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John
Kaeser
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
April & David
Kaeser say that although they didn’t have to travel the world to get
to St. Louis Children’s Hospital . . . St. Louis Children’s Hospital
means the world to them. It’s been a long journey for the Kaeser
family that started in 1998.
In the seventh
month of April Kaeser’s pregnancy, pediatric cardiologists
discovered that her baby boy John appeared to have Tricuspid Atresia,
an Arterial Septal Defect and Transposition of the Great Arteries.
The doctor’s diagnosis was confirmed when John David Kaeser was born
two months later, weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs, 5ounces!
In November
1998 the Kaeser’s placed their infant John in the hands of the
surgical team at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. At that
time, John received the life sustaining “Glenn Shunt” procedure.
John’s journey would continue for many more years at St. Louis
Children’s Hospital as he would need several procedures at the
hospital.
Recently, John
underwent his latest surgery in June 2009 to correct his sunken
chest. John was upset when he found out that he would need this
heart surgery. He not only was worried about the procedure, but
also was upset that he would be missing out on his summer
activities. Although John endured some painful times throughout
his stay at St. Louis Children’s Hospital following the procedure,
he still has many great memories. He highly recommends the food and
says his favorite part was ordering Cookie Dough Blizzards. John’s
only big disappointment came when he discovered that his physician,
Dr. Huddleston, did not honor John’s request for a special incision
under his chest tube scar to make a smiley face!
A proud member
of the “Zipper Club”, John is now doing great. His heart surgery
has given him more energy and his chest looks wonderful. After
being on the DL this past summer, John looks forward to resuming his
pitching career with his team, The Bandits. He also enjoys fishing,
camping, and hanging out with his buddies, and he always lives life
to the fullest!
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