Wesley was born late in the evening on June 2nd as a healthy, happy and normal baby.  By the time he was two days old, the worst day of my life began.  Wesley had become lethargic, listless, and was hyperventilating when he was taken to the NICU.  He was emergency transferred to a separate hospital where he was promptly readied for surgery so he could be put on dialysis.  After two rounds of dialysis, his ammonia levels finally wend down.  Two days later he was diagnosed with propionic acidemia.

Wesley has a very strict regimen of diet and medications that make his care difficult. Still, he loves Winnie-the-Pooh, sucking on his right pointer finger, and spitting up on any clean linens in his grasp. Wesley was born to two life-long Green Bay Packer fans (and owners!) who are the children of life-long Green Bay Packer fans (also owners!). He loves watching football, Winnie-the-Pooh, and absolutely hates watching me eat (because then I’m not paying attention to him!).  Propionic Acidemia (PA) will eventually cause him to suffer severe brain damage that will eventually kill him.

 

The best chance he has for a normal life is through a liver transplant. We were already scared and shocked by the knowledge that he’d need to have an organ transplant, which was when we found out that he needs open heart surgery before he can receive a transplant.

 

We’re going to spend his first Halloween at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh recovering from open heart surgery, which was not part of our plan when his grandmother knit him a bumblebee costume.Please help by spreading the word about COTA and Wesley’s story (and donating!).

 

Thank you for your generosity and your thoughts and prayers. We really appreciate everything you can give.