We Needed A Miracle …

Do you believe in miracles?  Let me tell you about one.

Dr. Williams came in to talk to my WW and me.  It was late in the evening at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta in 1987.  He wanted to brief us on the surgery he would perform on our younger son the next morning.  Tyler was expected to survive the open heart surgery, but prospects for a healthy life beyond that were bleak at best.

With the uncertainty of heart surgery on a six-year-old and likely valve replacement, Dr. Williams explained, the future would include blood thinners for life, on-going appointments with specialists, additional surgeries, and much reduced activities – including sports – as Tyler matured.  We should be prepared for a significant life change for Tyler and us.

A few weeks prior, as part of relocating to Atlanta, we were changing doctors and transferring records from S.C. when we met Dr. Rastegar, a pediatric cardiologist who would perform a simple heart murmur check on Tyler with his stethoscope.  Our doctor back in S.C. had maintained since Tyler’s birth that the murmur and a tiny hole were normal and would disappear with his growth.  Dr. Rastagar’s stethoscope told him something entirely different after just one examination.  When he asked my WW and me to step into a conference room, we had palpitations of our own.

Dr. Rastegar was quickly to the point.  Tyler’s heart issue was much more than a murmur and small hole that usually closes on its own with time.  Tyler was going to need heart surgery and there was not a lot of time to waste.  With help from my new newspaper colleagues, we identified the top pediatric cardiologist surgeon in the region.

Dr. Williams’ office reviewed Tyler’s test results and records and agreed to add him as a patient.  But there was just one nerve-wracking dilemma:  the wait list for Dr. Williams’ services was 81 patients long.  We briefly considered another surgeon in Texas, but never had to make that decision.  Once Dr. Williams reviewed Tyler’s case personally, he decided Tyler should be moved to the top of his waiting list.

So, in the blink of an eye, we had moved from S.C. to Atlanta, bought a house that became our home, enrolled three children in new schools, started a new career … and then pushed the pause button.  We were in that hospital room the night before surgery with Dr. Williams and a very bleak outlook.  We needed a miracle.

It was a long night of stomach aches, tears and prayers.  It was one of those times when you hope and pray for the best but fear the worst.  The next morning was difficult, especially when Tyler was rolled away from his hospital room.  We composed ourselves and moved to the waiting room where we were astonished to find standing room only – family members, co-workers and friends were there for never-to-be-forgotten support.

We waited and waited and waited.  After nine hours, Dr. Williams emerged, shaking his head in disbelief.  His words will never be forgotten:  “You can learn something every day regardless of how many surgeries you do … your son’s heart had the largest hole I have ever seen in a child’s heart …”  Dr. Williams went on to tell us that the hole was so large that a valve had prolapsed into it, blocking the hole almost entirely and creating the perception on all past image testing that only a tiny hole existed.  All of that was wrong.  He made a decision during surgery to ease the valve back into its normal position and apply a double patch on the large hole.  And, he decided against valve replacement.  “Let’s just let nature take its course from here,” he said, “and see what happens.”

Well, many grown people cried a lot of tears of relief in that waiting room.  Little Tyler was up and walking within 72 hours.  The same six-year-old who had not gained a pound in three years added a pound a day for 12 days.  And, he also found time to encourage a little girl in the hospital room next to him.  She needed to walk after her surgery but was too scared even with her parents’ encouragement.  With Tyler’s reassurance, however, the two walked the hall together.

Tyler never needed blood thinners, did not need another surgery and went on to play baseball, basketball, football and golf.  He repeated an elementary grade after missing school while recovering from the surgery, but he made up that year by getting his college degree in three years.  He then earned a law degree, later worked for some of those same guys in his waiting room, and now is married with two beautiful daughters.  And a healthy heart.

Dr. Rastegar and Dr. Williams are heroes for sure.  But they surely had help from above on this one.

So, do you believe in miracles?  We do.