I can reallu identify wih the anxiety of waiting, and not having questions answered and facing the unknown.

It has been my experience that our medical system shines in emergencies. While we might have problems in the system elsewhere, when it comes to emergency care Canada is the best in the world. Priotity is given to ensure there will be little or no permenant damage. In that sense I have seen some real miracles of people coming back healthy and well after the most extreme medical emergiencies

We have some of the best Children's hosdpitals in the world and I bet Toronto's is one of the best in Canada. 

My best wishes and hopes are with you. 

Indeed we do.

I hope you get your answers Chansen and that your little one is home now content in his own bed.

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives.
     Tracy Chapman

Chansen, I'm so glad you made it to such a wonderful place in time.  I hope the docs and everyone there are at the top of their game and your little guy is feeling better.  I can imagine your hearts are a bit tender today.  Sending thoughts and best wishes for fast recovery so you are all laughing again soon.

He arrested for 27 minutes, after EMS arrived.  This is serious.  He also has a growth beside his heart.  We don't know much more than that.  He stirs.  he opens his eyes, but does not yet focus.  We're hopeful, and we are not without reason to be hopeful.

Thanks for reading.

This is tough. You are in the right place. You have every reason to be hopeful.  Keep us informed. 

Oh dear...  I'm so glad you are there.  I hope that regular routine can be set aside without worry and you are surrounded with support.    I am actually not too far away either if you need something and you can wondermail me. Poor wee guy, and both of you too.  There is great potential in a litte body for healing and recovery, and let us hope in that, and in the ability of the hospital.  If that is a prayer, so be it, but the wishes and depth are the same. 

Hi chansen,

I can well imagine that it has been.  I've been there with families sitting throught the same anxiety.

I'm not going to promise not to pray.  I promise that I won't rub it in your face if I choose to pray.

I do hope that with this new day.  The physicians attending to your son begin to see answers and can open a road to recovery for your son and comfort for the whole of your family.

Indeed.  They are also the technicians who keep all the diagnostic equipment tuned precisely and stare at blood samples under microscopes for hours on end.

The unsung heroes of the medical profession.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Chansen - I'm sending you positive thoughts and mental energy and hoping that you precious baby is responding and improving.  Live is so fragile.  I am thankful that you are in the right place and receiving the best help possible. 

I am thankful for all the wonderful medical staff and support people at the hospitals and clinics, and for all the support of friends, when my daughter was so very ill.  We need to show more appreciation for them.

Thanks too for Medicare that our hospitals don't ask 'can you afford this?' before starting treatment.

Please keep us posted, as you are able.

Chansen ... my heart goes out to your son, your dear wife, and you as well.

Indeed you are at the best possible place for medical care for your son.

I will be watching your updates here and wishing all of you the very best.

Sincere hugs

Rita

Hi Chanson - not much I can say except what others here have said. Sick Kids is top notch & they do amazing work routinely.

Chansen as a mother and grandmother my heart goes out to you and your wife. I am so glad you are in one of the best hospitals and surrounded by such knowledgable people.This must be so scary for you, please forgive me, but I must pray. Hold your little one tight and never underestimate the power of your touch and love while letting the medical community do what they do best.

With much love and I will be praying for the best outcome for your son.

Waterfall

chansen,
My thoughts are with you and yours as answers are sought about your little guy.
 

Thanks all.  I'm not going to get bent out of shape about how you react to this news.  People will react differently.  If you react by praying, I have no issue with that.  I'm not that bad.

John, you are a master of knowing what to say.  You should write a book.  Other people should read it.

There is little to report.  My little guy is on a ventalator.  How much breathing he could do on his own is not known.  He still stirs at times.  He does not focus his eyes on anything, but they respond to light.  He responds to pain and cold by twisting away.  We need him to wake up.  We just need him to wake up.

I am thinking of your son, you and your wife. Thank you for feeling that Wondercafe is a place to come with your worries. The wise people here will bring you strength. Keep us posted as you can.

Chasen, the young get so sick so fast, but they also rebound quickly.  Hopefully, once this little guy gets whatever treatment he needs he'll be up and running around again in no time.

