Happy 8th Birthday Finnian

Wow Finn-man you are 8 years old today. You are really making the doctors scratch their heads in wonder. You know lovey you are really a miracle as they had given us really no hope you would be born alive and to think of the things that you can do its really mind blowing. On December 9th 2004 we were told something had happened and we would have to go for more scans and tests. They could see that you had a bleed in your brain and there was a blockage. So off we go and see all the doctors we had to see. You know its scary when we are told you have to see a neuro surgeon. So off we went and got the good, the bad and the ugly. He only gave us a 40% chance that you would be born alive and wanted to know if we wanted to put a DNR (do not resucitate) in place. I am sorry love but I couldn't sign those papers I had to give you a chance. You came a week early from your due date they don't know how you held out until then but you did and the best thing we heard was your little cry when you were born. So it was off to the nursery to be checked out and instead of you being sent to ICU as they thought you would need to go you got sent to the regular nursery.You did all the normal baby things and they didn't know why. We knew you had brain damage from the stroke but it didn't seem to affect you. It seemed like every time I got to hold you another round of doctors would come to get you to check you out. I was so happy when they said you would be able to come home with me as there was no reason to keep you in the hospital. One of the doctors told me to take you home and treat you like you were a normal baby and follow up with all the specialists and address any issues that might pop up. I think we ran out of the hospital with you on that Saturday afternoon after you had your MRI and came home. We followed up with the eye doc and found out you had cataracts but they weren't ready to come out so we had to wait for a few months. Followed up with neuro and the findings were yes you did have a stroke and it had caused a blockage but it looked like the fluid had found a way around and it wasn't causing pressure but we had to follow up with the neuro surgeon he agreed with the findings and we were just going to watch and see if anything happened. The seizure monster came on full force in September but knowing what I know about seizures now you had been having them since you were born. You were diagnosed with Infantile Spasms and it took awhile to get those puppies under control but we did. You were diagnose with many different things but nothing we could give a name to. We had a big party for you when you turned 2 years old because that was a milestone they said you probably wouldn't see. Then they gave you until you were 5 . We had a few scary times the scariest one was in September 2007 when you went in to seizure status and ended up in ICU on a vent. It was touch an go for a few days but you showed them that you were a fighter and pulled through. You even scared the crap out of the doctors and nurses when you dislodged the breathing tube as you shouldn't have been able to do that as they had you in a medically induced coma. You were just showing them how strong a fighter you are. You celebrated your 5th birthday something else they said you probably wouldn't see. You have had many operations and many set backs but you still come out fighting. You are proving that with the right care,love and support you are thriving. We still don't have control over your seizures and some days are scary but its your fight and we will stand in your corner and help you fight. So Happy 8th Birthday my sweet boy.