I have a friend who has struggled with infertility. She said that as a woman it is hard because it hits us at what many of us feel is the core of being a woman. We think it's our God-given right to have children. I have to tell you my vanity extended a step further. Not that I would ever have voiced it, or even admitted it to myself, but I almost felt that it was my God-given right to have healthy children. On February 5, 2002 I learned that is not always the case.

It took my two years to get pregnant with Kelynn. He is an answer to prayer in so many ways. I thought that I would have an only child so I prayed that if that was to be true, I needed God to help me be the best mother to an only child that I could be. As I fervently prayed that, I was unknowingly pregnant with Kelynn.

I have a picture of the very first nurse that listened to Kelynn's heartbeat right after he was born. She said he had a heart murmur, but it was common and I should not be concerned. We were fortunate enough to have a wonderful pediatrician who ordered further testing. When those tests did not turn out as she hoped she referred us to, I'm sure, the best pediatric cardiologist in Georgia. When Kelynn was just over 24 hours old we sat in Dr. Jones' office as he told us that Kelynn has aortic stenosis with a bicuspid valve.

Kelynn's pressure gradient was checked and recorded so that it could be monitored. We came back the next week and I felt sure that his pressure gradient would still be in the mild category. Not so, it had jumped about 30 mmHg to the moderate range. I was in shock because I kept thinking, "He looks the same. He's doing well. He hasn't had any symptoms. The next week his pressure gradient was around 80 mmHg. He was scheduled for valvuloplasty at the end of that week. The procedure went beautifully. At just under 3 weeks old Kelynn showed us that he really is a "mighty warrior" which is what his name means. There were no complications and no "back flow" after the procedure. The advances being made in the medical field are truly a blessing. My advice to anyone faced with the scary decision to try valvuloplasty or not is to do it.

Kelynn is still doing beautifully and virtually symptom free. No one can guess by looking at him that his heart is probably working harder than theirs is. He is on a small dose of baby aspirin daily. I am thankful for the wonderful blessings I have in Kelynn and his older brother Keygan. My husband was a rock through out everything. Our friends, family, and Canann Baptist Church family are so encouraging. We could not have made it without you all. We love you! Thank you.