Pray for Elliot Hughes

Josh & Angie Hughes -- the son of Buddy & Jan Hughes (Hope Bible Chapel, Birmingham, AL) and Randy & Nina Horn's daughter (Northside Bible Chapel, Kechi, KS) -- had a baby boy at 5:30 PM Wednesday, October 31st. His name is Elliot and he weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. A beautiful baby boy. Tests revealed that he has a number of problems.

Elliot has esophageal atresia (EA). This is when the esophagus fails to develop as a continuous passage. Instead, it ends as a blind pouch unconnected to the stomach. Elliot was transported to Children's Hospital in Birmingham for surgery. The surgery attempted to attach the esophagus to the stomach, but it was too large of a gap. Elliot also has a fistula (an abnormal passage or connection between two parts of the body) connecting the stomach to the trachea. His fistula connected where the trachea bifurcates, which is unusual. This caused added difficulty to the procedure that removed the fistula from the trachea and closed the hole left in the trachea.

With the Lord guiding the hands and minds of the doctors and nurses, the operation was successful. They also placed a feeding tube into his stomach so that he can be fed his mother's milk directly into the stomach. He is in the NICU unit on a ventilator to help him breath temporarily and to allow the incision to heal. He will now be allowed to "grow" for six weeks until they feel the esophagus is long enough to attach. Right now it isn't known when or if he will go home between the two surgeries. He's doing very well.

Things to pray for:
1. His left lung: There is some concern that the left upper lobe may be collapsed. It seems to be doing better, but if it is collapsed, there is a higher risk for pneumonia.
2. His heart: He does have a small hole in his heart, a ventricular septum defect (VSD). The ventricular septum is the wall between the left and right ventricles (lower chambers) of the heart. A hole in the ventricular septum is called a VSD. It's not life threatening at this time, but could cause major problems if not addressed in the future.
3. His left hand: There is something different with the thumb.
4. His left kidney: It's not draining as well as expected, but the doctors say this is the least of their concerns. He is voiding well.
5. Blood vessels around the trachea: The doctors think that he may have a vascular "ring" around the trachea which will have to be re-routed to prevent major complications.
6. Infection: It's always a concern after any surgical procedure. There are no signs of any infection to date.
7. Bleeding: This is another post-surgical concern. There are no signs of any bleeding so far.
8. Josh & Angie: God is gracious and holding them closely as they trust Him with their little one.
9. Randy & Nina: They are in Birmingham, a long way from Kansas.
10. Buddy & Jan and all the boys and girls. Joe & Sandy's wedding is scheduled for Dec. 15, near the time of the next surgery.
Please pray for healing and strength for Elliot's little body. And for strength, encouragement, wisdom, and knowledge for Josh & Angie.