Team Travis: Strength

Friday, May 13, 2011

Strength

My sweet friend Laura said it best ‎"If you wanna label something as "strong" in this hell....it is the energy it takes to play normal life, the energy it takes to hold in everything until you are in the right place and time... that takes so much energy (and it slowly kills you as it waits for your attention)."

3 comments:

AnonymousMay 14, 2011 at 10:19 PM
No one should ever HAVE to be that strong. I am sorry that I cant take your pain away but please know my family is lifting your family in prayer. Just remember your lil man would not want his mommy and daddy to suffer. He knows how much you love him so. Peace and Love be with you.
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AnonymousMay 18, 2011 at 9:27 AM
So true..... Strength does not come from joy but from soul wrenching loss, it is the weight of grief that never gets lighter no matter how much time passes, this weight u have to carry and it gets heavier and you have no choice but to carry it which makes you appear "stronger" on the outside as your soul slowly dies trying to gasp for air.

To you sweet warrior parents, I know a link in your family chain is gone,leaving you forever broken and I know your soul is dying as you try to appear normal and give your child that is with you a "normal" life. I still dont understand whythis happens to such good people and I am so deeply sorry for your loss. I hope you know the lords love which is hard to remember while you are living in "hell". I pray that you find moments of peace where you know HE will make your family whole again just as he has made your lil precious angel whole. Prayers to you and yours. Alexa
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JenniferMay 18, 2011 at 2:05 PM
As someone once told me as we journeyed down a similar path as yours, "When you're going through hell...keep going." My heart has ached for you since I came across your blog. I have thought of you and your sweet boy constantly and have shed tears in his honor. I am so sorry that you are going through this. I am so sorry that Travis is gone. He seemed like such a joy. I wish that I could give you a big hug and express how sorry that I am. Just know that prayers are being lifted to give you strength.
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Travis Gary DiCarlo

Travis Gary DiCarlo, first son of Roger and Nicole DiCarlo, was born at San Diego Kaiser Hospital, October 23, 2009 with a Congenital Heart Defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or HLHS. The short explanation is that Travis was born with only half of a heart. In order for him to live, a series of three operations were planned.

Due to an infection, Travis had to have an additional open heart surgery to insert pulmonary artery bands on October 29, 2009. He had his Norwood Surgery on November 21, 2009. He was sent home on December 14, 2009 from Rady's Children Hospital of San Diego after spending his first 52 nights of life in the hospital.

After being home for several months, Travis was due to for his next surgery in the plan, the Glenn procedure. But the life of a cardiac kid can change in an instant and life doesn't always go as planned. Due to the anatomy of his heart and some rhythm issues, Travis had what the surgeons called Norwood part 2. They replaced his Sano Shunt with a bigger one, enlarged his pulmonary arteries and installed a pacemaker. This surgery was performed on May 3, 2010. Travis went home on May 17th, 2010.

Around Travis' first birthday in October his cardiologist detected some narrowing in his pulmonary artery and ordered a heart cath. The heart cath showed extensive narrowing in his aorta and his pulmonary artery. On February 17, 2011 Travis had his 4th open heart surgery. He was doing well with recovery until he suddenly went into cardiac arrest on Friday (2/18). After two hours of CPR Travis was placed on ECMO (a heart/lung bypass). Although his heart did begin to beat again on its own, his brain was damaged during the whole ordeal and he lost all brain function. We had to say goodbye to our beautiful boy on Saturday, February 19th. We miss our boy terribly.....