Biopsy 6 tomorrow & Mason's Native Heart

(Kaitlin and Mason when we visited the beautiful

Stanford campus 2 weeks ago with our family)

*** TOMORROW MASON HAS HIS 6TH BIOPSY. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT BIOPSY. THIS WILL BE THE MAJOR DECIDING FACTOR ON HOW SOON WE GET TO GO HOME TO UTAH!!! PLEASE JOIN OUR FAMILY IN PRAYER THAT MASON'S RESULTS WILL BE A "ZERO" (FOR ZERO REJECTION)! WE FEEL SO BLESSED THAT MASON HAS A HEALTHY NEW HEART AND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO ISSUES W/ HIS LEFT LUNG WHICH IS AFFECTED BY PULMONARY VEIN STENOSIS! WE FEEL SO BLESSED THAT HE IS DOING AS WELL AS HE IS, ONLY 12 WEEKS POST TRANSPLANT! AND NOW WE WANT TO REUNITE BACK HOME WITH OUR FAMILY AGAIN......HOPEFULLY SOON!!!!

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Mason's Native Heart

While our whole family was here (2 weeks ago), we had the

opportunity to see Mason's native (born with) heart. We met

with the pathologist who had dissected and ran lab work on

Mason's very sick heart post the transplantation of his new

healthy angel heart. It of course was not pink/red any longer,

and didn't look like what you imagine a heart would look like

but.....it truly was Mason's heart. It seemed very surreal.

Here is the a dissected view. On the bottom left is where

Mason's left ventricle was very under developed.

Usually your heart should be about the size of your fist.

Mason's heart was so sick that his heart was very enlarged

and swollen. His heart was about the size of Kaitlin's fist.

Thus, it was the size of an 11 year old's heart not that of a

2 year old! Who did it fit?! No wonder he didn't feel well!

As soon as the pathologist pulled out the blue gloves

for all of us to put on, prior to seeing the heart, Mason

began to completely freak out! Poor little man thought

we were all going to give him "owies". Blue gloves to him

mean blood draw or some kind of "owie"! He was so

upset that I finally took him out and missed holding or

even touching his native heart myself. Little stinker!!

Preston, Kailtin, and Braiden teach got to hold Mason's

old heart. They were very fascinated! You might say

it was a very "hands on" science lesson!! Mark(Daddy), and

Sammi (nanny) also held Mason's heart, but Mason, Ammon and I

left to go for a little walk so they could hear what the Pathologist

was saying. What an awesome "once in a lifetime" experience!!!

*** I will post hopefully by Wednesday night with Biopsy 6 results. Also, just to keep you updated with our mailing address, we are returning back to the Ronald McDonald House this week. A big THANK YOU to the Brand family for allowing Mason and I to stay in their Mother In-law apartment since March. You have been more than wonderful to us!!!

% Mason Strickland

Ronald McDonald House at Stanford
520 Sand Hill Road,

Palo Alto, CA 94304-2001