Chansen 

(((  thinking of you  )))   I'll be around today. 

Thinking of you and your family Chansen,

Glad you and your wife called for help right away.

It is serious with a cadiac arrest like that.

You are in a place of good care-your son is reponsive to pain, cold and light. Keep talking to him and being there. It's hard to just wait for him to become more aware-but that is all that can be done.

Somehow in the midst of this worry and anxiety you and your wife have to care for each other and for yourselves. Eat, sleep.

Praying that your wee one wakes up shortly.

Chansen, this really makes my heart break. We have a little kid too, and have been to the ER several times, but nothing this serious. I can just imagine how hard it is for you and your wife. I'll be thinking of you and your family, and especially the little guy. 

Chasen, hopefully you also have some family or good friends around to keep your daughter occupied right now.  Parenting one sick little one can be draining.  Don't forget to grab something to eat and drink when you get a minute.

Hi chansen,

Thanks for the compliment.

It is natural to focus on what is most troubling when presented with a list such as you have shared.

Natural, but not necessarily helpful.

Much of what you share is actually positive sign.  He could do some breathing on his own.  That is better than not breathing on his own and if he needs help that is okay.  He moves about on his own, that is a positive sign.  Not focussing on objects but his eyes still respond to light is positive.  He moves to avoid pain and cold which is a very positive sign.  Focus on those signs and watch those signs.  Hopefully each will increase from test to test.

The not being able to wake up is distressing.  It may also be his body protecting itself at this point.

I trust doctors are asking a ton of questions about where your little guy has been recently and what he has done recently.  I trust doctors have also taken medical histories of yourself and your wife asking about allergies and the like.

If they haven't then you need to be talking with them about that.  At the very least allergens or possible allergens need to be ruled out.

You didn't mention a fever.  I hope that is because there isn't one.

I offer the next bit having been a father in the hospital with tiny children.  Try to be calm.  I know the feelings of helplessness and the panic of not knowing don't make that easy.  Sick Kids is not a place any parent wants their kid to be, all the same, if your child needs medical excellence it is hard to find a hospital better.  They have skill and experience no institution should have (based only on my emotionally charged belief that children should never be so sick).

Hang in there.

Grace and peace to you.

John

chansen, my thoughts go out to you. What a scary place for you and your family. Hopefully this time of sleep and low responsiveness is just a time of recovery for your son. He is most certainly being cared for by the best of the guardian angels there are. 

Chansen,  I have just caught up on this thread, and I am thinking of you.

You mean a lot to us.  You are a part of our family.  Memories of your sharing stories, tidbits of family.  Recognition of the wise thoughtful man that you are, full of wit, and ..how you must be hurting right now.

As a teen, I spent time as a patient of Sick KIds. That was almost 40 years ago, and I know they have come far in their care since then...yet, it always was a place where their talented physicians, surgeons, chemists, lab techs, nurses, support staff and social work care could do things that no other hospital could do. 

I also had my oldest go there for testing and care....had my youngest whisked into surgery when non-responsive at another hopsital....and, sadly, spent time at a similair hospital delivering our twins and coming to the realization they not only might, but woud die.

Parenting is hard...being someone who opens your heart to hold someone so close that it breaks it to see them in pain or their health compromised is something that cannot be explained.

I wish that you were not learning that part of parenting...that dark thread of fear that can be woven into your families existence.

I hope that you have people who are good with sitting, with getting coffee...at being silent with you when need be and allowing you to rant when need be.

I hope that you are able to be with your wife...to know that you have done all that you can do...and that chaos in our world is unfair and wrong...and it happens

I hope that your daughter is in good hands, with people who are able to realize how much they help by having her, but, also, that you are able to be with her to get those hugs that children give so unabashedly.

I hope...i hope for your son that the best outcome occurs. I hope for a wild and laughable toddler to be returned to you...and i hope for him that it is the best outcome

peace, chansen.

chansen,

As John says, there are good signs present, although it is hard to see them when our heart is breaking.

In addition to his advice re: allergens and where the little guy has been and what he has done and eaten... Is there anyone who could give the house a quick once over? Doctors have to rule things in or out for diagnosis and then treatment. Just seeing something out of place could point at ingestion instead of disease or it could rule it out.

