Posted 6 hours ago
Dr. Webster informed us at the care conference that Owen is in heart failure (which had already set in before the surgery, but has now progressed). Owie is 17 days post-surgery & his body has recovered from a medical standpoint. The echo showed that his right ventricle is thickened & starting to fail. His right atrium is enlarged, too. These are somewhat classic symptoms of TAPVR- the normal progression over time as high pressure develops in the lungs. TAPVR patients have smaller pulmonary veins & are therefore more susceptible to narrowing of the veins.
We understand that as pressure increases in Owen’s lungs, the blood returning from his body to his heart tries to get into his lungs to get oxygenated. It is there that it meets a “traffic jam” because of the pressure & the blood has instead backed up into his liver. Hence the reason for his enlarged liver- which probably went unnoticed for a time due to the location of his pacemaker generator (it was disguising or hiding the liver to some degree). Typically, an enlarged liver is a big indicator for right heart failure.
Dr. Webster estimated that Owen has a few months left to live on Earth (of course, I added the end part there). We have some difficult decisions to make in the next few days & weeks as to what interventions we want or oppose him receiving as his condition worsens.
We will continue to pray for God’s healing on Owen & that he would improve. We believe that God has the final say & it is He who numbers our days. Owen is a remarkable person- he has battled through so many obstacles in the last ten months- many more than most do in a lifetime. God put him on this Earth for a reason & we still give thanks knowing that we are his parents. Please pray that God would give us the grace & strength to handle the coming days, weeks, & months. Pray that healing would come to Owen’s body.
Thank you for praying.
Shannon, Scotty, & Owen
Owen Has Went to Be with the Lord
OWEN'S HEALING HAS COME!!!
Posted 4 hours ago
Owen went to be with our Heavenly Father at 2:21AM this morning, Sunday, December 7th. I had the unique privilege to hold our son for the last two & a half hours of his life. I could feel his heart beating against my chest as we snuggled for one last time. The presence of the Lord was quite obvious to us as our Owie took his last breaths. We were grateful for the sheer calmness that surrounded us. Owen never seemed to be in any pain or distress. We feel an abundance of gratitude to our Lord for taking our baby to live with Him for all eternity. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he left behind his Earthly vessel & took upon a new heavenly form. Praise be to God for shedding the Earthly body & replacing it with a new, fresh, pristine body that will never feel pain or experience suffering.
Scott & I would like to thank everyone who has supported us through this journey. Your prayers, cards, carepage posts, e-mails, phone calls, donations, & visits have touched the deepest parts of our hearts. We are glad that we could share a little piece of our son’s journey with you. Thank you for taking the time to let us know that you care. We are especially grateful for our dear friends, Susy & Terry Long, who have been tremendously supportive during this time. Thank you for being with us until the very end.
At this time we would like to request some private time with our family. As the holidays draw near, we want to reflect on Owen’s life & celebrate his healing & release from Earthly pain. Please feel free to leave us messages on Owen’s carepage. We look forward to welcoming guests at our home after the New Year. Scott & I are eagerly anticipating living together again under the same roof for seven days a week! We know that our privacy will be respected as we make the adjustments to a different routine.
This update would not be complete without giving credit where it is due. Dear Lord, Scott & I would like to thank you for Owen Isaiah Blumenthal. You fulfilled the biggest desires of our hearts when we became parents. Thank you for entrusting Owen into our care. We know that we no longer have to worry about how Owen is doing because he has been given a new heavenly body. Thank you for fulfilling your promises to us. We trusted all along that healing was coming. We feel honored to be Owen’s parents. Your timing was perfect & we give you praise for not allowing our precious son to suffer. Thank you for stretching our faith & teaching us through this special life. We will never be the same again because of Owen Isaiah. We give you the glory for his life. Thank you for everything you have accomplished through his 11 months. We pray now that you would be with our family. We thank you that you are bigger than pulmonary hypertension, chronic lung disease, & TAPVR. We know that Owen’s life touched many people & we pray that they are spurred onward toward deeper faith realizing that you work all things out according to your will.
God Bless-
Scott & Shannon