Baby Hudson Bond Receives A Heart Transplant

Published on September 27, 2014

Baby Hudson is resting comfortably after undergoing a heart transplant at Duke Children’s Hospital on Monday.

Please take a moment to send prayers and supporting thoughts of love and comfort to a grieving family. Someone, somewhere is suffering unimaginable pain at the loss of a child. Join us in honoring that family for their selfless and heroic decision to give the gift of life, and for thinking of others in their darkest hour. Please join us in tears, relief, and eternal gratitude.

Thanks to the selfless act of one brave family all of the milestones we visualize and think of and more are now within reach. Hudson’s new heart is working well and the news is good. There’s a lot of swelling, and many more challenges to overcome. Hudson’s lungs have been through a lot, and will take time to recover.

Hudson is out of surgery and resting comfortably. He's a brave little boy, with a brave new heart, from a brave family suffering an unspeakable loss. From our family to yours, wherever you are, we love you. Please join us in praying for comfort, light, and healing.

There’s still a lot of work to do, but Hudson is ahead of the game. The average wait for a pediatric heart transplant is six months. Many deserving kids can’t wait any longer.

Watch the companion video here.

You can also visit hudson’s heart facebook page. and hudsonsheart.com.

Update: 26 September, 2014

Hudson is slowly heading back in the right direction. Overnight he responded to the diuretics he’s been getting, and got quite a bit of fluid off. Today the plan is to continue to push diuretics and increase his feeds to get off of the intravenous nutrition he’s receiving. Doctor’s have also been able to decrease the pressures on the ventilator, as his lungs are working better as a result of losing some of the fluid pressing against his chest wall. The latest echo Cardiogram shows his new heart looks great. Overall little man is in a much better place than he was this time yesterday, and hopefully will be even better by this time tomorrow.
Thank you all for sending your thoughts and prayers his way!”-mom and dad

In the moments after Hudson’s eight-and-a-half hour long heart transplant surgery, his parents posted a picture of them at the child’s bedside on the Hudson’s Heart Facebook page. It’s the same page that first brought the boy into the hearts of so many others.

Hudson’s father, Kevin Bond, spoke with ABC11 by phone Monday evening.

“It’s impossible to put into words, but I look at him and he’s my son and I see that heart beating in his chest and it brings me to my knees,” Bond said.

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind for the two-month-old and his family. Sunday afternoon brought news of an eligible heart donor. By 5 a.m. Monday, Hudson was in surgery. At 1:30 p.m., doctors told the family the surgery was a success — the heart was healthy.

“Seeing him today [Monday] and realizing that he is very soon going to be very healthy and going back home to be with us is just…it’s been some of the happiest news we’ve ever gotten,” said Lisa Stevens, Hudson’s maternal grandmother.

Hudson’s legions of supporters from around the world eagerly waited for updates.

His story took on a life of its own two weeks ago when Facebook rejected an ad post for Hudson’s page citing the “graphic nature” of Hudson’s picture.

Facebook eventually reversed course, then personally apologized but not before over $130,000 in donations poured into Hudson’s organ transplant page.

Hudson’s heart donor remains anonymous, and for his grateful family there is a strong mix of emotions.

“It’s a big mix of gratitude, excitement and sorrow and empathy,” Bond said. “I know that heart came from someone who feels the same way about their little one.”

“I do want them to know that they have touched our lives in such a way that they’ll never know by giving us a chance to keep my grandson,” said Stevens.

There is no timetable yet on when Hudson might be able to leave the hospital. Doctors are watching him closely for any signs his body is rejecting the heart.

The first 48 hours is important, but so far so good.

About that Facebook ad being rejected:

GREENSBORO, N.C. (PIX11) — A newborn baby is recovering from a heart transplant almost two weeks after Facebook denied his father’s ad to raise money for the surgery.

Hudson Bond, 2 months old, was diagnosed with the heart disease cardiomyopathy. The child was living on an artificial heart until he underwent surgery Monday.

The 2-month-old made national headlines when Facebook denied his father’s ad for the family’s fundraising page “Hudson’s Heart.” The ad, which contained a photo of Hudson in the hospital, was flagged for “offensive” content.

“I was really hurt actually. I mean I kind of cried. He’s my son, I love him. And to have someone reject a picture… [of] my beautiful son lying in a hospital bed needing help — that really cut me,” Kevin Bond, the baby’s father, told ABC11 early September.

The ad was a critical component to the family’s fundraising for the anticipated $125,000 surgery. Facebook officials later apologized and offered the family $10,000 worth of Facebook ads to make up for the incident, KTLA5 reported.

Despite the denied ad, the family was able to raise $143,850 for the heart transplant, according to the Children’s Organ Transplant Association. More than 3,000 donations were made for Hudson’s surgery.

Hudson was being treated at Duke University’s Pediatric Cardio Intensive Care Unit, where doctors told the Bond family Sunday that a heart had been found for the baby. He received surgery the next morning on Sept. 22.

“Hudson is doing very well … Last night I really slept for the first time in two months. My heart made whole by that precious little gift beating strong in Hudson’s chest,” the boy’s father wrote on Facebook Tuesday morning.

“Thank you will never be enough for all you’ve done to support Hudson. He’s got a long way to go, but we can honestly say we would have never gotten this far without you all.”

Watch the video here.

Additional reading material: Facebook sorry after rejecting dad’s ad featuring sick baby who needs heart transplant

Source: PIX11 and Hudsons Heart

This article was originally published here:
http://pix11.com/2014/09/24/baby-receives-heart-transplant-weeks-after-facebook-denied-fundraising-ad/