Hello, my grandson, Dmitri, is 18 years old and may be facing surgery for Scimitar Syndrome.  His mother, my daughter, just called me a few minutes ago and gave me the news.  He has to undergo a MRA to confirm the doctors’ suspicion.  Please pray for him because I know that I serve a God of miracles and that Dmitri is in his care.  Thank you.

I certainly will.  What a blessing it is that Dmitri’s doctors have so many wonderful tools at their disposal to diagnose and treat a variety of complex congenital heart defects.  Prayers to Dimitri and to you and your family during this trying time.

“My daughter Madison has just been diagnosed with Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return.  I’m so glad I found your story.  Please keep Madison and our family in your prayers!”

I will.  Nathan had cardiac catheterization at two, and it was determined that his PAPVR needed to be addressed surgically.  A good illustration and explanation of PAPVR can be found on the Cove Point Foundation website.  I hope you will be encouraged to read:  “Recovery from this operation is usually straightforward, requiring a hospital stay of 3 to 4 days.”  Also, note that PAPVR might not be severe enough to require surgery.  Blessings to Madison and your family.

“I’m just 30 weeks pregnant and my baby has been diagnosed with TAPVD/R.   Please pray that the next scan shows that there is nothing abnormal and that it was a misdiagnosis.  We have waited so long for her and can’t even start to believe it.”

I pray that this is a misdiagnosis.  BUT…if it’s not, I pray that God will give you the strength to get through your child’s health crisis.  My Nathan had PAPVR (Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return), so he wasn’t born with a medical emergency that required immediate heart surgery.  TAPVR (the T is for Total) may need attention soon after your daughter is born.

The Cove Point Foundation website has a good description of TAPVR and illustrations that help you to visualize how this will be corrected.  To read more about this condition, click here and follow through sections 1-6.

Blessings to your family.

Lord! I trust Your word and turn to You for help. My son, Victor Alfonso D. Sta.Maria, will undergo an open heart surgery on Dec.12,2011. He was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Tricuspid Valve Atresia with Ventricular Septal Defect, Pulmonary Stenosis and Patent Ductus Arteriosus. Please pray for Victor and for my family through this process as well.

Prayers for a successful surgery and full recovery to Victor, and may his family feel comforted during this stressful time.

My daughter, Brittani, is 19 years old and has just been diagnosed with Scimitar Syndrome.

She was diagnosed as a baby as having Dextrocardia and has had no health problems whatsoever. She became pregnant which ended in a miscarriage. During the D & C preop testing and chest xrays, they noticed the Scimitar. They said she needs surgery soon or she will die of heart failure by the age of 25. They also told her that the miscarriage was a blessing because her heart would not have been able to handle the stress.

She is going to see a specialist in St Louis, MO on Wednesday, 11/9/11 to get a referral to a surgeon. This has hit us really hard since we had no clue that anything was even wrong. She hasn’t had any symptoms at all.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

I have heard other examples of how an unrelated health event led to the discovery of serious health issues that may have gone undetected otherwise.  So sorry for Brittani’s loss, but grateful that her Scimitar Syndrome has been found and can be corrected. Prayers to both you and Brittani.

Our beautiful daughter Callie was adopted from China almost two months ago. She was diagnosed last week with Scimitar syndrome and we are in the process of making decisions on how best to proceed. The doctors are not in agreement at this point on whether or not to go ahead with surgery or postpone it and monitor her closely. At this point we are still uncertain as to whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Please pray for us as we make some crucial decisions within the next few weeks.

Prayers for clarity and peace as you consider options.

Read about this family’s wonderful adoption story at www.myadoptionwebsite.com/callyn, and don’t forget to sign their guestbook.

Prayers to Georgia and her family!

Like so many congenital heart defects, the prognosis for Truncus Arteriosus has improved greatly over the past 20 years.  What a blessing that we live in a time of great medical advances!  When I pray for the little patients I learn about through this website, I try to ask God to give great insight and skill to the surgeons as well.

“I have always believed in the power of prayer,” Sam writes, “and I hope that you could add us to your prayer list.”  Absolutely!  Let’s remember little Lucas and his family in these days leading up to Wednesday, August 17.

• Pray that Joshua will make it through.
• Pray that he will come out healthy and strong.
• Ask for others to pray, too.

Sending love and prayers your way!