Reherniation Signs and Symptoms

Having a child with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia can be scary for parents, even after the initial repair surgery and NICU stay. Truth is that when our babies graduate from the NICU, our journey isn't over. Just because they repaired the hernia, doesn't mean it can't happen again. It's better to know the signs and symptoms in advance so you can recognize them in your child.

Signs and Symptoms of reherniation may include:
*Difficulty breathing
*Fast breathing
*Fast heart rate
*Cyanosis (blue skin color)
*Feeling sick
*Throwing up frequently, including green bile
*Refusal to eat
*Lethargic
*Fever
*Black tar like stool
*Retching
*Pain

Keep in mind that each child is different and may or may not have any of the above listed symptoms. The severity of the symptoms also depends on the severity of the herniation. Always seek medical attention if your concerned your CDHer may have herniated. Contact your CDH specialist team, pediatrician or take them to ER for X-rays. Always follow up with your pediatrician.

41% of hernia's that were repaired using a patch will require surgery to replace the patch within the first 3 years. As your child grows, the patch will have to be replaced with a bigger one since it doesn't grow with your child. Your child with a patch repair may or may not have any of the symptoms listed above.

Severe Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Repair

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Patch Repair

It's Never Just A Cold

Imagine you pick your kid up from school one day and they complain of not feeling well. By morning their suffering from a cold. Snotty nose, cough, fever, no appetite (maybe even some vomiting, and no energy at all. It's just a cold right? They'll be fine after it runs its course. But your kid is utterly miserably and therefor so are you watching them suffer. You think "ugh it's "Johnie's" fault my baby is sick! Why couldn't his mother of just kept him home!". Each day your kid wakes up they seem worse. You finally break down and take them to the doctor or urgent care because your doctors office is too busy to see them. You carry your lethargic baby into urgent care, check in and sit to wait to be called. Then look down and see your baby is turning blue. Short version, they rush your baby to ER as you follow behind. Doctors take lung X-rays and ultrasounds of your babies heart but suddenly there's no time to wait for results because your baby starts having seizures and their heart stops. They do all they can but they can't safe your baby. Your world stops. "But it was just a cold. Just a cold" you keep saying to yourself.

You might say that story is a bit far fetched. At one point in my life I was very young and very naive and I wouldn't have believed it either. But there's nothing far fetched about the story above because that's my story. That's how I lost my son. That's how so many other families have lost their children. Why? Because people won't stay home when they're sick. They won't keep their children home when they're sick. Its never "just a cold". Each body reacts differently to viruses. A healthy immune system can fight off a cold no problem. Others end up in the hospital or in ICU and even dead. What you think is "just a cold" could easily be RSV or another virus with similar symptoms. I lost my son a year ago because someone with "just a cold" wouldn't stay home. How would you feel if it was your baby? Look at their sweet faces and tell me how you'd feel if it was them? Please stay home if your sick. Keep your kids home if their sick. Wash and sanitize your hands regularly. Take your vitamins. Tell others to do the same.

Liam Michael Bryant 7/14/11-12/15/15 taken because he caught "just a cold".

Links to help you fight the germs:

RSV Symptoms and prevention

10 Tips to prevent a cold or flu

#childlossawareness #cdhawareness #stopspreadinggerms#itsneverjustacold #liammichaelbryant

2016 Christmas Drive Success

On December 22nd we braved the fog and the hour drive to Valley Children's to deliver gifts just in time for Christmas. Thank you every who donated to our annual Christmas drive in memory of Liam Michael Bryant. We delivered the following with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts because we know that these gifts will put smiles on the kids in the hospital:

59 complete care packages

Plus the following loose toys: 

16 bubble wands

5 tea sets

1 nerf sport toy

6 coloring books

29 stuffed animals

If you don't see the items you donated listed above, it's because they were put into a care package. Each care package included at the least:

1 toy

1 stuffed animal

1 book or coloring book

crayons, color pencils or markers to go with the coloring books

Some care packages included blankets

NICU care packages included stuffed animals, socks, hat, book, blanket and toothbrush for a parent.

I know each kid loved every toy, every blanket, every stuffed animal. Thank you for helping us help make their Christmas's a little brighter.

(Involving kids in our mission is something I strive for with each event/donation. Liam's big sister Lanie, the blonde in the middle, is always involved in every aspect of Shooting for Liam. From picking out items to donate, to putting together care packages and planning picnic's, she's right there by my side.)

We are already working on next years drive so if you didn't get a chance to donate this year, know you still help with next years. We are now accepting donations for 2017.

Thank you everyone for helping us do something great in memory of our sweet little lamb.

In Memory of Liam Christmas Drive

Liam was born on July 14th of 2011.

He spent 90% of his first year in the hospital.

80% of his second year in the hospital.

50% of his third year and so on.

He spent the majority if his time at Valley Children's hospital in Madera, CA.

It's 65.6 miles from our front porch to the hospital.

Takes around an hour and 3 minutes to get there typically,

if you don't hit traffic.

The hospital is basically in the middle of nowhere.

To get to any fast food restaurants or the Target you have to get back onto the freeway.

Nothing is within walking distance.

It's a little over 12 miles to the nearest store (Target) if you need supplies.

I would drive to Target and stock up on foods that didn't have to be refrigerated.