Staying calm when you are a mess is hard or impossible. Trying to do it anyways or have the facade of it, or have some level of it...can mean you listen better and one never knows when something you say or a question you ask gets the wheels of a doctor's mind turning. That does not mean always mean sitting on high alert never leaving their side, even though our heart says that is what we do. It can mean also taking a break, getting a coffee, walking around the wing. It can also mean a moment alone or a good cry someplace like a washroom or room in the hospital for such.

chansen, I hope everything is ok.  My experience with Sick Kids is limited, but they were wonderful when Rachel had dental surgery a few years ago.  I wish I could do something more, but for now I'm sending positive thoughts and mental support your way. 

i am so sorry to read of your son's illness and I hope that answers are starting to be found.  fever and dehydration can be very serious with little ones and i hope you are seeing his body simply shutting down a bit in order to heal.

my thoughts and prayers are with you and the stafrf at Sick Kids.  Couldn't be in a better place but it is a scary place too.

Chansen,

This is distressing news to wake up to on the other side of the world.

A frightening time for your immediate and extended family.

Know that you are in many people's minds and hearts  - all with hope in our hearts.

As to your "I'm not that bad"  - you are not bad at all.

There have been many times when your compassion has shown here - in fact you have played no small  part in clarifying for me that it is not what someone believes, but how they act, that is their true measure.........

OMG Chansen - what a terrifying turn of events for your family.  So grateful that you are at Sick Kids - echoing what others have written about its wonders.   And grateful too that you shared this with us - we are community through thick & thin, and richer for your presence here.   Sending lots of positive energy your way, for strength to weather the days to come, as the mystery reveals itself, and a plan evolves.  

Thinking of you and your little guy chansen and hoping he gets well very soon.

keeping the space open, Chansen.  We're thinking of you and your family, fingers crossed.

I have been thinking and hopinmg and yes praying for your boy through out the day. 

John, you're right that I may have come across too negatively.

My son focused his eyes on me today.  It was just for 10 seconds, but I got a chance to ask him to squeeze my finger and wiggle his toes.He did neither. But I saw him scan the room, and focus on me, before he closed his eyes again.  This was the first sign that he is waking up.  Every other time he opened his eyes, they were vacant and rolled back.  He has involuntary responses to pain and cold, for example, but we can't be sure that he's responding to commands.  He does seem to try to reach for the intubation tubes, which would be a voluntary action.

The tumor is in a place where the suspect it is benign.  Also good news. He is young and had top-notch CPR performed on him, so that is positive.  He's stubborn - that's in his favour.  His first phrase was "Mah DO IT!"  Now it's "I do it!"

He will have an MRI tonight or tomorrow.  Then a team of doctors will assess and plan their attack on the tumor.  He'll be sedated for the MRI, so that will be another waiting game for him to show signs of waking up.  

Sorry, I was in a rush at the hospital to type, in case something came up, and now I'm home while my wife is at Sick Kids, and I need to sleep so I can take the night shift, so all of these will soud rushed, I'm sure.  I know my son is fighting.  He fights to do things as soon or sooner than he is able.  He'll fight this.

We have family help from out of town staying with us.  Thanks to all who have offered.

chansen, I am sorry to read this about your son. How terrifying for you and your wife. I am holding you in my thoughts and sending positive energy.

Your update is positive and yet still scary, and I wish I had a magic wand (how often I have wished this!) 
Chansen, I hope you can sleep for awhile, and I'm so glad to hear you have help. I'm still around and the offer still stands. 

good luck, we'll all be hanging around, I'm sure.

chansen, the Sick Kids does excellent work. I was there more than one time as a kid.

I am praying for your son and your family at this time. As a Christian, how can I do anything less since I believe it's what's best for me to do.

Also, I am in Toronto. If there's anything I can do for you please don't hesitate to ask.

Rich blessings.

---

MC jae

That is great news.  The will to live in children and their abilityy to fight is great. It's especially good that the tumour is benign, cancer in children is usually very agressive.

