yesterday

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-76924805202671808932008-08-27T19:36:00.002-07:002008-08-30T12:56:01.417-07:00

Yesterday we had Gavin's August check-up at UCLA. We did have plane tickets reserved in advance and were planning on flying out there in the morning, and then back home in the evening after his appointment...BUT we used our flight credits to fly out for the "dry run" a couple weeks ago. Not so smart, but oh well. It would have been $600.00 to re-buy our tickets at such late notice, so needless to

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-15232735451173035332008-08-18T17:44:00.007-07:002008-08-23T22:41:07.413-07:00

Well, we didn't get much sleep the night we found out Gavin wasn't going to get the liver transplant. The liver doc on call at the hospital ended up calling us at the hotel around midnight, to say that one of Gavin's blood labs had come back low. His Fibrinogen was low, which is a level in your blood that deals with coagulation. Normally it should be above 100, and his was at 76. So she was

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-39227468146702227102008-08-16T21:12:00.003-07:002008-08-21T15:14:29.336-07:00

:( It was a no go. They decided the liver couldn't be split. I am assuming that what happened is that the liver was smaller than they expected it to be once they saw it in person. (remember they were going to split it between Gavin and another child waiting on the list). So I think they decided to give the entire liver to the other child.I *knew* this was a possibility going in, heck, even a

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-14480036217067893632008-08-16T12:23:00.003-07:002008-09-17T11:25:23.476-07:00

OMG!!!!!!! My mom is getting married in FOUR hours and we got the call!!!!!! I have hair dye in my hair! I just got my nails all done, Im supposed to be dressed up!!!!!!! UCLA was on the caller ID and I jokingly said to my mom "wouldnt it be funny if this was the call?!?!" and it WAS!!!!!! But its not really funny....and we have to leave in 15 minutes, we';re driving, they are looking at the

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-35726022095203882382008-08-09T23:30:00.008-07:002008-08-12T17:11:04.624-07:00

Gavin has been hospitilized seven times in his short 10 months of life. He has gone through three surgeries. He has been in the ICU twice. We've had to race him to the E.R. in the middle of the night three times (why does it always happen at night?!). He already has 5 different scars on his small body.The worst part is…this isn’t the worst. What we’ve gone through is only the tip of the iceburg.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-42671765228258031832008-07-31T18:24:00.002-07:002008-07-31T18:42:10.648-07:00

Well, Gavin [I]was[/I] going to go home today, then the doc came in around noon and said Gavin's hemoglobin was low and needed to stay an extra night to get blood. Hes normally 8.5 (which is already low) and the lowest its ever been previously is 7, and today it was 6.5. I am thinking of just letting him stay a couple more days though. Then I wont need to worry about doing his antibiotics at home

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-64362541140915546812008-07-30T18:58:00.004-07:002008-07-30T19:08:07.189-07:00

Our usual doc came back on rounds this afternoon, and she said Gavin could go home tomorrow to finish the antibiotics! YAY! She wrote up the papers tonight, so we can leave first thing in the morning. Just when we got all settled in the room...haha. At least Gavin got some new toys out of the deal!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-62845737411370640612008-07-29T23:40:00.004-07:002008-07-30T19:21:43.051-07:00

Well, it looks like Gavin may not get to come home until August 5th!!! I know. I'm not exactly thrilled about it. Gavin's cultures have all come back negative for the last 3 days, so I'm not sure why we can't just give him antibiotics at home like we did last time. But we'll see what happens. It doesn't seem like all the doctors are on the same page about when we could go home, we've been hearing

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-34832541738499248472008-07-27T22:39:00.003-07:002008-07-27T23:03:38.832-07:00

I am so happy, his blood cultures came out NEGATIVE this morning, so no more talk of pulling his broviac out and re-doing it (meaning more surgery!) The bacteria ended up being Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (or Staph Epidermidis) and Bacillus Species Cereus.The Bacillus Cereus came back negative after the first couple of days, it was the Staph Epi that's been giving us so many problems!!! It

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-1601891423637177852008-07-24T14:12:00.004-07:002008-07-24T14:52:41.051-07:00

We had to take Gavin to the ER again late Monday night because he woke up with a fever of 102 and throwing up and then dry heaving. By the time we made it to the hospital 30 minutes later, it was up to 105! It was a little scary this time, he was shaking and so hot. They gave him Tylenol and antibiotics right away, and within a few hours his fever had broke and they admitted him.Its another

