Praying for Sweet Ava

Please help Sweet Ava by saying a prayer for her continued strength and healing.. She is a 3 year old from my home town that got very sick a few weeks ago with Influenza and more she is fighting a really hard battle and could use all the prayers your willing to give..
Thank You
This Note is written by her mother


Good News/Bad News

.by Shana on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 5:48pm.Today didn't go as we planned, but we did end on a positive note with Miss Ava. Ava is still on the ECMO machine. Through the night her vitals (oxygen levels, CO2 levels, etc.) were not strong enough to take her off the machine. The drs. made the decision about 3:30 this morning and she is back fully on the machine. David and I were very disappointed, shed our tears and decide that today just wasn't her day and her day will come soon. Ava's internist presented her case to her other colleagues (some of who we have worked with on day and nights in the PICU) to seek additional input. They all suggested the things that we have been doing and that have been recommended. After the disappointment of not being off the ECMO machine the drs. wanted to do another bronchoscopy on her to see if they could loosen and suction any of the "crud" in Ava's left lung. We did that this afternoon and they were able to ride Ava of some of the material that has been sitting in her lung and there is some air in that left lung where it use to be predominately white. We were very excited to help clear some of her lung. The drs. are wanting to do that procedure every day to see what all they can rid of for her to help re-inflate the lung. The drs. are starting to get more aggressive with her treatments and one thing that they want to do is a CT scan of her. She has some swelling in her belly, they haven't seen anything of great concern via x-ray, have made some suggestions on what it is that could be causing it, but until they can get a CT scan they don't know exactly what and how to potentially fix it. Most of the time they don't do CT scans with patients on ECMO just because of the ordeal it is to have it done, but we have to determine what the issue is with Ava, so tomorrow morning Ava will be moved to radiology for the CT scan. It will take a team of people to move her because the ECMO machine, ventilator, tubes, etc., etc. etc. that have to go with her. I lost count after 15 they told me would be with her. It is very stressful for David and I just to see the 3 people it takes just to shift her in her bed, let alone what tomorrow will bring. We know that this is the best thing for her and what we need to do to help her. We are hoping to receive some positive news regarding Ava and any damage that may or may not have been done during her cardiac arrest and depleted oxygen. We are hoping and praying that the CT scan shows no major concerns or something that can be easily "fixed". She is being such a strong little fighter and we are so proud of her. We keep telling her how proud we are of her every single day! Thanks again for the all the kind thoughts, prayers, cards and messages. We feel very blessed!