Our Dental Family has some news. Please read this note to you from Dr. Kondoff:
Dear sweet patients. I value each one of you like family. I love helping with your dental needs, and I adore forming lasting relationships with all of you. In light of this, I want to share some personal information with each of you.
As you all know, JJ and I are expecting a sweet baby girl at the end of February, Blakely Jo Kondoff. A little over a month ago at our anatomy ultrasound scan we unfortunately learned Blakely has a severe congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. In layman terms, her little heart has four problems which includes a hole in her right and left ventricles meaning she will not oxygenate properly on her own after delivery. Her oxygenated and deoxygenated blood will mix together once she is disconnected from me. We have spent the past month seeing multiple specialists and neonatal cardiothoracic surgeons and a wonderful team has been put together to help our baby girl upon her birth. She will need a minimum of 3 open heart surgeries, the first of which will occur almost immediately after her birth to provide shunts and/or stents to keep the oxygenated blood circulating in her body. As soon as she is stabilized after birth, she will be transported from the NICU at St. David’s North Austin to Dell Children’s downtown for the first surgery. JJ will go with her while I recover at St. David’s North. We are unsure if we will be able to hold her or snuggle her at all after birth, it all depends on her oxygen status. At approximately 3-6 months of life, Blakely will undergo another open heart surgery to repair the hole in her heart and open/widen her pulmonary artery with a patch. While this patch will help, it will not be permanent and she will need a pulmonary valve replacement somewhere between 3 and 14 years of life. This will also be another open heart surgery to replace this valve and the timing all depends on her growth over the years. Needless to say, we are filled with anxiety and worry but I have the utmost faith in her doctors and team of specialists. They are confident she will live a full, and normal life once she is fully repaired. But we are still anxious. And to top things off, little babies with this problem tend to want to come into the world early and I am already 50% effaced at only 25 weeks which means I am on bed rest trying to keep her in as long as possible. We need her to grow big and strong so the surgeons can fix her (if full term her heart will only be the size of a peanut). So we are asking for many prayers for our little Blakely. I know God has a plan and is watching over her, but the more people lifting her up to Him the better! Please also pray for our doctors and surgeons as they navigate her case. May the Lord be with them and guide them. I love you Blakely Jo, and we are going to get you through this sweet girl. Mama, Daddy, Brayden and your entire family loves you so so much!
Since I am on bed rest, you will be seeing more of Dr. Williams, and a new face! JJ and I are so lucky to have the amazing Team at CPPD to jump in and let me take care of myself in this very uncertain time.
My amazing patients, I simply cannot wait to be back in the rooms with you. I miss your smiles, and I miss being able to help with your dental needs. I promise I will be back, and what magical and blessed day that will be.
