Mason will be admitted to University of MD Pediatric Floor this afternoon for a suspected line infection. He has been showing all of the same symptoms as last time with intermittent normal and low grade temps. Although the nurse came out last night and drew a line culture, Mason's team feels that he probably is brewing another infection and feels that it would be best to have him admitted to the hospital. I will update everyone when we can breathe.

Just a reminder that Mason's first birthday celebration and first fundraising event will be held tomorrow.  Details can be found under the "Activities and Events" tab.  The events is PUBLIC from 4-6pm, so everyone is welcome!  We hope that everyone will come out and show their support!

We celebrated Mason's first birthday on Saturday.  We have received some wonderful blessings during this past year, and had many things to celebrate!  I can't believe he is already a year old; where does the time go? 

I sit and think quietly while Mason and my husband both peacefully nap. I know that one day my little boy will ask, "What are the scars on my belly?", keeping in mind that although he will be curious about it at a very young age, he will not be mature enough to fully understand a detailed explanation until he is much older. I will likely spend a few years comparing his scars to a nursery rhyme, telling Mason that he had to be put back together just like Humpty Dumpty. That will only satisfy his curiosity for so long, and I know that one day I will be expected to produce a much more serious, matter-of-fact answer.

For the past few weeks, we have watched Mason's weekly lab results slowly begin to deteriorate.  The TPN, which he is now on 24 hours a day, causes damage to the liver.  One of the things that they can do in an attempt to decrease the damage is to "cycle" the TPN.  This means that he would only be hooked up to it for 16-20 hours per day, giving his liver a few hours to recuperate from the assault of the TPN in between cycles.  Mason was discharged from the NICU with his therapy cycled over 16 hours, which is where it remained until about June.  Unfortunately, the TPN was damaging his liver enough to effect its ability to maintain his blood sugar.  Soon our 16 hour cycle went to 18, and eventually 20 hours.  But we continued to see a decline in his liver enzymes as well as his ability to maintain his blood sugar.  Around the same time, the doctors thought it was time to test his system with an increase in his

I am sure that not knowing what this central line business is all about, many people wonder why there is such a risk for infection if the line is being taken care of properly. There have been several people who do not come right out and say it, but we know that they are insinuating that we are doing something wrong for Mason to get an infection. For people who are not educated about a central line or Mason's condition, this assumption is fairly legitimate. To wonder about this question is one thing, to actually hint around about it to us is just plain rude and inconsiderate! It still amazes me that complete strangers can be so supportive in a situation like this while others look for someone to blame for everything that they cannot make sense of. In children with Mason's condition line infections are inevitable, whether there is a registered nurse caring for him, a doctor, or just mom and dad.

As the parents of a child with such complex medical needs, unexpected and frequent admissions to the hospital are inevitable. We had, however, been fortunate enough to dodge this bullet since April. I was just thinking at the beginning of the month that we had been home this time for quite awhile without Mason needing to be hospitalized for one reason or another. I guess I jinxed us because Mason started running a temperature on August 7th and was admitted to the University of Maryland Pediatric Floor later that night.

Help us raise money for COTA for Mason! 

We need volunteers to do all sorts of things! Here is just a short list:  wash cars, hand out food, sell tickets, work a yard sale, donate to a yard sale, ask businesses for donations for a silent auction and Basket Bingo, sit at tables at fairs and malls to collect donations and pass out bracelets. 

Maybe you don't want to be too involved? How about attending a spaghetti dinner, or basket bingo, or the Atlantic City Bus trip, or going to the restaurant that is donating a portion of the evenings sales to COTA for Mason?  That's still a great help!

Are you willing to help Mason's family through this experience?  Please say yes and contact Michelle at 410-871-3047.  Thanks!