At a most inconvenient and improbable time in our lives, the ultrasound confirmed that there was a new, little person within my wife, Dana.  We made the event a family affair and our two girls giggled as the technician told them they would soon have a baby brother.  But after a few minutes, the room grew eerily silent.  There was something wrong.  “It’s probably nothing,” the technician said uneasily.  I hurriedly ushered our two girls out as Dana underwent further testing.

A couple of anxious weeks later, a doctor confirmed our fears.  Our son-to-be would have serious heart complications and would likely be born blue.  He would require open-heart surgery.  Worse, there could be further complications to other organs that could not yet be known.   “Should you decide to terminate the fetus….” the doctor continued as our hearts sank. 

Dana and I fought back tears as we left the doctor’s office.  We believed in our hearts that God had a plan for all this.  But we knew the road ahead would likely be extremely difficult. 

We prayed each night for a supernatural miracle.  We prayed that Trevor would be all right, that God would somehow fix this before he was born.   Our wonderful extended family, friends, neighbors and church groups prayed for our son as well.     

But in late May, Trevor James Muth was born gray on his way to blue as he was quickly whisked away by a proficient team at Magee en route to Children’s Hospital.  A balloon was soon inserted into Trevor’s heart to buy him a few days so his body could get some oxygen while doctors further determined what the next steps would be.

The cardiac intensive care unit at Children’s was fabulous.  Doctors and nurses alike worked non-stop as they treated us with the utmost respect, compassion and encouragement.  Trevor stabilized and was able to get 70% of a normal person’s oxygen supply.   They told us if we could take Trevor home with his temporary fix and if he could gain some weight, he’d have a better chance of surviving his future surgery. 

It appeared that the best-case scenario for Trevor’s future was an open-heart procedure that would give him a 50% chance of living to the age of 20.  He’d have numerous open-heart procedures in his life and he’d also have limitations on what he could physically do.  While that was not easy to accept, it was impossible not to be moved and encouraged by the courageous little wounded warriors that were in the rooms, the hallways and the elevators of Children’s Hospital.  Despite their difficult situations, the light of hope that shone in their eyes was a beacon that transcended their physical problems. 

Cardiac kids often have a hard time keeping weight on and during the first week home, Trevor began losing weight.  Shortly thereafter, at our next cardiologist visit, we learned that Trevor’s heart was getting enlarged and his lungs were filling with fluid.  It appeared a decision on his surgery would have to be made soon as Trevor was nearing congestive heart failure.   

Trevor was given medication to try to clear the fluid.  Unfortunately, he began to lose more weight.  We did our best to continue to feed Trevor round the clock but at times it seemed like he was just barely hanging in there getting exhausted after only a few sucks on the nipple.  It was very discouraging.

One morning Dana decided we had better take Trevor to our new pediatrician immediately as he didn’t look well.  The pediatrician determined that Trevor was becoming dehydrated from his medication.  She and the cardiologist altered Trevor’s medication.  But more importantly, she took a personal interest.  She told us that she would keep Trevor in her prayers.  And she wanted us to bring Trevor back to the office every other day for evaluation. 

Soon, Trevor took a sudden turn for the better.  We rejoiced when Trevor put on just an ounce or two.  The pediatrician hung in there with us as she continued to watch his steady progress.  

Our next cardiac visit revealed that Trevor’s heart had been reduced back to normal size and his lungs were clear of fluid.  The cardiologist indicated this progress was astounding and that his surgery could be put off. 

The following visits to Children’s Hospital began to reveal that Trevor was almost growing normally as he was now adding pounds instead of ounces.  And best of all, he was developing an ever-present smile.  The Cardiologist told us that Trevor was “amazing” as he never expected what he was seeing.  He said that if Trevor could somehow make it to six months the way he was, it would be the optimal time to perform surgery.

All we could do was hope & pray, love and encourage our son as Trevor grew closer to six months of age.  A month before Trevor’s scheduled six month surgery we received an expected call from Trevor’s Cardiologist with unexpected news.  A new heart surgeon had just come to Children’s Hospital with an innovative operation for precisely Trevor’s series of conditions.  This new kind of open-heart surgery had risks but it would make Trevor’s anatomy almost normal.  If it worked, Trevor might not need any additional surgeries and he might not have any physical restrictions.  Trevor would be the first in Pittsburgh to ever have this surgery performed.  We were stunned.  Was this the miracle we had been praying for?    

Our toughest moment in life was handing our smiling son to the anesthesiologist on the day of his operation.  But our greatest moment in life came eight tortuous hours later as Trevor’s heroic weary surgeon told us it was all good.  A flood of emotions overcame us. 

That was three weeks ago.  Yesterday Trevor’s cardiologist told him that he looked “super” and he didn’t have to come back for six months.  His color is pink for the first time.  His feet are no longer purple.  At six months old, he’s now 19 lbs, a virtual hulk for a cardio kid.  And his ever-present smile has grown even broader.  There are no words to express our gratefulness to God, family, friends and the remarkable people at Children’s Hospital for giving us our Christmas miracle. 

While our story appears to have a happy ending, Dana and I know that our mission has only begun.  We know there are many other children and parents who need our prayers, encouragement and support.  In some way we hope to help make other Christmas miracles happen too. 

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