Ethan's Condition

Ethan made his entrance into the world a month premature but weighing 8 lbs. His size was a product of his mother's diabetes, but he is still a month premature and deals with issues of not being fully developed in some areas. As a result, Ethan is hooked up to a few tubes including a ventilator.

Here are a list of the things Ethan is dealing with:

• Enlarged right ventricle in the heart resulting in Pulmonary Hypertension.
• Septic condition in the bloodstream
• Blood in the spinal fluid
• Edema

Since a few days have passed the problem with the enlarged right ventricle has corrected itself. The ventricle is still enlarged but the heart now seems to be working well enough that Pulmonary Hypertension is no longer considered a threat.

The blood in the spinal fluid may be the result of a poor "stick" in which case the blood was introduced into the spinal fluid by the needle used in the spinal tap. The doctors are following up on this, but are not as concerned about this as they are the other situations.

The sepsis in the blood stream seems to be getting better with treatment although they are not sure where the condition originated as of yet. Still, it is a major concern and remains high on the doctors' list of concerns for Ethan.

The edema is also high on their list. Edema can stem from a number of different conditions, some of which could be life threatening. It is important that they determine the cause(s) of the edema so that they can rule out those things that are not a problem and successfully treat those conditions that the edema stems from.

Having given the dry, clinical explanation of Ethan's physical condition, it is now time to remark on the positives:

• Ethan has people from around the world praying for his recovery.
• Ethan has already made progress and continues to do so.
• Ethan was born into a family with a godly heritage to pass on to him.
• Nothing can happen to Ethan unless God allows it and anything that happens is for a purpose.

Let's focus on the progress Ethan has made for a moment:

Although the sepsis continues to be a concern, the most recent blood tests show that the treatment is working against the infection.

When they first put Ethan on the ventilator, he was at 100% oxygen. He has progressively improved to the point that he is now on only 28% oxygen.

While the right ventricle is still enlarged, Ethan appears to be out of the danger zone with regard to Pulmonary Hypertension.

It might be easy to dwell on the downside here because most babies get to come home when mom gets discharged from the hospital and Ethan will have to stay behind. The fact is, some of the problems Ethan's dealing with are simply because he wasn't allowed to bake thoroughly in the womb and is a bit "doughy" in the middle. Simply put, he needs some time to develop more fully in the artificial womb at the hospital. The other situations that he's dealing with are all treatable at this point. There are many children who are born with debilitating complications that will never be corrected. In this regard, Ethan is most fortunate. He is a gift from God, and a welcome one at that.

Ethan's dad will be sending some pictures along later and those will be posted as soon as they're available. Updates will also be posted here, so keep in touch.

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And now, for some photos:























Ethan shortly after birth























Ethan and mommy


















Ethan with tubes