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-27578850495679361792008-07-19T18:20:00.000-07:002008-07-19T18:21:06.687-07:00

Gavin is 9 months old...I can barely believe it! (will he really be turning ONE in only three months?! Holy cow!!!)Stats:Height: 27" Weight: 13lbs 10ozHead: 43.5cmEating Habits:Gavin's appetite has gone down a little bit in the last month, and he is on fluid restriction because of his Ascites. But he is eating a lot more baby food and table food to compensate! :) His new love are the little sweet

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-51827186662020332392008-07-17T10:54:00.010-07:002008-07-18T17:57:44.065-07:00

UPDATE: the Gift For Gavin Charity Golf Tournament has been pushed back to SATURDAY, AUGUST 16TH!!!! Update your calender and spread the word to all your golfing friends! We think this date will be a lot better, since so many of our friends and family were on vacation during the month of July. We've already had a lot more people sign up since the date switch! YAY! :)The NEW register-by date is:

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-18957342118676696952008-07-16T11:29:00.008-07:002008-07-17T13:16:17.989-07:00

Remember those gorgeous framed, black and white prints from the Ice Cream Social??? They were all donated by Raymond Designs, and they have SO GENEROUSLY offered to extend their kindness by donating 100% of the profit for any art purchased online in the month of July!!! Just make sure you put "Gavin" in the promo code! ;)Honestly, even if you don't purchase something this month, you should

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-15021788783381773862008-07-15T12:47:00.002-07:002008-07-17T13:05:48.697-07:00

Studio 32 Shoes is an online shoe shop based out of Salt Lake City, Utah! They donated a gift card to the Ice Cream Social and then decided they wanted to sponsor Gavin as their Charity Cause for the month of July!Check out their page with Gavin's story on it {here!} (They do a different charity every month or so! So they are all always giving back to their community, how awesome is that?!)They

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-43173164574099936882008-07-11T18:41:00.003-07:002008-07-11T18:57:42.039-07:00

I finally had some time to put up all the pictures from his recent hospital stays! I backdated them to where they would normally belong though (out of order stuff drives me crazy!) You can look at them by clicking on the links below:Pictures from Line Infection Stay @ UCLA (5/12/08-5/21/08)Pictures from Bacterial Infection Hospital Stay (6/22/08-6/27/08)Pictures from UCLA July Check-up (6/29/08-7

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-37886217705106745462008-07-08T21:32:00.011-07:002008-07-11T19:01:31.297-07:00

Gavin had his surgery today to remove his old broviac and put in a new one. It took about 45 minutes, so not very long. He had to fast from 4:30am on though, so he was pretty cranky during the day. The surgery was without complications. They gave Gavin 3 bags of plasma this time (last time he only needed one!). Although when they tried to remove his ventilator afterwards, he wouldn't breathe on

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-28388261062282165742008-07-07T15:40:00.002-07:002008-07-07T15:50:33.127-07:00

One night out...and right back in. I never even got a chance to update his blog and say that he came home from ths hospital last night, and now he's already going back in!!!! Gavin's broviac is clogged somehow. They couldn't even get the medicine in it to try and break it up, like they did last time. Wouldn't budge at all!!! So the last resort is taking it out and replacing it. :( He was admitted

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-75389882666843695632008-07-06T12:23:00.000-07:002008-07-11T12:29:51.009-07:00

We spent the 4th of July at the hospital with Gavin. It was actually really fun! We ate Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner, and afterwards had popsicles from the cafeteria for dessert. The nurses rounded up the kids who were able to leave their rooms, and we all went up to the top floor so they could look out the window and see the fireworks across the street at MCC. They had a big cart full of

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-50066147299636552672008-07-05T23:58:00.000-07:002008-07-11T13:32:33.154-07:00

(first off, thanks to everyone for coming to the fundraiser, it was AMAZING and so much fun!!! we made over $6k for Gavin's transplant fund!!!! Pictures to come soon!)One day after Gavin was released from the hospital last week, we left to go to UCLA for his monthly check-up, and so I could do live donor work-up. We took the kids with us this time so they could see the hospital and the hotels,

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-50258674568511669772008-07-05T23:00:00.003-07:002008-07-11T13:30:44.140-07:00

