Open-hearted Burke

Our sweet little Burke Tyler. What more can we say? He is such a blessing in our lives and everyone who knows or who has seen him. He was born into this world with an open heart and obviously willing to come here as part of Heavenly Father's plan. He is so perfect and we are grateful for him every second of everyday. Burke has congenital heart disease and has what is referred to as double outlet right ventricle, ventricular septial defect, pulmonary atresia, and hypoplastic but confluent pulmonary arteries. Translation: His Aorta (the artery that carries blood from the heart to the body) is on the same side as the Pulmonary artery (the artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs). The Pulmonary and Aorta should be on their own respective sides of the heart. His Pulmonary artery is 1/3 the diameter it should be and the septum (wall) which separates the right and left ventricles (the lower 2 chambers of the heart) is only partially there.

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Burke's story began on August 21, 2007 when he was born. He was born with 55% oxygen saturation levels and the nurses immediately figured something was wrong when he was not responding to oxygen and would not "pink up" very easily. They wanted to run tests and told us there was either a problem with his lungs or his heart - hopfully nothing major but that they needed to do some precautionary tests. He was in our room for about an hour before they took him to the NICU at St. Luke's hospital in Boise, Idaho. From there we just waited to hear what was going on and we eventually were taken down to see him. It was then and there in the NICU listening to the cardiologists and doctors that we found out Burke had a pretty rare heart defect and would need to be transported to either Portland or to Salt Lake's Primary Children's Medical Center. We instantly chose Primary's. Burke and Tyler were flown down to Primary's the night he was born. I was not able to travel from just having given birth, so first thing the next morning I was discharged from the hospital and went straight home to pack and then drive to Utah with my parents.

As soon as I arrived one of the first story's Tyler told me was when they first arrived Burke was given a teddy bear and that night he held it and cuddled with it. From there Burke had multiple tests done on his heart and the Surgeons and Cardiologists at PCMC officially diagnosed Burke's disease. He looked so peaceful, yet so helpless laying on the hospital bed waiting his fate.

The rash looking discoloration on his face is a reaction to some medication used to keep everything in the heart and arteries open until the sugeons could get inside to take a look.