ECMO Christmas Party

Wyatt (Mr. Cranky Pants) with Jack, James, Vicki, Dr. Berkowitz, and us.


The Boys- Jack, his Dad, James, Wyatt and Benji



When Wyatt was one day old, he was placed on ECMO for 13 days. It's a machine to allow your organs to rest and does the work of the heart and lungs for the child. It's life support for the baby and it's very risky. However, taking this risk saved Wyatt's life. The cannulas are placed in one of the carotid arteries in the neck and after they are removed, the artery is closed for life. It was our pleasure to attend the ECMO Survival Christmas Party last Thursday to say thank you to the people that helped save Wyatt's life. Dr. Berkowitz, the doctor that placed Wyatt on ECMO at 2am on October 10, 2007 and was the doctor who woke me up at 4am in my hospital room to let me know that he was on ECMO was there. Respiratory therapists and other PICU doctors were there too. Driving in the rain during rush hour, walking three blocks in the rain with two kids, and being there during bedtime was no fun... but the party was a blast and I am glad we decided to go. Wyatt was extra cranky, so he wasn't showing his true colors, but being at the party for us was a huge accomplishment in itself. Chloe enjoyed a visit from Santa and they even handed out gifts! We even won the door prize too!!! and I never win anything:)) We enjoyed seeing Wyatt's friend Jack and the rest of the Jensen family. There were so many kids that are now older that were on ECMO as babies running around and enjoying the party. It put smiles on our faces to see this. Dr. Berkowitz gave a little speech saying that about 35 kids a year are placed on ECMO at Johns Hopkins and about 400 total in the past 20 years. Hopkins is the only ECMO center in the state of Maryland. The PICU grew from supporting one child on ECMO to four. After reading Jack's blog, I did not realize that about 50 percent of all ECMO children at Hopkins survive. Tears fill my eyes when I read this. Read Jack's blog for more about the party. Thank you again for the super care at Hopkins. It's such a huge place with personalized care.

Wyatt update- Wyatt is doing much better... he faked us out and started to feel better so that he could go to the party. Basically he has a really stuffy nose and as long as we suction him, which he hates, he is fine. On Monday, he gets his RSV shot and I'll have his doctor check him out. We also have to keep him very hydrated.