Foods like:

Soups

Cup of Noodles

Peanut butter sandwich supplies

Ravioli

Chips

Crackers

Soda

Bottled ready to drink coffee

Granola bars

All cans had to be pop top and come in a bowl that could be microwaved.

I kept a bowl with me for soups.

These were the foods I lived off of for the majority of 4 years.

If I wanted clean clothes I had 2 options:

1) Have someone from Home bring them up when they come to visit.

2) Go to the nearest laundromat (16.9 miles away) and be gone from Liam for a few hours.

90% of the time when Liam was in the hospital he was vomiting.

Many times he would go through every blanket I packed him within 24 hours.

When a blanket and a treasured stuffed animal are the only things giving your baby enough comfort to sleep for a few minutes or stop crying for a few minutes,

and you have nothing clean left,

you stay can become way more stressful that it really needs to be.

There were a few times when he would have just vomited all over his last clean blanket,

he was in tears and I was close to tears.

I was rocking him when there was a knock on the door.

The door would slowly open and a smiling face popped their head in and said,

"I'll just leave this right here for you".

Then they walked out and closed the door behind them.

I walked over to the counter and found a new soft blanket sitting on the counter.

My jaw dropped.

I picked up that what felt like a treasure worth a million dollars and handed it to Liam.

He almost instantly stopped crying and I was able to rock him back to sleep.

As I watched him sleep,

I cried.

That blanket meant the world to us and we were given it because someone kind had donate a lot of blankets to children's for the kids.

Without that donation we would of had days with no sleep or comfort because it wasn't until 4 days later my husband was able to bring us clean blankets and clothes.

Hospital stays are extremely stressful and made worse when you have to eat junk,

don't have clean clothes are access to a laundromat.

I would pack Liam as many toys as I could but after a few days they would be boring for him.

I would have to ask my husband to bring us new toys every time he came to visit.

Being separated from family is also extremely difficult.

These stays are made a little easier when you have the items that comfort your child and clean clothes for yourself.

I hope that with this Christmas drive in memory of Liam that we will be able to offer that same comfort to these kids who are sick and stuck in a hospital during the holidays.

If we are even able to take these kids minds of being sick for just a few minutes,

than it will be worth it.

We are looking for donations of:

Stuffed animals

Blankets

teethers

books for all ages

toys for all ages

coloring books

crayons

journals

pens

backpacks and tote bags

and much more

Will you help us?

Contact us on our Facebook page Shooting for Liam

Email shootingforliam@yahoo.com

Spreading Awareness at Liberty School Carnival

Last night we had the opportunity to share CDH awareness and child loss awareness with our community at Liberty school's fall carnival. We set up a table with lots of flyers:

*What is CDH?

*What it's like to have a child with CDH.

*Our Christmas drive for Children's hospital.

*Busines cards

*Information on Sent from Heaven

(Child loss)

*Information on Sent from Heaven's drive.

We handed out lots of flyers and business cards. We also got to talk to people about CDH, Liam and Sent from Heaven It was a blessing to be able to share so much awareness. Lots of people had never heard of what CDH was and we were more than happy to explain to them. Lots of kids were interested in learning as well. The older kids took quite an interest in earning what CDH was. I was surprised. Of course we had a huge pumpkin filled with candy for the children who walked by our booth. 

You can go to Sent from Heaven's blog or check out their facebook page. My friend Amanda Lamb and I have been working hard on getting Send from Heaven set up and doing all the legal paperwork to become a nonprofit. We provide specialized care packages to parents when they lose a child. Also our blog has online resources and we are adding more all the time.

Child Loss Awareness Month

October is child loss awareness month.

We would like to take this month to remember those CDHers who grew wings.

If you would like to share your story,

blog or facebook page,

please contact us so we can add you.

If you have any advice for those whose friend or family lost a child,

please message us.

Remembering all the CDHers that grew wings and the families who lost them.

facebook.com/shootingforliam

A few weeks ago a friend approached with a idea to start a nonprofit.

This nonprofit is to give care packages to parents when they lose a child.

We are also working on our blog to share other peoples stories of loss,

as well as other resources.

If you would like your story posted on our Sent from Heaven blog as well let us know.

Sent from Heaven is for all loss,

not just from CDH.

Also check out Sent from Heaven's facebook page.

Kimberlee

Last week,

I picked up this donation of toys from my friend Diana.

Diana donated this to our care packages in memory of her daughter,

Kimberlee.

Kimberlee was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

on November 8th of 2009.

Kimberlee was 6 months pregnant at the time.

She had chemo twice before she gave birth to a healthy baby.

Kimberlee underwent a bone marrow transplant on May 25th 2010.

On August 31st 2010,

they were told that the Leukemia had returned,

with a vengeance.

The doctors said there was nothing more they could do,

and Kimberlee was given just 6 months left to live.

So they returned home to live out what time she had left.

On September 27th 2010,

Kimberlee lost her fight against Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Diana donated this precious gift of toys for the kids at Children's Hospital,

in memory of her precious daughter Kimberlee.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia is rare with less than 200,000 US cases per year.

It's a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow with excess immature white blood cells.

AML progresses rapidly,

with myeloid cells interfering with the production of normal white blood cells,

red blood cells, and platelets.

Learn more about AML by clicking here.