Monday afternoon, after all my testing was done, we took the kids to the pier for the night. It was really fun! It was Gavin's FIRST time at the beach and he loved it. We walked up and down the pier, played in the sand & waves for a little bit, then ate fish & chips for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp's Restaurant. The next day we all got to see the NEW hospital building which is AWESOME!!! I put

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-78789356638188415572008-06-29T21:00:00.000-07:002008-07-11T13:37:54.167-07:00

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-89993768635694037392008-06-28T18:18:00.000-07:002008-07-11T12:32:13.846-07:00

Many thanks to all my friends and family who worked so hard to organize this and put it together! It was such a fun night...I hope everyone who came had fun, too! :D And THANK YOU to Joey Arroyo and Band for playing, you guys were GREAT!!! Everyone loved you! Don't forget to check out his website... http://www.joeyarroyomusic.com ...you can listen to their music (and purchase singles)!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-70746790056523375682008-06-26T18:54:00.001-07:002008-06-26T18:54:57.172-07:00

Our family friends own a screen printing business and they donated a bunch of t-shirts for the ice cream social! Lookit how cute!!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-80609352885806875962008-06-24T23:49:00.000-07:002008-06-25T19:44:34.344-07:00

There are going to be some really YUMMY flavors of homemade ice cream at the Fundraiser on Friday! There will be about twelve different flavors...some of the most interesting flavors I've heard so far will be:PUMPKIN:CHEESECAKE:ROOT BEER:PEACH:CHOCOLATE COOKIES 'N' CREAM:PLUS there will be ice cream donated by Streamers Ice Cream Parlour & Grill at 1166 South Gilbert Road, Gilbert http://

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-55900775267414797982008-06-24T18:29:00.011-07:002008-06-26T00:10:45.181-07:00

300 sq ft cement laying donated by Bruce & Bret Burnham (retail $1,200.00) Beautiful Breads & Fabulous Fillings by Margaux Sky (Owner of Oprah's favorite sandwich shop!) retail: $25.00 1 night's stay at the JW Desert Ridge Resort (retail $250.00)http://www.jwdesertridgeresort.com/ items from Milano Music Center at 38 W. Main Street, Mesahttp://www.milanomusic.com/ Gift Card worth $50.00 to Pure

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-82637600874167355402008-06-24T08:00:00.001-07:002008-06-25T19:43:17.683-07:00

We found out today that Gavin does NOT have a line infection, which is GREAT news because that means they won't have to take it out and replace it (which would require surgery). However, what he DOES have is a bacterial infection in his abdomen called Peritonitis."The cause of primary peritonitis is infection in the blood. It occurs most commonly in individuals with liver disease. Fluid

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-28372579250533888992008-06-23T14:39:00.006-07:002008-06-23T15:01:55.396-07:00

We had to take Gavin to the ER Saturday night (well, technically morning I guess...it was 4am) because he had a fever over 102. (We are supposed to take him if it even goes above 100.5!) They did blood cultures, urine sample, and chest x-rays and found he has another line infection so they admitted him. Today after talking to the doctors it looks like he may have the same infection as last time.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-50351640372525393422008-06-16T21:04:00.021-07:002008-06-25T23:07:44.785-07:00

4 movie tickets to Hollywood Theater at 1012 S Gilbert Rd Gilbert (retail $36.00)http://www.gohollywood.com/ 3 wooden candlesticks (retail $35.00)donated by The Crowded House at 1927 N. Gilbert Road, Mesa(2) Seasons Pass cards to Sports Clips (each retail $100.00)http://www.sportsclips.com/ Motorola Cricket Wireless Bluetooth (retail $40.00)donated by Advantage Wireless at 2048 Baseline Rd, Mesa

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-36631307327636276812008-06-16T15:16:00.024-07:002008-06-21T11:54:03.183-07:00

I am SO excited about this fundraiser!!! My extended family is hosting it and it should be TONS of FUN!!! There's going to be homemade ice cream in all different flavors, silent auction items to bid on (in all price ranges), and musical entertainment provided by JOEY ARROYO and his band!!! (they played at the Marquee Theater last week!) Bring a date, bring your friends, bring your kids, just

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-82761623433416919242008-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:002008-06-15T13:27:32.924-07:00

