Ollie Strong

Tonight I am dedicating my post to our good friends here, Ashley and Trevor Halligan, and their beautiful son, Oliver Robert Halligan. Oliver was born on November 11, 2013. At 18 hours old, he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR). With TAPVR, the veins that are supposed to circulate the oxygenated blood from his lungs to his heart were not going back to his heart. Instead, they were coming together and going through Oliver’s diaphragm and emptying into his liver.

Oliver has been at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC since the day after he was born. During this time he has undergone two open heart surgeries, two cardiac arrests, seizures, kidney failure and a PD catheter surgery. On Friday Ollie stopped breathing again and had to be reintubated. After some tests and a CT scan showed that he was having undisclosed seizures and has significant bleeding on the right side of his brain, as well as some on the left. His brain is still pretty swollen and early this week he will receive an MRI to get a better look at the brain activity.

I remember first meeting Ashley in the CICU in November. Matt and I were going through some pretty tough times then, as was she, but she was so full of positivity and life (and still is!) Trying to stay upbeat and positive when your child is fighting for their life is the hardest thing to do. But, I admire her strength and it truly helped me through my dark days. One foot in front of the next. Scared what each hour may bring. This is just not a fair world, but Ashley and I have had many talks and we both agree...we as parents can only do so much. Some days you just close your eyes, cross your fingers and toes, hold on to your rosary or good luck charm and PRAY you wake up in the morning and start the day with good news. I have had many nights like this and it pains me that tonight her and Trevor are having to have yet another night like this.

So, I ask all of you to please say prayers for dear Ollie tonight, and pray for some peace for Ashley and Trevor. The fight is never over. I hope tomorrow morning is a fresh start for Ollie and new road to recovery. This little man deserves it and so do his mom and dad!

#olliestrong
#nhos