On April 27th, 2007 my nephew, Wyatt was born. He was my first and only nephew, and I was very excited about becoming an Auntie. I had many plans for this little man- the things we would do, places we would go, and the rotten things I would teach him to make his Mummy, my sister, crazy. It immediately became evident when he was born, that something was very wrong. This was the moment that my entire life was changed.
Wyatt was soon diagnosed with several very severe and rare Congenital Heart Defects, as well as DiGeorge Syndrome. Even then, I don’t think we realized how sick he was. I had heard of Congenital Heart Defects (Or CHD’s) before Wyatt was born, as when I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I was told that she had heart problems, amongst other things, and we prepared for the worst, though they couldn’t provide us with details because I was too far along for them to get a great look. I did some research and got very scared, and then was blessed with a very healthy little girl. She did have an ASD (atrial septal defect, or more commonly known as a hole in the heart) but thankfully for us, it closed on its own, just before her first birthday-no surgery required.
Wyatt on the other hand, after a pregnancy that was entirely normal and in which everything looked great, went through 5 open heart surgeries, 3 cardiac catheterizations, had a tracheotomy, was entirely GJ tube fed, amongst countless other procedures. Despite the fact that he spent all but 3 months of his life at SickKids, he managed to teach me so much about life, love, strength, courage, bravery and determination in his 2 short years than anyone or anything else in my life. It never occurred to us that Wyatt would not live to be an adult.
Throughout Wyatt’s journey I met many other “heart families” going through similar battles, all because of CHD’s, and it suddenly occurred to me that it was very wrong that here were all these people stumbling through this, yet there was no awareness of it. I had searched and searched for information and found little. I searched for support groups, there were many in other countries, but not here. I searched for opportunities to help fund research etc, but again, nothing here. I learned how many things were not covered by OHIP, and how much it cost to live in the hospital for months. Again, there was no support for this. I found the statistics for CHD’s, and was stunned. I decided this needed to change. I started holding events in hopes of raising awareness of this deadly disease, and raising money for the amazing people and place that took care of Wyatt.
Thus Wyatt’s Warriors were born.
Wyatt lost his fight on May 16th 2009, but my fight continues on. My last words to Wyatt the day he passed away, were my promise to continue fighting for him, for his friends, and to never ever let his memory die. I promised him his life had more purpose than most who live an entire lifetime, and that I would make sure everyone knew it. I promised him that we would make him proud.
When I am not raising awareness, planning, organizing or hosting events for Wyatt’s Warriors, I am busy at work and being a Mum of 3.
Thank you for helping us achieve our mission of one day no child losing their life, and no parent their child, because of a CHD.
This is my tribute to Wyatt –Wyatt’s legacy, if you will.
Thank you for believing in Wyatt and his Warriors.
