Gracie Jean Gledhill www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com

I just can't get over this. I am so sad today as I think of my friends the Gledhills. Michelle is a former client of mine. We were in the same ward and neighborhood for a while. 11 months ago, they welcomed their fourth child- a beautiful, brave, baby girl named Gracie. Gracie had HLHS, a heart defect, that would require multiple surgeries to keep her alive. She had her first surgery at 3 days old. What was to be an easy, routine surgery (as easy and routine as open heart surgery can get anyway) turned into a nightmare when Gracie flat lined. She was kept alive on life support for the next 9 days. Her family was told to say their goodbyes ever and over, only to be teased with with glimpses of hope. When they took her off of it, she literally rewrote the medical books by surviving. Apparently, after about 7 days on the ECMO (life support) machine, the situation is fairly hopeless. Sweet Gracie, defied the odds. She was able to recover enough to go home and gain weight for her next surgery (not an easy task since she was unable to keep food down). Last fall, when it was time for the second surgery, her heart wasn't healthy enough to endure the repairs she needed. Instead, they put in a stint to help bring her pressures down and get her heart healthy enough for the surgery to come. Eventually, as they were waiting, her heart began to fail. Her fingers and toes were turning blue. Her pressures dropped so low that she sustained some brain damage (she lost the use of her left arm and left leg). The doctors determined she couldn't wait any longer, but she couldn't survive the surgery either. Gracie was listed at the top of the heart transplant list to save her life. I can't even begin to detail all of the struggles that went along with that- her antibodies, the insurance, etc. After a short three day wait, the Gledhills got the news that would change their lives. Gracie was getting a heart! The joy was to be short lived. When the left ventricle was unclamped, it was obvious there was a problem. Her parents were told that her heart was in rejection. After further testing, it was revealed that it wasn't her at all. They transplanted a bad heart into her tiny body. She was put back on the ECMO (life support) machine, and re-listed for another heart. She had some pretty heavy bleeding that the doctors were struggling to control. At one point, the doctors were prepared to switch out her bad heart for a Berlin Heart (artificial) which would be used purely to buy her time until another heart could be found. The Berlin Heart isn't approved in the US yet, so to do this, they needed to fly in the Berlin Heart team from Canada (I think). When the team reviewed her situation, they said it was simply too risky. They were certain that Gracie could not survive another procedure, and that she would never be able to survive off of the ECMO. In a week's time, my poor friends went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. They went from thinking Gracie's life would be forever changed for the better, to realizing that they had to let her go. Gracie Jean Gledhill was taken off of life support last Monday, March 2, 2009, and returned to her Father in Heaven. Her viewing is today, and her funeral tomorrow. I know that her family can use all of the prayers they can get during this difficult time. I am asking that any and all who read this, pray for the Gledhill family. Keep them in mind in the next little while, because they will need all of the prayers they can get. Feel free to check out Gracie's blog. It is worth your time- trust me. It is a detailed account of her journey and battle to the end. What a precious little girl she was! What a blessing she has been to her family! What a miracle her short has been! I will be forever changed by the example of this great family. http://www.thegledhillfamily.blogspot.com/ or just link to it from my blog "Baby Gracie".