Ewan is the 10-month-old son of Bill and Megan Ormerod.  His life began full of love and promise.  However, everything changed unexpectedly just 13 days after he was born.  After an unusually sleepy day Ewan became very fussy at bedtime, his body temperature dropped dangerously low and his skin started to turn blue.  He was rushed to the nearby emergency room which was unable to help him and from there he was taken by ambulance to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit where life saving measures were taken.  The doctors spent the next 2 weeks trying to come up with a diagnosis and a treatment plan.  During this time, Bill and Megan stayed by Ewan’s side ensuring that at least one parent was always with him.  Eventually the medical team thought that they had found an answer: sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy.  The doctors were hopeful that, with medication Ewan would fully recover over time.  This left the family feeling very optimistic as he was able to return home.  At first, the medication seemed to be working and the doctors actually determined that his heart was functioning within normal ranges just 4 months later.  At his next cardiologist appointment, however, they were given the news that his heart function had decreased, and he would need to be admitted to the pediatric ICU.

On October 18, Ewan was readmitted- the main concern was lack of growth due to a decreased appetite.  The plan was to monitor him for a couple of days while they adjusted his medications to get him back on track and gaining weight.  The weekend stay turned into 5 days, then 7 and so on.  On the morning of October 29, precious Ewan’s heart gave out and he went into cardiac arrest.  The medical team performed lifesaving CPR for 10 minutes until they were able to revive him, and he was immediately place on life support as his heart function proved to be inadequate.

Bill and Megan were once again facing every parent’s worst nightmare, watching their baby fight for his life.  At this point the doctors decided that the only way to save Ewan’s life was to perform a heart transplant.  The procedure was approved by the insurance company and the process of waiting for a donor began.  In the interim Ewan had to be placed on a ventricular assist device (a Berlin Heart) to support his failing heart.  On November 1, the Berlin Heart was successfully placed during a 10-hour surgery.  All of the prayers to see him through this time were undoubtedly heard, and we are eternally grateful for all of the love and support!  Saying “thank you” will never feel like enough.

Ewan has overcome so much in his short life, but he will have to endure many more challenges as hospital stays, exams, tests, medications, and surgeries are all on the horizon.  Unfortunately, he will need to remain in the hospital until after he is finished with the transplant process.  Even after the transplant is performed, he will have to stay close to the hospital for a period of time to monitor his recovery and ensure that his body does not reject the new heart.  After he goes home, he will need to return for multiple weekly exams for the first year or so, but will be necessary for the rest of his life.

Many individuals have come forward asking for ways that they can help- please consider donating as a way to do just that.  100% of the donations will benefit COTA in honor of Ewan to assist with transplant-related expenses.  Any amount truly makes a difference and is greatly appreciated!  Ewan’s COTA page has been set up to help the Ormerod’s keep their focus where it needs to be, on their family.  The financial burden between missing work and paying the associated expense through this process can be overwhelming for a family dealing with this unexpected crisis.  They have 2 other boys at home to take care of Tyler (15) and Cullen (4) as well as full time jobs as teachers.  Megan has had to take an unpaid leave of absence from her job and Bill is working a part time job in addition to teaching to try to make ends meet.  The hope is that your contributions to COTA in honor of Ewan can alleviate some of the extra stress on this family and allow them to focus on taking care of their family.  If you are unable to contribute financially, continued thoughts and prayers also equally valued and needed!

Thank you to every single person who has provided any manner of support during this difficult time. All of the love and support has made the toughest challenges a little less difficult. From the bottom of our hearts, we love you and we are forever grateful!

With all of our love and gratitude,

The Ormerod and Urquhart Families