Gavin is now 8 months old! (We were so busy the last two months being in the hospital and then recovering at home, that I couldn't find the time to update his monthly milestones. So, after some hemming and hawing, I decided to just combine these two months and call it good! Do you think Gavin will ever forgive me?!) Stats: Weight: just over 14 lbs! (Yay!)Height: 24.5"Head: 44cmEating Habits:

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-88925118558166430732008-06-14T14:49:00.001-07:002008-06-14T02:34:22.959-07:00

We found out that Andre isn't going to be a viable live donor candidate. We're disappointed...even though they want to use a cadaver liver as their first choice anyway, we expected to have Andre as a back-up plan "just in case".To be a live donor you have to go through whats jokingly referred to as "the million dollar physical" because they seriously run every single test that's out there on you.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-30408771220772069572008-06-09T22:27:00.016-07:002008-06-16T01:10:37.199-07:00

One of my best friends, Kim, and her husband David are putting together a Charity Golf Game for Gavin's fundraising. She is awesome (did I mention she works full-time and has THREE kids under the age of 4???). I am really excited about it, it sounds like a lot of fun! Superstition Springs Golf Club has agreed to sponsor it (Thank you SO much!) and there will be lots of contests, raffles, silent

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-70432261984329407642008-06-09T03:24:00.010-07:002008-06-10T12:43:40.472-07:00

That is the question Joenick posed to me this morning. Up until now, he was perfectly fine with the simple explanation that "The doctors are going to give Gavin a new liver" and he accepted it without questions. Then last week I overhead him say "The doctors are growing him a new liver" and I responded without thinking "They don't grow it." Which of course led him to ask "Then where do they get

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-82985074845723377402008-06-07T11:46:00.012-07:002008-06-07T16:35:41.954-07:00

We are now seeing Gavin's GI every other week (whereas before we just saw the nurse). Its a little scary (it means Gavin's condition is getting worse) but its also nice to be able to see the actual doctor face-to-face. The last time we were able to see him was right after Gavin was diagnosed, about 5 months ago!!!He did say that Gavin looked great for having such a high PELD score, and that he

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-58019290338491409672008-06-07T10:59:00.004-07:002008-06-07T11:07:22.057-07:00

My cousin Marie put up this post on her blog about the yard sale her family hosted in Gavin's honor. I thought it was so neat! I'm so glad her family (and the ones who also got to help!) had such a great experience. :) We are so grateful for their love and support!"The garage sale is over, and I think I may have recovered, I am not sure about Matt. Matt and I were exhausted by Saturday night!! It

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-4315752577426762042008-06-07T10:34:00.003-07:002008-06-07T10:53:48.984-07:00

I want to thank Monique and Nanci and everyone at the Ironwood Cancer Research Centers for hosting an AMAZING Bake Sale in Gavin's honor!!! My mom works there and her coworkers put the whole thing together themselves, it was so sweet! She said a lot of people brought in various baked goods, and they sold pizza slices at lunchtime, too. I wish I could've been there to see it all! Unfortunately, no

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-30290186556078631292008-06-05T15:47:00.005-07:002008-06-05T15:59:59.699-07:00

Saturday was Gavin's Movie Morning Fundraiser thrown by my old friends and coworkers, Nicole and Jen! We all worked together at the dollar theater about 10 years (dang, has it really been that long?!). It was so neat getting to see the "old gang" again...but even more so because we weren't the ones having to serve the popcorn! ;) Some of the theater employees woke up extra early and donated their

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-8329233376575265812008-05-29T15:05:00.004-07:002008-05-29T15:11:52.973-07:00

My friend Kayla set up an Etsy shop in Gavin's name! It is AWESOME! She is so talented...look at the cute items she has up for sale:All proceeds go to Gavin's transplant fund. If you are particularly crafty, you can even donate an item or two to the shop -OR- just shop there -OR- just pass the link along to your friends & families! :D { Gift For Gavin Etsy Shop }

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-54438479712321025002008-05-29T12:36:00.006-07:002008-06-05T16:13:25.128-07:00

This will be our new license plate soon!Thanks to my cousin Kylie for sending me the link! I'm so excited to have this on our car!!!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-52432657477038122552008-05-25T13:26:00.000-07:002008-07-11T13:28:15.898-07:00

