Dateline: Nov 3,1972 Ephrata, Grant Count, Wa
time - 5:03a.m. I arrived at Columbia Basin Hospital to my Dad and my Mom.
At the age of three months the local Doctors discovered the baby was not gaining weight or progressing in a normal manor. Parent and Child were refered to Wenatchee Valley Clinic. Where it was discovered, after a quick exam and x-ray, that the child's heart was enlarged, and therefore account for the child's inability to gain weight; (the food that was taken in the body was utilized mainly by the heart).
The Child was prescribed digitalis four times a day. The child continued the medicien until the age of eighteen months. Then the child was refered to CHILDREN'S ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL, Seattle, Washington for further evaluation.
After serveral hours of testing, the Doctors' team concluded that the child was suffering from a Ventricular Septal Defect, which is a hole in the ventricuular septum, causing blood to flow from the left ventricle to the right and into the lungs; (many children suffer this defect at birth), but had not closed in his case. It was decided that the child was still underweight and would continue Digitals medicine until the child had gained sufficent weight.
In the fall of 1974 at the age of 2 and half it was ascertain that that child was ready for surgical proceedor to close the holein the left ventricle, as the child had gained sufficient weight. A day beforesurgrey, a Catherazition verified the hole in the heart had not closed on its own.
The Heart Operation took Approximately 6Hrs, and they patched the Heart with skin from his own heart. After the operation, child spent about fourteen days in recovery before he could come home. He was released the following day at noon.
In conclusion, after the first three rough years here stands before you a eighteen year old senior ready to gradute from High School and to began a new life.
