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Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Why I Walk Wednesday: Tristan


Premature delivery was anticipated for Tristan, so his mother was given a round of drugs to develop his lungs and she had blood drawn three days a week. Tristan had a high heart rate, and the doctors were attempting to treat him in utero by administering drugs to his mother. After visiting the specialist for a weekly blood draw on July 3, Tristan’s mother was told to go to the hospital immediately. Tristan's heart was no longer responding to the drugs and fluid was beginning to build up around his heart. On July 4, Tristan was delivered by C-section at 30 weeks gestation. The delivery was uneventful, and after showing Tristan to his mother, he was whisked away to the NICU.

The first few days were vital because no regiment of medicine was helping Tristan get better, causing a code blue to be called multiple times. About three days later, they were able to stabilize him. Tristan required surgery to correct a patent ductus arteriosus 
(PDA), and eleven days after his birth, he had his first surgery. The next few weeks were challenging as Tristan went through tests, which revealed that his blood was abnormal and there was concern of no audible function in his right ear. Tristan developed jaundice, was sedated, and had to have four blood transfusions. As the weeks passed, even though the test results were not always favorable, he started to eat better and gain weight.

Despite the adversity he faced within the first few years of his life, Tristan has grown into an intelligent, perceptive, and loving boy. Tristan participates in March for Babies each year with his team Tristan’s Trotters. Join your local March for Babies at marchforbabies.org. 

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