Today, I am going to tell you about my nephew, Gideon.

At 37 weeks, my sister had an ultrasound which led them to discover a problem with her baby’s heart. Her pregnancy had been perfectly normal and there was nothing in our family history. It was a shock. Within a few days we had a diagnosis- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, or HLHS. The left side of his heart had not formed correctly and blood could not flow normally. They were given plans for surgeries with discouraging percentages of survival. Still reeling from the news, she went into labor.

Gideon was the only baby I have watched being born. (Yes, I delivered my own children, but I never actually saw what happened and didn’t want to!) It was a long labor (40 hours to be exact) and I showed up for extra reinforcement just 15 minutes before it was time for her to push. I held my sister’s leg and tried to coach her, but it was both a beautiful and terrifying experience. We knew what was coming. He was safe while carried inside of her body, but the moment he took his first breath his heart began to fail. A team of specialists and nurses took over as we watched from across the room for a few minutes before he was rushed to the NICU.

The next 13 days were hard, but still very much treasured. In the days leading up to his surgery, family was by his side as much as possible. We couldn’t hold him and comfort him, but we sat next to his ICU bed and soaked in the time that we were given. He would wrap his tiny fingers around one of yours and stare into your eyes.

After his surgery, our family spent several terrible nights in the waiting room, praying and crying like never before. 13 days did not seem like enough time. Yet in those 13 days, Gideon touched many lives through those who heard about him, prayed for him, and grew closer to God. In his death, others were saved and lives were changed.

My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26

Gideon would have had his 10th birthday this year. 10 years. It seems like so long ago, yet I can still see and feel all of the emotions from the delivery room, the NICU bedside, and the tiny waiting room. We celebrate his birthday every year and for this milestone, we wanted to do something different. To bring beauty from ashes, we have been doing fundraisers all year for the Geisinger NICU in memory of Gideon.

One of the fundraisers is selling shirts for HLHS awareness. HLHS affects 1 in every 5,000 babies! If my sister had not had that ultrasound at 37 weeks to diagnose HLHS she would have given birth in a smaller hospital and Gideon would likely have died almost instantly.

The shirts are available in long sleeve with a hood or as a t-shirt in both kids and adult sizes. The shipping is free within the United States.

Wear your heart on your sleeve HLHS kids shirt

If you are interested in ordering a shirt click below…

If you would like to make a direct donation to the Geisinger Neonatal Intensive Care Unit visit donations.geisinger.org/goto/gideonsdoves. For all donations made to this page, you will receive Gideon’s story, as a, “Thank you!”