Wyatt James Koger, A Fighter from Birth

I am a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) baby. My diaphragm developed with a hole in it and my organs were misplaced in my chest cavity. The organs pushed on my lungs, causing one lung to be very small. I was born on October 9, 2007 at Johns Hopkins. Now it is three years later: I am saying a bunch of words, I still receive foods through a g-tube and am on oxygen while I sleep. I can't walk yet, but believe I can out scoot anyone! Here is the story of my amazing and patient recovery.

Friday, June 2, 2023

Like Pop Pop, like Grandson!

My Dad’s fusion surgery of his back was successful yesterday. Now I have two patients- one on the adult side and one on the adolescent floor at Hopkins! Wyatt is doing remarkably well. The X-ray yesterday showed significant progress. Enough to move his surgery up a week🎉🎉🎉. Just got the good news today!

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Hurdles that I faced and achieved!

After birth, I was placed on ECMO at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 13 days. On day 13, I had a surgery to repair my hernia and was removed from ECMO, but my organs would not fit in my abdomen. I had a silo for a week and then surgery to place the organs back in the abdomen. Then, part of my intestines re-herniated into my chest cavity two months later and I had another surgery to repair that. After my first surgery, I experienced an intraventricular hemorrhage in my brain and at four months old I received a VP shunt. After I was extubated, I learned that I have right vocal cord paralysis. Then I had g-tube surgery and after I finally got to go home after 5 longs months at Johns Hopkins and Mt. Washington Hospital! Only for a few weeks, though. In mid-April my intestines reherniated again and sent me into surgery. I came home, and had a long run before my THIRD reherniation in the beginning of September on Labor Day weekend in 2008. Then I was hospitalized for twice during the winter 2009 for two respiratory infections. Well, I almost lasted a year until my next surgery! Just this past June, in 2009, I had surgery to wrap my stomach around the esophagus, a nissen. This has helped with my reflux and my hiatal hernia. I will be 2 in October, I love scooting around but refuse to stand up and walk. I am a little miracle and thank God, my doctors, my nurses, family, and friends for my strength, my fight and a happy life.