It’s been a little over a year now that Jeremiah has been listed for a heart transplant. He has been dealing with some medication side effects but with dose adjustments it’s improved. He was able to graduate from high school and happily put that milestone behind him. The beginning of summer included a trip to Illinois for his uncle’s wedding. Soon after that, his grandmother passed away and we returned to Illinois for her memorial service, a sad but meaningful celebration of her 92 years. Each trip away from his transplant hospital meant going on inactive status on the transplant list. We are thankful for time spent with family and memories made. The last airplane trip did require us to bring portable oxygen so he could tolerate the altitude.

On June 3 Jeremiah had a cardiac cath which showed that his heart failure is progressing. So on July 5th he was admitted to children’s Medical Center in Dallas for the insertion of a PICC line and to start a continuous intravenous Milrinone infusion to help support his heart function. We will go home after a few days and he will be hooked up to a portable pump 24 hours a day. He will be on the infusion indefinitely until he gets his heart transplant. At the same time, he has been moved up the list from pediatric status 2, to 1B. Please pray for him: for adjusting to life with an infusion, for protection from infection and complications, and for a perfect match heart.

As always, we appreciate the support and prayers for Jeremiah. Knowing we can count on assistance from COTA for his transplant related expenses is such a relief. Thank you!