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-5738233368543002322008-05-22T17:40:00.002-07:002008-05-22T17:43:46.919-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we got in late Wednesday afternoon and it feels so good to be home! :) We learned how to give Gavin his antibiotics, and the first night was overwhelming, but I think we got that hang of it. We're still totally sleep deprived, but thankfully we only have to do the antibiotics for 6 days...so there's light at the end of the tunnel.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-56922149115330302682008-05-20T13:10:00.004-07:002008-05-20T13:46:49.033-07:00

Well, we're not going home today, but it is for SURE tomorrow morning! They're going to try and get us out of here as early as possible (YAY!). Gavin will be sent home with a 14 day regimen of IV antibiotics that he will need to have every 6 hours. Its going to be a lot of work, but thankfully we'll be able to do it ourselves at home instead of having to admit him to the hospital in Phoenix!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-77312859450361249752008-05-19T19:48:00.004-07:002008-05-19T20:03:45.835-07:00

My brother made a Myspace page for Gavin, its so cool! He has been updating it with the posts on here and put up some pictures and personalized it. Gavin already has a lot of friends and there are so many sweet comments for him on there! If you have a moment, stop on by and add him as a friend: http://www.myspace.com/giftforgavin!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-57140970979575457902008-05-18T17:29:00.004-07:002008-05-18T17:51:09.584-07:00

My cousin Marie and her family held a garage sale in Gavin's honor over the weekend, and she called me today to tell me all about it. They had so much fun, and she had a lot of great stories to tell me. They had been having rain all day & night the week leading up to the sale, and it was just cold and miserable. They prayed that it would be nice and sunny Saturday morning, and when they woke up

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-47986686424584155452008-05-16T11:34:00.005-07:002008-05-18T16:02:25.176-07:00

We found out Gavin's infection is something called Streptococcus. Which is mainly found in the mouth...which means, most likely, our little man stuck the end of his broviac in his mouth at some point! That little stinker!!! All this mess for something so small. So now we just wait some more while they figure out the right combo of antibiotics to give him. They'll draw blood everyday and make

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-51672665050112959702008-05-14T12:14:00.005-07:002008-05-15T12:35:25.237-07:00

We found our silver lining when the nurses brought us all his meds, already in the syringes, ready to go! We were like, woo-hoo! We don't even need to keep track of them anymore! YES! :)Gavin's doing really good, fever is only low grade and isn't going up even w/o meds. He's been playing and flirting and STANDING UP by holding onto the crib railing!!!! He got to go play in the playroom today...it

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-67718325484672155672008-05-12T22:12:00.004-07:002008-06-10T14:55:52.351-07:00

We arrived in Cali yesterday night so we could go to Andre's appointments today & tomorrow for his live donor work-up. Well, around noon today while Andre was getting blood drawn, Gavin woke up from his nap with a fever of 103.7!!! So needless to say, the transplant coordinator sent us to the Urgent Care (which was conveniently right down the hall) where they gave him some motrin, then we waited

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-65011240123978826202008-05-09T22:30:00.004-07:002008-05-09T23:44:21.760-07:00

Whatever you want to call it, its certainly a lot of work! We've been learning how to give Gavin his lipids (ie: fat) through his line. There are so many steps! The first night I admit, I was biting back the tears. (I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS!) It was pretty overwhelming. It took over an hour to go through everything with the home health nurse. The next night was a little faster. The third night

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-23410026835110411192008-05-07T13:45:00.002-07:002008-05-07T17:42:42.991-07:00

Gavin's on the prowl!!! He started crawling the day after we came home from the hospital...what a trooper! The nurses at UCLA are gonna have their hands FULL with this lil guy, let me tell ya!{silence the music so you can hear the video!}{oh, and please excuse the high, squeaky babyspeak voice!}

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-47616937282687584892008-05-06T00:57:00.003-07:002008-05-06T01:06:18.078-07:00

I should have put this up a week ago, but I was so tired I couldn't attack it until tonight. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!!!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-76867680007855326682008-05-04T17:51:00.005-07:002008-06-05T15:05:56.704-07:00

There were so many awesome things that happened during Gavin's yard sale. It was just miracle after miracle! I have no doubt that people were inspired by Heavenly Father that day, and that there was a purpose to everything that happened. Its amazing to me to think that it all came about because of my little man. The day before the sale people were dropping stuff off at our home ALL day. One

