Meet Leo

Leo Daniel was born on July 9th 2008. It was suspected (by ultrasound) that he would have Down syndrome but we didn't know for sure until he was born. This was confirmed within a week by blood test. The day after his birth, he was confirmed to have 3 heart defects but we were told they weren't very serious and that he would probably not require surgery. A few months later it was determined that he was developing pulmonary hypertension and they would have to fix his VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect, hole in heart). Leo also has hypothyroidism and takes medication daily to regulate his thyroid. Incidentally to the heart issues, it was noted on one of the chest xrays that something appeared wrong with his bowel and upon further investigation they determined he had a large segmental dilatation of the bowel (basically a congenital defect). They thought it might be Hirschsprung's Disease but the biopsy was negative for that. He had surgery in March to remove that section of his bowel and he currently has a colostomy. They then did the repair to his heart in April. We anticipate the reversal of the colostomy in August, if all goes well. He's an easygoing little guy and while he keeps us busy with his various therapies and medical issues, he is a delight in our family.