Good grief. It is already September and we are still here. So far no trip up north necessary but we are planning a holiday in October. Book almost finished. Knitting it together now.

Jackie lost her father last week following a long illness.

Both Morgan and Danielle are off to college, and Pattty told me that Conner has been elected vice president of his class. Wow. Way to go.

We've just about finished reconstruction on the house and have been working on the patios. Now I have to see about budgeting reupholstry. Yuck.

Don't forget, we'll be having Thanksgiving and hope everyone can come. It seems like forever since we've been together. Obviously, if college interferes, we understand and you'll be in our hearts. Do let me know so I can make hotel reservations early. love, Kit

Glenn and I got back from Duke yesterday, returning after Parent Orientation and leaving Morgan there to fend for himself (for which he is very grateful). He has Orientation the rest of this week, then classes start on Monday, the 27th. We got him moved into his dorm room, met his roommate and his parents, took him shopping and had an appointment with a cardiologist there. It was a busy few days.

The cardiologist ran an echocardiogram on Morgan and was surprised that his heart has already shrunk so much. The right side is now less than twice the size of the left, down from about 4 times as large. He said everything looked great! Morgan still has a few weeks of sternal restrictions, mainly that he is not supposed to lift or carry more than 5-10 pounds. He can engage in aerobic exercise, but no contact sports for the remaining few weeks. His neck and shoulder pain has diminished and he and the doctor agreed he does not need any more physical therapy or pain medication.

Given that he is doing so well and was hoping I would leave and not hover, I decided to come home with Glenn. All you moms out there who have just sent your kid off to college have my sympathy. I am pretty much beside myself and cry a lot. I guess in time I will get used to him being gone, but so far, it is not easy. I keep reminding myself this is what he has worked so hard for and how proud we are of him.

Anyway, that is the scoop. I am attaching a couple of pictures I took.

Thanks for everything.

Patty

Dear friends and family:

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. They seem to be working (not a surprise). Anyway, Morgan is doing better than well. I cannot keep up with him anymore during his jaunts down the hall. He logged a mile (14 laps-not all at once) yesterday and today. The attending doc came by this evening and said Morgan's lungs and heart sound good and he is going to recommend his discharge tomorrow at their morning meeting. That probably translates into late afternoon release, if we are lucky. Morgan told him he is ready to go home!

He had a lot of visitors this weekend, and that cheered him immensely. It is really hard to look at the kid today and realize he had open heart surgery less than a week ago. The problem is going to be making sure he doesn't get to far ahead of himself and have a set back. He is so determined to be back up to speed.

Thanks again for all your well wishes, thoughts and prayers. I cannot imagine going through this without your support.

Patty

Well, big day for Morgan - here's Patty's update - we got back to New Orleans a few minutes ago. Hopefully he will be home soon - in a matter of a couple of days, I hear.

It has been a busy day. Morgan and I both had a very much needed good night's sleep and woke up early. We were out walking the halls by 6! Then the day got busier and busier. Kit and Billy took me to breakfast while Morgan met with his nurse for a while. Then we went to a "Daily Living and Performing Activities" class, where we both learned all about the things Morgan can and cannot do and how to do them for the six-eight weeks following his discharge. For example, he cannot carry or lift more than 5 pounds, so he will have to use a wheelie backpack when he starts back to school (how embarrassing). If he rides in the front seat of a car (not as the driver), he has to be sure the airbag is disabled. It is better if he rides in the back seat, on the passenger side so the front seat can be as forward as possible so he has room for his legs, and there is no airbag to deploy, should that happen.

The main thing, is his heart will actually heal faster than his sternum, which was broken for the surgery and is now permanently wired together. They leave the wire in, because to take it out, they would have to go back in to do it. Makes sense. The concern is that if he moves wrong, or does the wrong things, the sternum could shift, and not only be shifted and out of place, but could also become infected. Somehow, that translates into two surgeries. Hmmm. Other things he can and cannot do.....can't cut grass (sorry Conner), but can load/unload the dishwasher and set the table (within the 5 pound limit of course)(sorry Morgan), can do his own laundry (with the 5 pound limit), the only part of himself he cannot dress alone are his special really cool super stretchy very tight calf stockings (which must be worn 6 weeks and will be quite dashing with his basketball or cargo shorts). He was the youngest patient in the class. The others were probably all well within their 60-90's, so it was kind of interesting talking about the challenges of a young guy like him going off to college (we pray) versus the other stuff he really does have in common with them, like how to get in and out of a chair and how to open a refrigerator.

Well, after that, Morgan got to give himself a sitting shower all by himself. Then Glenn and Conner got here and Conner and Morgan had fun playing the XBox, or whatever it is Conner installed for him. Right before some of his friends were expected, a technician came and whisked him away for an x-ray! How rude. Good news is the x-ray came back looking good, which we were happy to hear, because his chest is still really conjested. He was having some pangs today that are related to one of his lungs not yet being expanded. We are assured this is all normal. So, luckily, his friends waited for him and then they all got to visit. Maggie brought him brownies that had really tasty icing on them.

