Blog entries are in chronological order- oldest first.
Lucas
Submitted by Miriam on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 2:15pm
Lucas was diagnosed with a moderate mitral valve prolapse at birth. The
squishiness heard through the stethoscope was significant enough that the
doctors recommended an echocardiogram (ultrasound) as soon as possible.
These images revealed an additional congenital heart defect: Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy, or HCM for short. HCM often goes undiagnosed until
sudden cardiac arrest brings a person, usually a teen male, to the ER. Once
Lucas began demonstrating symptoms of irregular heart pacing, a
combination pacemaker and defibrillator was implanted in May of 2010. It is
the hope of the doctors that this device would buy Lucas some time while we
wait for a new heart.
After meeting with the transplant team at UCLA ( pediatric heart transplants
are not performed in San Diego), Lucas began a series of tests and
evaluations to determine if he was a suitable candidate for a heart transplant.
We anticipate that Lucas will be listed once the doctors complete their
evaluations and we state that our preparations for this miraculous procedure
are complete.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Submitted by Miriam on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 2:15pm
Lucas was diagnosed with a moderate mitral valve prolapse at birth. The
squishiness heard through the stethoscope was significant enough that the
doctors recommended an echocardiogram (ultrasound) as soon as possible.
These images revealed an additional congenital heart defect: Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy, or HCM for short. HCM often goes undiagnosed until
sudden cardiac arrest brings a person, usually a teen male, to the ER. Once
Lucas began demonstrating symptoms of irregular heart pacing, a
combination pacemaker and defibrillator was implanted in May of 2010. It is
the hope of the doctors that this device would buy Lucas some time while we
wait for a new heart.
After meeting with the transplant team at UCLA ( pediatric heart transplants
are not performed in San Diego), Lucas began a series of tests and
evaluations to determine if he was a suitable candidate for a heart transplant.
We anticipate that Lucas will be listed once the doctors complete their
evaluations and we state that our preparations for this miraculous procedure
are complete.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Lucas' Mother, Miriam's Blog
Submitted by Miriam on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 11:12am
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my father, Lucas' grandfather, Jose Diaz De Leon
1943-2010. During the 10 months of pain that accompanied his cancer, he offered up all of his
suffering to benefit his firstborn grandchild, Lucas.
"Hope Now" by Addison Road, music
Submitted by Miriam on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 2:17pm
Donate Life America
Submitted by Miriam on Tue, 01/25/2011 - 2:12pm
Transplantation is one of the most remarkable success stories in the history of medicine. But despite continuing advances in medicine and technology, the need for organs and tissue is vastly greater than the number available for transplantation. Transplantation gives hope to thousands of people with organ failure and provides many others with active and renewed lives.To learn more , visit : www.donatelife.net
The Ripple Effect
submitted by Miriam on 2/21/2011Last week, four local media outlets provided press coverage about Ronan's swim-a-thon efforts on behalf of Lucas. When asked what motivated the Torrence family to help out, they cited the influence of having seen another mutual friend and her gesture to help, despite her great many current responsibilities. Going back even further, this site and corresponding campaign could not be possible without the goodwill of the generous and compassionate women who responded "yes" to the request for assistance on the coordinator team. Their "yeses" created a ripple effect, whose final destination has yet to be seen. For setting the ripple effect in motion, I am truly grateful. We are also grateful to all of the friends, family and
strangers who felt called to join in the fundraising efforts with their time, talents, or financial contribution as a result. Blessed be!
Heart Health: What is an implantable defribrillator?
posted on 3/5/2011http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/implantable-defibrillators-11163950
Lucas received his new healthy heart on January 16, 2015 at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. His post-transplant journey journal updates can be found at our Caringbridge page.
