Goodbye Dr. Van Gundy :(

December 8 was a very sad day. Caden had his final appointment with his pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Van Gundy. This man has been our kid's cardiologist since Kyler was less than two months old. He was amazing to us throughout my pregnancy with Caden. He personally performed every single one of my fetal echos. He supported us though one of the most challenging times of our lives as we struggled to decide where to deliver Caden and where he would have his heart repaired.

This man is responsible for saving Kyler's life during a heart catheterization. He ballooned open Kyler's pulmonary valve so it could work properly. Without this intervention, Dr. Van Gundy said Kyler would have died in less than a year. It's hard to even imagine because he showed no outward signs of anything being wrong. That's the way it goes with many congenital heart defects. If it wasn't for modern technology, Kyler probably would have died one day and we would have had no idea why. Thankfully there are people like Dr. Van Gundy who learn how to intervene and save these children's lives!

If it wasn't for the caring and compassion he showed us during our pregnancy with Caden, I don't know what we would have done. We had other specialists telling us Caden wouldn't survive and we should terminate the pregnancy. But Dr. Van Gundy said since we chose to not end the pregnancy, he would help us make the best choices possible by giving us as much information as he could. We felt he gave us some very unbiased recommendations on where we should deliver which is how we ended up at Stanford.

I cannot say enough good things about this man! To have to say goodbye to him was VERY hard! He has taken such good care of both my boys. And he has provided a safe place for me and Greg to ask questions and make important decisions. Knowing that I will have to find a new doctor is a little scary to me. I know both my boys are stable right now in terms of heart issues, but anyone we go to hasn't been with us since the beginning like Dr. Van Gundy has. I know it will be fine after I adjust. But this change is a tough one for me.

Thank you so much for everything you have done for Kyler and Caden!
We will miss you Dr. Van Gundy!  Moving away is no fun...