My Brave Little Guy!!

Sweet little Ammy had an itsy bitsy bruise-like thing on his back when he was born. It was about 1 cm. His doctor sent us to see a neurosurgeon at Primary Children's Medical Center who figured it was a hemangioma - mass of blood vessels - that would get bigger for a year and then go down. The MRI seemed to confirm that. It sure did get bigger but it never bothered Ammon. His bump was just part of him. The problem was it never went down - in fact it seemed to get just a little bigger and began hardening aroung the edges. We decided to remove it and low and behold it turned out to be a benign fibrous hammertoma - a tumor. It would have just kept getting bigger so it was good we removed it but it was quite an adventure!
The day before his surgery we went in for a final check and the plastic surgeon suggested a new procedure to help keep him from bleeding too much and having to have a blood transfusion. Basically they put him out and inject him with an alcohol solution that burns up/cauterizes, something like that the blood vessels. It sounded kind of scary to me! I asked what would happen if the solution went into other blood vessels. The radiologist said if it got into his spine he would be paralyzed. Aaah! But they do a test first to see where the blood flows. So they decided he needed to start a fast and come back a few hours later for that procedure, spend the night at the hospital and then have the surgery the next day.
When Ammon came out of surgery with his big Zorro cut across his little back, I felt so horrible! I was sure I had done a cruel thing to my little angel boy! It was so big and some of the skin was black and the doctor was afraid it wouldn't make it. It did die but our great plastic surgeon Dr. Sidiqi, was able to cut out the dead skin and pull the healthy skin together without doing difficult procedures like he thought might be necessary. I account this to many prayers and fasting from our loved ones on Ammon's behalf. I'm so thankful for priesthood blessings and lots of faith. We had so much comfort, support and Ammy was so good-natured through all of it. Amm had a hard time getting back to himself and believe it or not, my boy who wants to munch constantly, wasn't interested in eating or drinking much of anything. So what we thought was going to be one night ended being 5 days in the hospital! But truthfully, it wasn't that bad. Primary's is such a great hospital! They treated us so well and the nurses and aides were really kind and supportive! Ammon was an amazing little trooper! The aides or nurses would come in and he'd hold out his little baby arm for the "doctor hug" (blood pressure cuff)and he was always pleasant and took his medicine so well. And the whole time he was healing - the whole month of April - and going through one procedure after another, he did what was asked, stayed postitive and brave, and took good care of his stuffed animals who also had sore backs and needed tender loving care!
We are grateful to Drs. Riva-Cambrin and Sadiqi and all the nurses, aides, staff at Primary Children's. Our family and friends who called and visited and facebooked gave us strength and love that at least I really needed and appreciated. We didn't come home until Easter day and Mark and Jodi and the kids brought the boys Easter baskets, and Judy and Debbie did too and then when we drove up to our home the Bergstrom Bunnies had visited us and spoiled us!! It's so wonderful to have so many kind and loving people in our life! What would we do without all of you??