Samuel Wesley Hague

Samuel Wesley Hague was born October 14, weighing 8 lbs., 8 1/2 oz.
When Sam was born 5 weeks ago, the doctors noticed a loud murmur in his heart. It’s not uncommon. They didn’t panic. But when it didn’t go away after two weeks they sent us to the University of California San Francisco hospital to get it checked out. The doctor took an extensive echocardiogram examination of his heart and the result was disappointing, to say the least.

Sam has a condition called “Tetralogy of Fallot,” meaning he has a large hole in his heart (8 mm wide) and the main artery to his lungs is partially blocked. It’s a condition that does not correct over time. He will require open-heart surgery in his first 6 months. As far as infant heart problems go, TOF is not entirely rare, which is good. They’ve been operating on it for over 40 years with a high success rate. If all goes well, Sam will have the surgery in the next 6 months and it will be the only one he will require. He should go on to live normally, although he will have to see cardiologists for the rest of his life.
Since the initial diagnosis, he has had weekly doctor's visits (1 again in San Francisco) and a 5 hour trip to get special prayer.

Sam is doing really well. His oxygen levels are perfect, and he is gaining weight and strength like any other baby. The cardiologist was pleased enough to decrease the cardiologist appointments to once a month in Santa Rosa (instead of San Francisco... thank GOD!) Still, we have to keep him healthy, which means he stays at home with Sara away from the crowds.

So what now? We are staying here in Mendocino, moving into a larger cabin where it should be easier to stay healthy. And besides that, all we can do is wait for Sam to get big enough for surgery (the longer the better, up to around 5 months) or better yet, for him to be healed. How cool would that be?

It's great to live in a day where we can see this type of thing coming before it turns fatal. What an awesome age! We're thankful for doctors, and hopeful that God just might see fit to fix our boy before the they have to fix him with a knife. Please keep praying with us in that way.

Blessings on you all,

Jason & Sara