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-55242300440856038112008-05-02T21:22:00.007-07:002008-05-03T18:02:14.794-07:00

I am so happy that Gavin got his line so quickly and without a hitch! And I am VERY VERY VERY happy that we only had to spend one night in the hospital. I seriously don't know how I'm going to survive there for 4-6 weeks. In just one night I was going nuts and ready to get the heck out of there! Why you ask? These are some reasons:"she/he will come to your room in a few minutes" = she/he will be

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-21562763783307857182008-05-02T12:49:00.003-07:002008-05-02T12:50:36.993-07:00

Gavin is doing great, just sleeping away. We'll be sent home this afternoon!!! Yay!!! More details later!

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-18046425639585210332008-05-01T18:14:00.000-07:002008-05-22T17:50:59.508-07:00

There are LOTS of FUNdraisers planned this month for little Gavin!If you're in the area we'd love to see you there! Friday, May 30thBake Sale in Mesa & Chandler, ArizonaOrganized by two of my mom's generous coworkers/friends!Where: Ironwood Cancer & Research Center lobbies8:00am-4:00pmMesa location: 6111 E. Arbor Ave. Main & ReckerChandler location: 695 S. Dobson Rd. Dobson & FryeHow to help:

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-28070818122785549922008-05-01T15:03:00.006-07:002008-05-02T12:53:47.752-07:00

Gavin, Evienne, and I spent 3 1/2 hours at the hospital yesterday- 1 for his 2nd round of Vit K shots, 2 for his appointment w/ the pediatric surgeon who will be putting his line in, and then 3 a surprise visit to the hemotologist (blood doctor), which took FOREVER to get in since it wasn't scheduled.This afternoon we spent over an hour there waiting for his 3rd and final round of Vit K shots...

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-11434443304477560072008-04-30T00:48:00.003-07:002008-04-30T01:22:46.218-07:00

Our insurance finally sent authorization and Gavin was "officially" placed on the transplant list on Monday. His PELD Score is 30!!! That is MUCH higher than any of us thought it would be. (just to remind everyone, it only goes up to 40, and that means you are very, very sick). Before his labs were calculating around 20-24-ish. I guess his low weight is really affecting the overall score. I have

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-39893243187392677132008-04-28T22:51:00.004-07:002008-05-04T17:56:25.501-07:00

I know everyone is probably dying to hear more details about our yard sale, and especialy how much money we made! I was going to write all about the awesome stories that happened that day, but I think I'm going to wait a little bit. #1 because I'll be bearing my testimony about it this weekend and don't want to "spoil the surprise" and #2 because I'm still dead tired and don't feel like typing

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-85374115784222530412008-04-25T12:31:00.008-07:002008-04-25T15:04:26.543-07:00

WOW- I am so excited for the yard sale tomorrow! We've had so many people stop by and donate items today...and theres some pretty cool stuff out there! Just to name a few: a rotary saw table (only used 3 times!), tools, TVs, DVD player, a treadmill, extra load capacity gas dryer, cream & navy pinstriped couch & matching chair, another light blue couch with red & navy hawaiian flowers on it, a

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-72246443484486374102008-04-22T19:08:00.003-07:002008-06-05T16:12:45.369-07:00

I am sitting here with tears streaming down my face. My aunt just called me and said that 3 different people she works with have offered to donate items for a silent auction in Gavin's honor(which is in the works)...and one person in particular donated several, beautiful, large items. I don't really want to go into details just yet...but I am so thankful, so awestruck.Its barely been a week since

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-90705661548752382782008-04-21T15:42:00.006-07:002008-06-05T16:13:25.129-07:00

I bought these really cute t-shirts for Andre, Gavin and I to wear to fundraisers and for when we get "the call", etc. They were a tad more $$ than I would normally spend on a t-shirt, but aren't they fun?! (at least...as fun as transplants go anyway...). I bought Andre an orange one, me a red one, and Gavin a baby blue one. I think I'm going to try and get his website printed on the back of them

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-87772806100311709692008-04-18T00:11:00.010-07:002008-04-18T22:09:58.754-07:00

We went to Gavin's transplant evaluation this week! We decided to drive since its only about 6 hours away, and we didn't want to have to rent a car while we were there. Gavin did great on the way there...he fell asleep almost immediately and didn't wake up until we were ready to stop and eat dinner. Gavin got to eat mooshed bananas for the first time! He loved them (despite what the pictures