The doctor came by and said the x-ray looked good and if Morgan keeps improving as much as he and promises to do whatever I say forever, that maybe he can go home Monday afternoon. His back and neck are still stiff and sore and seem to bother him more that his chest.
Tonight he got a good dose of pain killer and some kind of super anti-inflammatory. He still sounds like The Godfather.

More things happened, but that is all I can remember right now. Again, we thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers. I was scared they were going to say Morgan was catching pneumonia or something horrible today. I know that he is going to be fine and in part that is because he has so many who are pulling for him. If I have not answered your emails, please understand I still appreciate them.

Vacation with the Kids and as a Get Well Soon card for Morgan

Connor and Camille came for a New York visit with Uncle Sule and me. It was a big trip for Camille, her first trip without her parents and her first time to fly alone.Connor, of course, is a pro traveler. We hung out in the city for a few days, went to FAO Schwartz (the biggest toy store in New York), took Camille to American Doll (the biggest doll store in New York), had lunch at Katz's (one of the few remaining classic New York Deli's), both Connor and Camille agreed that Katz's matzoh ball soup did not compare to Tutu's/Aunt Robin's, saw 4th of July fireworks from the roof of our house and then went to the beach in the Hamptons for a few days. We had a great time with both of the kids and the trip was an eye-opener for Sule and me in regards to realizing what it takes to care for two kids. Yikes!!! We took photos but all the film was ruined at the processing lab. These are some of the photos that remain, we took them from my computer. Enjoy! Michele & Sule

1. 

FANTASTIC BIONIC FOX MEN
Both now have heavy metal in their chests - Morgan moving to his room in a few minutes, doing great! Has the recovery record, they say - Had breakfast, ready to leave. Dr. told him he could escape when the could walk to elevator and press down button. He will be there another 4 or 5 days - maybe early week. Great to be young - Morgan is the youngest - by far - of the people in ICU.

Dear Friends and Family,

About 3 weeks ago, Morgan, our oldest son, went to our family doctor for his immunization update and physical required by Duke for entering college. Dr. Mabry detected a suspicious heart murmur that previously had not been present. Over these weeks, Morgan was sent for a series of tests including an echocardiogram, MRI and catheterization. To our shock and dismay, Morgan has been diagnosed with congenital heart disease. Basically, his right lung is almost completely draining into his right ventricle, instead of the left ventricle, resulting in his right ventricle being hugely enlarged (4.5 times the normal size) by the misrouted blood flow (over 2 times the normal rate). This is called anomalous pulmonary venous drainage. He also has a small hole between the left and right ventricles called a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (ASD) that contributes to the increased volume.

Initially, we were told that this condition was something he could likely wait a year or so to have corrected. However, this past Friday, after the catheterization, his cardiologist, Dr. Loyoka, told us he believes that Morgan is on the cusp of the onset of atrial fibrillation, which once begun, is an irreversible life-long, life-threatening condition. At worst, this could result in a stroke, leading to death or incapacitation, and at best, would result in a shortened life expectancy. The good news is that this has been discovered, and if corrected in time, his heart will return to normal size and function and he will no longer be at risk by this condition. It often is not detected until much later in life, when irreparable damage has been done.

The correction is by open heart surgery and is highly successful. We meet tomorrow with the surgeon, Dr. Ott, at The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's in Houston and hope to schedule the surgery as soon as possible, preferably this coming week. The recovery time from the surgery is normally about 8 weeks, but we hope that with Morgan's otherwise great health and youth, that he will recuperate rapidly and be able to begin his freshman year at Duke as scheduled. If not, then he will have to start later, but we plan to keep the option open until we know otherwise.

While we are beyond stunned, we are confident the risks of not addressing the condition are greater than the risks of surgery. We have consulted with another cardiologist who is in agreement. We are not only extremely grateful to Dr. Mabry for detecting a problem, but also fortunate that Morgan was sent immediately to the Texas Heart Institute for testing and consultation with Dr. Loyoka, who is one of very few cardiologist specializing in both pediatric and adult cardiology. We know that Dr. Ott is among the most highly regarded cardiac surgeons, who has a reputation for being not only skilled, but also fast, which is of utmost importance during open heart surgery.

This is all very surreal and hard to believe is happening. Morgan is taking it well and is concerned with having the surgery right away so he has a hope of starting at Duke as planned. While it will be a disappointment to him to have to wait, he understands he may not have a choice. Luckily, most of his friends are still in town and immediately have begun to rally around him with their support and encouragement. It would mean a lot to him and to us to know that you, his family, friends, friends of family, parents of friends, and most excellent teachers and mentors, whom all have contributed so much to his life, growth and accomplishment keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a successful surgery and rapid recovery.

We will let everyone know as soon as possible when the surgery is scheduled.

With much faith, love and regard,

Patty Fox