The ability to recover fully after arrests is something I have seen in an adult who had been sick for years with HIV before we had treatments. This guy was in a support group of mine and his caridac arrest happened during an illness when heis immune system was depleted. Yet he lived long enough to get anti-viral treatments when they came out.

For the last 12 years he has been back at work teaching High School students, became married 2 months after it was legalised 10 years or so ago, and today is still teaching full time, and is happily married and out in a small Quebec town.

Chansen.

Please know that you and your family are in my thoughts.  We have had many dealings with Sick Kids over the years.  Your son is in good hands.

Take care of yourself.

No need to apologize Chasen!  I was hoping for an update, but wasn't expecting one.    The focusing is very good news!  Hoping for the sedation and MRI to go well.

Let me know if they tape a mustard pack to him!  That happened to me when I had one, but anyone I know who has had one didn't get one.  I think the techs were screwing with me :)

Hi chansen,

Nothing to be apologetic about.  You have a son in the hospital and are living in the midst of most every parent's nightmare.

That is a huge improvement from earlier reports.  I'm happy for all of you.

Again, there is no real need to apologize for that.  You are responding as any first rate parent would.  Get your sleep you have miles to go before you will feel comfortable doing anything so routine.  Drop us a line when you can but remember, there is nothing we want to know that can't wait for you to tell us.

Support is good, lean on it as often as it will permit.

Grace and peace to you.

John

chansen . . . most definitely caring thoughts are with you, your wife, and your son.  What a scary time these last hours must be for you, and for your family and friends.  May those whose care your son is in be kind and compassionate, wise and knowledgable, and guided into what needs to be done for him at this time.

Thanks for continuing to update here on this thread.

Hope, peace, joy, love . . .

The WC threads are eerily quiet and have been all day. When I get up in the morning I often look to see what is new on WC before heading off to work.  This is the only thread I have really paid any attention to today.  I suspect that I am not the only one.  I have anxiously waited for updates from a person whom I have never met to whom I feel an odd connection.  Such is the power of words.  Chansen,  I am sorry that your son is so ill.  It is every parent’s worst nightmare to be sure. I have no words of wisdom or personal experiences to share.  I only wish you and your wife strength and continued optimism for your son’s complete recovery. 

Thanks for the update Chansen, wishing you a restful sleep and safe driving as you and your wife take turns at the bedside...

Chansen - I keep coming back to this thread, concerned for you and yours, in hope of good news.  You do sound more hopeful in your recent post.

Know Chansen that we care about you.  You are not alone.  We've never met face to face but we've come to know you, and know how much you love your family.  We care.  I wish that I could do more.

Agreed, Chansen, no expectations of updates...though my heart rises a bit with good news...as I am sure all parents do.  We have our own experiences and so they colour our responses, or lack there of.  Know we care.  Know that we rejoice in the news that your little one focussed on you.

Practical advice.  Allow someone to be your chauffeur.  Allow others to pick you up & drop you off.  Reason:  You will be sleep deprived, your mind elsewhere.  Allow your self to be escorted for a while, it gives someone practical way to help and keeps you safe.

practical advice2:  Allow others to give your daughter toys, gifts which can be done alone, quietly or carried to others homes.  Wonderful colouring books, crayons, klutz for kids,...whatever she likes..

peace chansen, you matter to us

Chansen, Your family remain in my thoughts and prayers,

So pleased to read that there have been some positive signs........

Such wisdom pinga - especially re the driving.  Chansen - glad to hear there others supporting your family at this time.  May the night pass, and the dawn bring more illumination. 

Chansen - what a truly terrifying time for you and your family. I hope that the MRI goes (went?) well and that you are able to get some more answers from it. I also hope that the tumour is, indeed, benign. It's sounds as if your son is in the best possible place and both of your children are receiving excellent care. I wish I could do more but, for now at least, all I can do is send positive energy your way. Please know that despite our differences in belief, we care deeply for you and your family here.

I am so sorry to hear this Chansen, and so touched that all these people here care about you and your son, and that you thought to write to us about the whole thing. I too feel especially concerned for you and Mrs. Hanson. Hooray for those guardian angels. I know what a relief and comfort they are. Best Wishes man, I'll be thinking of you all.