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-87305048069517660752008-04-06T01:24:00.011-07:002008-04-08T17:54:27.495-07:00

Since Gavin's diagnosis of Alpha-1 back in January, we've been in "if Gavin needs a liver transplant" mode, and just pushed the possibility to the back of our minds and tried to go on with life as usual. (Denial is a great tool sometimes!) We hoped that he would be like most Alpha-1 babies who generally get "better" around their 1st birthday.Unfortunately, recently Gavin's doctor told us that the

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-3295296573864634222008-04-06T01:23:00.004-07:002008-04-09T17:07:42.685-07:00

6 months old!(someday he'll get mad at me for posting this picture online! hehe)Statsweight: 11lbsheight: 23"Eating Habits:Gavin is still eating about 4-5 ounces at a time, every 2-3 hours. He also got the go ahead from our doctor to start "tasting" real food this month! So far on the list is apple slices, carrot sticks, chunks of frozen fruit, graham crackers and pretzels. He doesn't really eat

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-87727719531582573202008-03-14T22:48:00.000-07:002008-04-05T12:16:10.430-07:00

{I copied and pasted these entries from our family blog way back when I originally posted them!}Its been awhile since I directly addressed how Gavin is doing since we came home from the hospital. I've learned SOOOO much more about Alpha-1, and the more I learn, the less scared I am. The risks are still there, yes, but now I understand them a lot more.He goes to see his Gastroentologist once a

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-81599691175863565282008-03-05T03:13:00.001-07:002008-04-05T12:15:03.309-07:00

5 months old! Stats Weight: 10 lbs 8 oz Height: 24" Head: 15.5" Eating Habits:Gavin has been having a trouble gaining weight, even though he eats pretty regularly. He averages about 5oz a meal, every 2-3 hours, even at night. Sometimes he' say. Sleeping Habits:We're still awaiting the time when Gavin sleeps through the night. He *did* sleep through one feeding last week, so it was about 6

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-36748947432892139252008-02-06T03:24:00.001-07:002008-04-06T14:42:33.887-07:00

4 Months Old!StatsWeight: 9lbs 11ozHeight: 24inHead: 39.5cmEating Habits:We've had some ups and downs with eating since we came home from the hospital. We switched to Pregestimil, a predigested formula that is easier on Gavin's liver, but Gavin seemed to hate it! He would eat for a minute, then arch his back, scream and cry and spit it out. And he went down to eating only 3-4 ounces stretched

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-34620727651503206602008-01-24T22:48:00.002-07:002008-04-18T21:46:21.325-07:00

{I copied and pasted these entries from our family blog way back when I originally posted them!}We found out on Tuesday that Gavin does have Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, phenotype ZZ.Normally, our livers produce a protein called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin, which protects the lungs from damage and helps repair them. With Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, your body either isn't producing enough of the

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-76602226630024145542008-01-16T22:48:00.001-07:002008-04-18T21:45:10.364-07:00

{I copied and pasted these entries from our family blog way back when I originally posted them!}We're home! We finally walked through the door around 5pm yesterday evening (Tuesday). Gavin and I had a nice long, snuggly nap in our own bed this morning and it was SO NICE. :DThe kids were so excited to see Gavin again...all through dinner they kept saying "I'm so happy Gavin is home!" "I'm so happy

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-65345666811371959352008-01-12T22:48:00.001-07:002008-04-18T21:43:53.703-07:00

{I copied and pasted these entries from our family blog way back when I originally posted them!}Gavin is doing well this morning. I stayed with him overnight so Andre could go home and get some sleep. They have him in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) but they are moving him back to the children's ward today. The rooms are a lot bigger and are decorated really cute, but the nurses come in

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7649044779165748372.post-7744590223571562102008-01-11T22:48:00.002-07:002008-04-18T21:42:15.068-07:00

{I copied and pasted these entries from our family blog way back when I originally posted them!}Gavin is out of surgery and is doing fine.We just got to go back and see him...he is groggy, but okay. He didn't have the Kasai procedure, meaning he had all his parts and nothing was missing!!! They didnt see any blockages either, but they did say his gallbladder had bile in it, so they got that out.

{ Bethany }noreply@blogger.com0