Prayers for Reuben

My miracle son, Reuben, is currently in intensive care. I've just returned from the night in hospital suctioning his tracheostomy every 10 mins or so and Jason is now taking time by his bedside whilst I look after Callum, aged 1.

Reuben had what was developing into a bad cold over the weekend, was then rushed to the ER (A&E) on Monday morning, came back with antibiotics but by night time, was barely able to breathe. It appears to be an infection coupled with a first attack of asthma. Now I know why it's called an asthma attack. It's viscous.

We're all deliriously tired right now and are waiting for the breathing medications to reach the lowest branches of his bronchi, to rise up through the inverted tree that is his lungs and heal his tired body.

I'm all too aware that at some point in the future, he'll need a second open heart bypass surgery to remove what's termed a subaortic membrane. When he was 3 months old after most of his life to that point in intensive care, he had his 1st open heart to repair 5 defects and what was then a huge scar on his body and on our hearts, has faded amazingly with time. Yet at times like this in moments of shear panic, the sad realisation of this impending surgery which looms on the horizon comes to the fore again. His heart checked through an echo and EKG, it does not appear to be the cause of his terrible retractions and respiratory failure at present, that's a blessing.

I wanted to take this photo, lighting a candle for Reuben with baby Callum. Would you like to join us in saying prayers and keeping Reuben, our sweet, amazing, boy who's undergone 11 surgeries in your thoughts and maybe using this Photo booth feature in Mac/comic to join us. It would mean so very much (tag: prayers for Reuben).

It was originally the quickest way I could think of recording today for here, but it has become my symbol of hope for him.

Callum is missing his big brother desperately right now, can't wait for him to return to wheeling trucks at lightening speed around the floor again...