Good news! Chi Chi received a clean bill of health today from Dr. Fox, so he is headed back to China bright and early on Wednesday morning. He still has the sniffles and a low grade fever, but this is most likely allergies, and should clear up when he returns to China and his native air there.
Thanks to so many of you who have befriended KongQi and his mom along the way and thanks to the Wine Auction Paddles Up donors for their generosity that made his surgery possible. But most especially, thanks to Echo Lin and her family for being such gracious hosts through KongQi’s many ups and downs during his stay here. Echo has been a real trooper through it all.
KongQi has been here a long time, arriving here in late February!! We wish him many blessings and a fond farewell, as he and his mom head home to their family on Wednesday.
Alison Meador
4/8
KongQi had a follow up appointment with Dr. Wright yesterday, and she gave him a clean bill of health, so he is ready to head home. He is still a little cranky, but it could be that he is just suffering from allergies in this super-allergic Austin springtime….he has a runny nose but no fever. He will depart on Wednesday April 14th and sweet host mom, Echo, has made arrangements for KongQi and his mom to fly from Shanghai on to their hometown instead of taking the long train ride home. Thanks Echo!
KongQi and his mom will be the guest of honor at a going away party this weekend, again thanks to Echo. We wish them both many years of good health and happiness as they go back to their family in China.
KongQi continues to have a remarkable recovery, and is a happy baby these days! KongQi was the guest of honor at our HeartGift Advisory Board meeting last night….thanks to Marshall Hammond for bringing KongQi and his mom to the meeting. I have attached a precious picture for you to enjoy. What a great reminder of the good work each of you do for HeartGift!
Alison Meador
3/29
KongQi was released from the hospital yesterday and is doing just great!!
KongQi had his breathing tube removed this morning, and awakened with a vengeance, thrashing around so much that the doctors have restrained his hands so he can’t pull out his tubes. But his overall progress is going along very well, and the medical staff at Dell is very pleased thus far. He had a little swelling around the site of the breathing tube, but he has been given some medicine to help the swelling go down.
Mom is very attentive, and she is eating and sleeping well in between caring for him. Thanks.
KongQi had a very successful surgery this morning, and was back in PICU by about 1:00 pm. According to Dr. Fox, the surgery went more smoothly than expected, and his pressures, which were a cause of concern, were even lower than expected after surgery. So, this is all really good news and the relief on his mom’s face was quite evident!
We did learn a little bit more about Chee Chee’s mom today. She is 26 years old and so is her husband, and KongQi is, by law, their only child. They live in north western China, where the medical care is much less sophisticated than in the major cities like Beijing or Shanghai. She traveled many, many miles to fly to the states from China….some 13 hours by train to get to Shanghai for the flight here.
Thanks to all who waited with mom during surgery, including Aida from the Chinese Agape Foundation, and Connie Lowry, his American Airlines Ambassador who drove in from Horsehoe Bay today to be with Aida and Echo. KongQi will be in ICU for a few days, and I will update you as to his progress.
Alison Meador
3/23
KongQi’s appointments with Dr. Wright and Dr. Fox went well yesterday, and he is ready for surgery tomorrow at 9:00 am. He will arrive early (6:00 am) for a chest x ray and to have his blood drawn. Since the pressures in his lungs are high, he will most likely remain in the hospital a little longer than usual, so it could be early next week before he is released.
I will send an update after surgery tomorrow to let you know how KongQi is doing. Thanks!
KongQi is having a quiet Spring Break. He is staying at home most of the time, as we are trying to keep him away from all those pesky germs that can make little ones sick. Now that he is healthy, he is a good little baby, and not so cranky. Yvette Ying hosted him over the weekend so that Echo could have a break! Thanks Yvette!
KongQi is scheduled to see both Dr. Wright and Dr. Fox on Monday, and he is still on for surgery Wednesday at 8:30 am at Dell Children’s. Enjoy this beautiful day.
3/12 Pei's condition is stable now. Visitation is still limited now, hopefully next week he can be taken out to some outings to relax before the surgery.
Pei and his mother is at the host family now. Pei is doing better, no fever, just coughing a bit. He will see the pediatrician 3/8 and see the heart doctor again 3/22. Surgery has to be postponed to 3/24 because of the Spring break.
Now that he will be at the host family for the next two weeks, the host family really needs help. Please see the top of this page and the volunteer task list. If you can find couple of hours in the day or in the evening to visit for couple of hours, it will let the host family rest a bit and it can help give Pei some variety of activities. As you can image a sick baby and a mother 1000s miles from home are very demanding for attention. Volunteer helps are urgently needed!!
Pei has been discharged from the hospital today as his fever has subsided and his flu symptom is almost gone. He slept better last night and is doing better today. Still not eating much. He has a doctor appointment 3/8 Monday (need a ride) and then surgery may be in the 3/15 week.
KongQi had a follow up appointment with Dr. Thorstad yesterday, and she was very impressed with his progress since his unexpected visit to the hospital last week. He is doing much better and is a healthier baby today! His surgery has been rescheduled for Wednesday March 24th at 8:30 am at Dell Children’s. Before that he will visit with both Dr. Fox and Wright on the 22nd, and squeeze in a preop, maybe on the same day.
All in all, KongQi is adapting well to his new surroundings: finally sleeping through the night, and he seems to be a happier baby. Thanks to Yvette Ying, host mom to our last Chinese child, for stopping by and visiting with KongQi last weekend, and also to so many of you who have offered to check in on little Kongqi.
KongQi is doing so much better and will be released this afternoon and return home to Echo’s family this afternoon. Surgery has not been rescheduled yet, so we will keep you posted about that.
