Me holding Avery for the first time! 09.19.11
So I know its been forever since my last post about Avery. Things have been real crazy around here.
I left off talking about the ups and downs and man are we in a “down” moment right now. Avery got a severe infection after his second shunt placement (about 2 1/2 weeks ago). The infection nearly took his life. They had told my sister and her husband that they had to do a flushing treatment of his ventricles and that one of two things would happen. He wouldn’t make it through the process or if he came out of it, he would be in a vegetable state for the rest of his life. He was then put on life support for over 2 weeks. The poor guy has undergone over 5 surgeries in the 2 months of his precious little life. But yet he always seems to pull through and he did!
Avery was taken off of life support a little less than a week ago and he is breathing on his own. This alone left the doctors in shock. One nurse approached my sister and said, “He is truly a miracle baby.” The infection attacked the part of Avery’s brain that communicates with his heart and his lungs to operate. He struggled at first but sure enough he began to breathe. Now going back to the part where I told you the doctors said Avery would be in a vegetable state. Surprisingly he’s not. But we did find out today that he is showing strong signs of blindness, deafness, and he is hypersensitive to touch. His nervous system is severely damaged. The doctors described it as pins and needles every time he moves or is handled by anyone. He seems to not be as sensitive with pressure (more of a hands on then a gentle stroke). Avery is on morpheme for this and will be proscribed another drug for the pain when he is sent home.
So about hospice. Avery is scheduled to come home on Monday September 26th (THIS UPCOMING MONDAY!). Jennifer and Omy are in need of a lot of things for this little guy. We are happy to bring him home and love on him but it’s not going to be easy. They are currently learning how to care for him. Just to give you an idea, they will need to suction his mouth every 20 min (he has trouble swallowing his saliva) or he can aspirate(inhale fluid into the bronchi and lungs which can cause suffocation). He is being fed through a tub they have to put through his nose (which needs to be changed out once a week, I believe) and he is very sensitive to movement. Not even to mention they have a high-strung 3-year-old. Pray for peace and wisdom for the Cabrera family and if you live in the area I encourage you to offer services (cleaning, cooking, childcare etc.) to them as well.
We believe in a higher power, the blood of Jesus that is just as powerful today as it was then. At the sound of our voice the Lord could heal Avery or better yet take away his pain and suffering. We are on this journey as the Lord leads us in his perfect will for this little one. We strongly believe that even though his physical body is here with us that the Lord is with him in the spirit taking away the pain and suffering and comforting Avery even though his “flesh” doesn’t seem to be comforted. This is our hope. That Jesus is really along side with us every step of the way in this entire situation.
Jennifer is registered at BabiesRus
Things Jenny needs ASAP for Avery:
Mittens
Front snap shirts (under the Nile has affordable ones)
Thermal Pants
Warm shoes/socks
Pajamas with snap buttons
Katequinnorganics.com
Underthenile.com
Sckoon.com
These websites have kimono style clothes from newborn and beyond. Because of how often I will have to do “assessments”, these style shirts work best with separate bottoms.
Avery's Story 