LOGAN is Why! Hello, my name is Gabrielle, Logan's mother. At 20 weeks I had just found out that I was going to have a baby boy and my
husband, and I were ecstatic. The nurse finished up the ultrasound and walked us back to my doctor’s office so that he could go over the findings. He went over the ultrasound, confirmed the gender, and
told us he would like for us to go for a follow up appointment at UVA just to be sure everything was as he seen. I paid no mind and just thought it was routine seeing as this was my first pregnancy. The day of
the follow up in Charlottesville we were escorted back to a similar ultrasound room as before but only this time it was for an echocardiogram. They wanted to take closer look of Logan’s heart structure and function. I began to get a little nervous at this point. Once all the pictures were taken, we were escorted to another meeting room only this time it was more of a round table reminded me of being in a
kindergarten classroom for reading time. The doctor came in expressed to us that Logan had Hyperplastic Left Heart Syndrome and immediately after those words left her lips my hearing went out. I
had just graduated from Respiratory Therapy School, and I knew exactly what this meant. It meant there was a very low chance of survival. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. How? Why? Nothing made since.
We literally just agreed on a name and now you’re telling me to decide on whether to carry to full term.
One thing I did know was that I wasn’t God and that he would decide on whether to take Logan or not. Over the next 5 months worry was an understatement. Numerous appointments and countless test. We
scheduled an induction. My husband and I traveled to Charlottesville got all sent up and ready to have our sweet boy. In the beginning of labor, the nurses couldn’t find Logan’s heartbeat and began to try
and resuscitate him by pumping me with fluids. At that point they told me that I would have to have and emergency c-section. I was afraid but I knew God was with us and I had to for Logan.
I was wheeled down at 3 am and on 3/16/17 at 3:30 am I heard a small cry. They walked him around the curtain and there I saw the most beautiful big brown eyes. He was gorgeous. He was taken to the NICU of course and I was taken to recovery. I was exhausted and not even sure what time or day it was, but they came in and told me he need to have an emergency surgery he had too much fluid building up.
Only Gods strength got me up and wheeled down to see and hold my sweet boy for the first time. He was attached to everything it seemed several nurses had to come to help move and hold attachments so that I could hold him. I kissed my sweet boy and gave him to God. Six hours later he pulled through strong. On the fourth day we were able to get checked in the Ronald McDonald’s house which is free housing for families with loved ones at the UVA hospital. Of course, we got no sleep but first thing we were back at the hospital.
Logan’s doctor came in and asked us to come back around 2 pm because he would have all the staff there to go over Logan’s care and next steps. We did just that and at 2 pm we were at another table with
hospital staff surrounding us to go over everything. I felt so hopeful. I had been doing research and found there is a chance of survival. The doctor began to speak and told us that there was nothing else
that they could do for Logan and that they called numerous hospitals and they confirmed the same.
There again my hearing was gone, and I was speechless. What were we supposed to do now. We called our family and began to prepare to say goodbye. At about 7pm we gave the ok and nurses unplugged
my sweet boy and placed him into my arms. With our family surrounding, my sweet Logan was slipping away from my arms to now rest in the arms of our heavenly father. My little man held on and about 8 pm the nurse checked him the final time and said he was gone. I was given the honor to carry and deliver an angel named Logan.