As an aside, so many of you have asked how to pronounce young KongQi’s name. Around here we say kong-chee, but his mother calls him, chee chee, so he is affectionately known as chee chee to those that know him well. Thanks for inquiring.
After running more tests on KongQi last night, he has tested positive for the type B flu virus. He will remain in the hospital for observation because it could get worse before it gets better. It is viral, and could take a week or more to run its’ course. He is currently in Room 244 of ICU until a bed frees up in the IMC Unit. Surgery has been postponed until next Tuesday, but could change again depending on his condition.
Thanks to all who have been so supportive of Echo, KongQi and his mom over the last few days. The extra help and visits to the hospital really do help brighten their days and spirits!
Kongqi’s surgery tomorrow morning has been postponed a bit. He is still running a low grade fever and has developed an ear infection in both ears, as well as some bronchial issues, so after a visit with pediatrician Dr. Thorstad this afternoon, it was decided to go ahead and admit him to the hospital and run a few more tests. He is also very anemic and this will need to be addressed as well. Much of his condition is a result of his lack of medical care as an infant, and is not altogether too serious, and can be treated easily here at Dell Children’s. Although he is still sick, he is not nearly as cranky as when he arrived, so maybe the jet lag is finally behind him and he is adapting to his new surroundings.
His doctors will run a few more tests on him tomorrow, and then determine when to reschedule surgery. I will let you know what the tests reveal when it is revealed to us. Thanks!
Alison Meador
3/2
No surgery tomorrow, but we are admitting him to the hospital today to evaluate him. Doctors are concerned about his lungs. Sounds like surgery will take place next Tuesday. Will give you more details later.
Sonya Keeling Director of Patient Services The HeartGift Foundation 512-658-3306
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3/1 Echo, YiFeng and Sonya accompanied Pei and his mother to see Dr. Fox (the heart surgeon) today. Here is YiFeng's report:
"The cardiologist and heart surgeon have different opinions regarding when to have the operation due to Pei's current sickness. Therefore, Wednesday's surgery might be postponed, but they won't know for sure until tomorrow. This afternoon after seeing Dr. Fox, Pei went for his pre-op visit and had his chest x-ray & blood drawn. The nurse had a hard time finding his veins and after two tries, an anesthesiologist finally was able to draw blood from his upper leg. I took some pics of him, the ones in a plastic clear case were taken when he had his xray taken."
Story of Little Pei
Pei Kun Qi was born November 2008. One month premature, he was 5.06 lbs at birth. His family is in a little farming village of about 100 families in Gansu province of China甘肅臨夏廣河縣回族自治區(see map), one hour away from the city of Lanchu. His mother and grandparents work in corn and wheat fields. His dad works in a factory. Pei was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at birth. Doctors said he must have surgery at 6 months. However the family is too poor to afford the heart surgery. Recently local officials helped them to get in touch with Agape Foundation and HeartGift, enabled them to come to Austin for the surgery. Pei is the 98th children sponsored by HeartGift for heart or burn surgery.
Pei's heart was born with two 'holes' between the left and right chambers. That reduces the oxygen in the blood. His heart gradually enlarges and his lung has abnormally high pressure. He always has hard time breathing, does not eat much and does not sleep well. At 15 months, he only weight 17lbs and stands at 30". His surgery carries higher risks and will take longer to heal. However doctors said he will not survive long without the surgery. His surgery is now scheduled on 3/3.
Pei arrived Austin on 2/23 with a fever. Doctors gave him anti-biotics 2/24 as he was having ear infections. His fever subsides but he cried a lot probably partially because of the jetlag. His mother almost constantly holds Pei in her arms as Pei cries as soon as she let go. However, Pei really likes being photographed. He displays a 'photo smile' as soon as he sees a camera, even when he was crying!!
Please keep reading this blog, we will keep you informed of the progress of Pei.
2/26Kongqi arrived with slight fever on Tuesday that wouldn’t go away, so he had an appointment with Dr. Thorstad yesterday to diagnose the problem. Turns out he has an ear infection that can be treated with amoxicillin and he will continue on with his appointment today with Dr. Wright. Kongqi was very fussy, and is still sleeping and eating at odd hours due to the time change. He is very small…..30 lbs and 17 inches long, and is almost 15 months old. We did learn that he is an only child, born prematurely at 8 months, and was diagnosed with a heart problem at birth.
Thanks to host mom Echo Lin for making the unscheduled trip to the pediatrician’s office yesterday.
I will send you an update after his appointment with Dr. Wright. And also, my last email stated surgery is May 9th……let me correct that, surgery is March 9th. Thanks for noticing!
Alison Meador
2/24 Good news! Kongqi arrived late last night from Shanghai, and was welcomed by his host mom Echo Lin and her two teenagers, Jackie and Coco who enjoyed a late night, thanks to the late school start today. Kongqi is a cutie, and will start his first round of appointments on Friday with Dr. Dudley and then on to see Dr. Wright. His surgery Is scheduled for Tuesday May 9th. I have attached a picture of Kongqi and his mom from the airport last night. More later……
Alison Meador
2/16 Good news! Now that the Chinese New Year has passed, we have learned that Kongqi will be arriving next Tuesday February 23rdat 11:10 pm after the long flight from Shanghai-Chicago-Austin. Kongqi is a 15 month old little boy who will be traveling with his mother for surgery tentatively scheduled on March 9th. He lives in the remote village of Gansu province with six family members in a very crowded mud house that belongs to his grandparents. The father is employed as a welder at a truck remodeling shop and earns a fair salary (about $230 USD per month), but he is main the breadwinner for the family of six.
Thanks to the Wine Auction Paddles Up donors who so generously raised their paddles to fund Kongqi’s surgery. We will keep you in the loop during his stay in Austin, and let you know about his condition before and after surgery. He will be hosted by Echo Lin and her family.
