Cox, Dallas

My son, Dallas, was diagnosed in-utero with his hernia because I was suffering from polyhydramnios. It turned out to be such a blessing because we had a "heads up" and the doctors were prepared also. Dallas had an ECMO run of 10 days and then had his surgery. He had to be on a ventilator for about 5-6 weeks. The doctors tried several times to take him off but he couldn't maintain his oxygenation well enough. When he finally came off, he had nasal cannulas for about 7-8 more months. On his first birthday, the oxygen was finally taken out of our home. What a present! He is presently doing really well. He is walking, climbing, running, and behaving like a 22 month old. He has a few developmental delays but more in his fine motor skills. He's beginning to talk also but not as soon as my other 3 kids. His first year was pretty rough because every little cold landed him in the hospital. With 3 other siblings it was a sure bet we were going to get sick! We praise God for all the miracles we have seen in Dallas' life and in the surrounding circumstances. We would love to be able to help other parents who are in the same boat.


Update 1995

Our son, Dallas, who was a right-sided diaphragmatic hernia, had to have his pectus in his chest repaired this summer. He was taken care of by Dr. Karen West, who is a pediatric surgeon at Riley’s Hospital in Indianaplis, IN. What a wonderful, compassionate, caring doctor! She was so kind to us as anxious parents and answered any and all questions even to the point of calling us at home! I, nor Randy, was looking forward to having any more surgeries on Dallas. He’s been doing so well that I hated to upset the apple cart! But he did wonderful through surgery and has had a remarkable recovery and we praise the Lord for it!! He does seem to be breathing easier because his chest was extremely concaved! Whew! I’m so thankful the whole thing is behind us now. The bar in his chest has to stay there for 1-2 years then it will be taken out on an outpatient basis. Hopefully, that will be the LAST surgery has to have.

His ongoing struggle is weight gain! Agh! He lost 2lbs during and after surgery- those are precious to us and we are struggling to help him regain them. He turned 5 this past summer and weighs all of 30lbs. He’s one long string bean. Your newsletter that you publish does a have a way of humbling me. I know that weight gain is not the worst of all scenerios but your letter truly confirms that fact to me. It really humbles me when I read about the struggles a lot of these other parents are dealing with daily. We are truly blessed to have Dallas with us and that he’s doing so well. He is in pre-school again this year and will start kindergarten next year!



Written by Dallas' mom, Diane Cox (Indiana)
1995, Update 1999