Submitted by:
Jocelyn Beehler
The pancake breakfast fundraiser was a great success. Thank you so much to the CBFCS School Board and parents for organizing this fundraiser.
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It is so wonderful to see a community come together to support its own in this difficult time.
There were many hands that contributed to making it happen. We would especially like to thank our sponsors: Parrish and Heimbecker, Bowsman Lions Club, Bordian Contracting, Northern Redi-Mix, Swan Valley Co-op, Extra Foods and Formo Motors.
Raiden’s Story
3 weeks before Raiden’s birth, we found out that he had a heart defect. The defect is called truncus, arteriosus. He was very small as my placenta was not working property. The nutrition that Radien was getting was going to his brain, but his body wasn’t getting much and he was starving. Due to this, Raiden was born 3 weeks early on May 24th in Regina, Sk. He was 3lbs 8ozs and 40cm long. He developed hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) at 12 hrs of age.
At 1 week old, May 31st Raiden went for his first plane ride to Edmonton, AB. He was transferred to the Stollery Children’s hospital for heart surgery. At only 15 days old, and under 4lbs, Raiden had his heart surgery done. It took 4.5 hrs, but his heart was only stopped for 15 minutes as DR Rebecca repaired it. He had a hole in his heart as well as he was missing a conduit (vain and valve inside of his heart). Raiden was blessed with a donor conduit to repair his heart. While Raiden was hospitalized in Edmonton, he was diagnosed with neonatal diabetes (type 1). This can occur in about 1 in every 400,000 births. Raiden’s pancreas does make some insulin (not enough), but doesn’t make enzymes that he needs to absorb his nutrition.
Raiden was transferred to the Children’s hospital in Winnipeg on June 22nd. Due to his diabetes, he needed to put on weight so that we could start giving him insulin injections. While in Winnipeg, Raiden had a build-up of fluid beside his left lung. The doctors did a tap ( a long needle is inserted and fluid is taken out), but when this was done they hit a main artery and he had blood collecting in his chest, about 2 to 3 hrs later Raiden suffered cardiac arrest. He received 3 minutes of chest compressions and was stabilized. He was then transferred back to Edmonton for evaluation on his heart.
Back in Edmonton we found out that Raiden had chyothorax, a complication that can occur during heart surgery. He was treated with a special diet. He had a double hernia repair done on Sept 9th and we were transferred back to Children’s hospital in Winnipeg on Sept 18th. Raiden started insulin injections, and we finally were able to take our baby boy Raiden home for the first time on Sept 28th, when he was 4 months and 4 days old.
We thank the Lord every day for blessing our family with our little boy Raiden, and giving him the strength to heal and grow. It is truly a miracle that he is here with us today!! Raiden will continue to have medical appointments every 3 to 4 months for his diabetes and his heart, and will continue to have heart surgeries done. The next one will be when he is 15 kgs or so, as he will need the conduit replaced in his heart, because he will out-grow it. Raiden is now 5.5 months old, he is 10lbs 6ozs and is doing great. He is a very happy, little boy.
Our family would like to thank everyone near and far for all the support that was given to our family during this very difficult time, is greatly appreciated.
Jayme, Joseph, Morgen (Gr.7), Trinidy (Gr.6), Corbin (Gr.3), Kitana (Gr.1) and Raiden (5 mths)