A Brief History

When Jack was a baby he seemed to have one horrible cold after the next.  After being told that I was over reacting by Dr. Brown, I took Jack to Dr. Cindy Hartz.  She immediately sent me to Columbia with Jack.  After a day of tests, it was determined that Jack had a collapsed lung, double ear infection, one had perferated and an eye infection.  Dr.  Lynne Quittell sent us home.  She asked me to bring him back for one more test.  A Sweat test given to determine if your child has Cystic Fibrosis.  She told me not to read about it on the internet, she did not think he had it.  Being the good catholic girl I am, I listened.  So when test came back positive and I was sitting in her office and she said.. "many kids live to their 18th birthday'.  I was heartbroken...  I had no idea it was fatal.

Now in the past decade, because of a wonderful organization so much progress has been made with Cystic Fibrosis.  Jack's main struggle has been his Pancreas.  This all started when Jack was six.  Suffering from what seemed to be a horrible stomach ache and told he probably just had gas by a local doctor, we took Jack to Columbia.  He had Pancreatitis.  Usually Alcoholics get this, as the consumption of too much alcohol leads to blockage and Pancreatitis.  We are not sure what causes Jacks.

After weeks in the hospital, many IVs, we could not get a handle on it.  Dr. Chabot a friend and neighbor is head of surgery at Columbia, his collegue Dr. Stevens did a surgery on Jack.  When he came he told me that he had never seen this in a child.  Jack had lots of damage to his pancreas because he had many episodes of pancreatitis.  I got jack settled into his room, back to the girls and burst into tears..

It took weeks and a provac port to get Jack home and we started down this path trying to figure out Jack's pancreas.   Through it all Jack has shown so much courage and hope and a love for life.  I admire him more than anyone I have ever met.  I have learned from Jack that this life is a gift and to live it.

So if you take away anything from this blog, make your life count, hold your children close but let them live.