Our son, Koltin, was born on March 3, weighing 7 lb, 7 oz. A week later he dropped in weight to 6 lb, 4 oz and after hearing a murmur in his heart, the pediatrician recommended we take him to see a Cardiologist. At Koltin’s first Cardiologist appointment, at three weeks of age, he was diagnosed with Peripheral Pulmonic Stenosis (PPS). . . which meant that his arteries that took the blood from the right side of his heart to his lungs were narrowing. His doctor also told us that it appears he also has Williams Syndrome, but it was too early to tell at his age. We were told that the condition could have several different effects to watch for: his lips, hands and/or feet could turn blue, even to the point that if he cries too long, and his heart races too fast, it could actually reverse the blood flow of his heart and cause him to stop breathing. Here we are, brand new parents, and we have to make sure that our three-week-old baby boy doesn’t cry too much because he could stop breathing. To make matters worse, I had to return to work in a few more weeks because my maternity leave was up, and no matter how we tried to make it work, we couldn’t afford for me to stay home. My husband and I were beside ourselves. We made appointments with the Cardiologist to have him checked every two weeks from that point on. Every time we went back, the condition was getting worse, and inevitably at nine months of age, we were looking at putting stints in his heart to open up his arteries. We both left the office in tears.
Dr. Ray had been taking care of my family for years. He sees my grandparents, my parents, my sister and myself, and takes care of all the areas we need “improvements” on! So, after our son’s condition seemed to be worsening, we decided to get him in to Dr. Ray. After Dr. Ray took his x-rays and gave Koltin his first little alignment, we had his bi-monthly Cardiologist appointment lined up later that afternoon, so off we went. We had faith that the alignments were going to work, but that maybe it would take some time. So, we weren’t looking to see any big changes that day. You can imagine our surprise when his Cardiologist came back in the room and was questioning the results of Koltin’s tests that were taken that day. She had seen a vast improvement already. Not only did his condition not get worse from the previous weeks, his arteries looked like they were opening up! She asked if we had any medical interventions that we had done, I told her no. All the while I was thinking of the Divine intervention that was working on our son! It had only been one treatment, and already he was getting better. Again, I started to cry.
On June 18, 2008 Koltin was taken to the Cardiologist for the last time. After tests were run that day, we were told that his heart condition had somehow corrected itself, and they couldn’t understand why! She had told us that she was really worried about Koltin when she first assessed him and his condition, foreseeing that she was going to have to recommend surgery at some point. Now, all she is recommending is that we come back in six months for a follow up appointment! We had been seeing Dr. Ray weekly, and in a matter of three months, of adjustments, Koltin had a perfectly normal, perfectly healthy little heart! As soon as I heard the news, again, I began to cry.
You have to understand, I do not cry or show emotion easily. I’ve always been blessed with a much better family than I deserve, and have always had a very happy life. I’ve always believed in God, without a doubt; however, when things went wrong, it was my gut instinct to fix it myself, and then when I messed things up beyond repair, then I would pray about it. I’ve done that all my life. I’m one of those people that I have to see it to believe it. That was until our son was born. After I heard about his heart problem, all I could do was pray, day and night. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and couldn’t even get to the point where I was happy because I was just consumed with all the “what if’s” about our son’s heart problem, let alone the impending Williams Syndrome diagnosis. I couldn’t fix it. I just had to watch for the possible complications. Well, needless to say, I’ve seen it, and I believe it. I’ve witnessed a miracle, and I’m reminded of it every day I hear my son laugh, and even cry, without worry. Now it’s kind of funny, in each little change in Koltin’s life, whether it be sleeping or changes in his eating, I get Dr. Ray and Dr. Mary’s advice at what to do! I’m sure we’re one of those patients that they see walk through the door and wonder, what next ?!?! But we’re so thankful for their help in every aspect of our son’s life so far, and we completely trust every bit of advice that they give us. Dr. Ray, Dr. Mary, and their staff have treated us like family every time we come in, and I notice while I’m sitting in the waiting room waiting for our appointment, they treat everyone that way. They now also treat my husband, his mother, and his father.
Koltin is now almost 5 months old, he weighs a whopping 16 pounds! A far cry from the 6-pound baby boy that had PPS, and possibly even Williams Syndrome. I don’t even know how to say Thank You. But I hope that God blesses you and your family like he has blessed mine. I only had to do three things: PRAY…..BELIEVE…..and go see Dr. Ray!
With much thanks,
Andy, Charla, and Koltin