Mason Gregory Garka

Hi Everyone, You know, there are not a whole lot of people in this world that can say they have the kind of family and friends that Kelsey and I have. Last weekend, Kelsey and I were blessed by so many people as they got their cars washed and ate a hot dog in order to support Kelsey, Mason and me. Your donations are going to help us out so much as we begin to tackle the financial hardships of what Mason has endured. Obviously, Kelsey and I do not choice but to be strong, work together and have faith that everything is going to turn out well. However, days like last Saturday make this journey a bit easier. It was so great to be able to bring our son with us and let everybody meet him. Other than a slight sun burn on the bridge of his nose, we think he came out well on what was a pretty busy day for him. Again, thank you to EVERYONE for coming out and supporting Mason, your generosity was overwhelming. We would publicly like to thank Alex and Christina Carbajal, the Arlington Fire...

We finally made it. After four long weeks and a very bumpy road Kelsey and I finally got to bring Mason back to his home. It was such a good feeling putting Mason in our own car and walking through our front doors. It is so nice to be here without that feeling that you're missing something. All in all, things are going pretty good so far. Brady (our dog) is still trying to figure out what's going on and Mason will need some adjusting, but so far he is doing well. The hardest part about being here is the fact that Kelsey and I are now Mason's nurses. We give him a few different medications a couple times a day, along with a shot twice a day. That took some getting used to, but now it's not such a big deal. In fact, I don't even know if Mason realizes he's getting one anymore. Kelsey and I would like to thank all of you for everything you have done. I know many of you have asked us to let you know if there is anything you can do to help and we haven't...

Since we have found out about Mason's stroke he has been doing okay. The doctors have still not reached the dosage level for the anti-seizure medication so he will remain in the ICU until they get to that point. Mason does have focal seizures every once in a while but once they get his medication where they want it they should stop. The neurologist told us that the MRI showed that he did have a stroke on the left side of his brain. This area effects motor skills on his right side and speech/language. As far as the doctors can tell, Mason does not have a difference between his movements on either side, which is a good indication that he should be able to overcome the stroke and have normal movement. We won't really know until he grows older. As for his speech and language, he has obviously not learned how to talk yet which means he has not had to store this information in his brain. As he grows older he should be able to store speech and language in a different area and o...

Hello All, Well, things were going very well for us since Mason had his surgery. In fact, earlier this morning the nurse told us that we would most likely be going hom tomorrow. Unfortunately, this is not going to happen. Mason has suffered a sroke (we think a mild one, but he's having an MRI right now to find out more), so treatment and care is going to have to be extended for at least a few more days. This morning Kelsey noticed his right arm twitching abnormally and mentioned it to the nurse. We didn't really think much of it except that he hadn't done this before. The nurse notified the doctors and they came in to take a look at him. The nuerologist suspected he was having seizures which could be the result of a stroke. Due to the blood thinner, the surgery and the blood clot in his leg they were quite concerned that would be case. They put him on some seizure medication and took him in for a CT scan. The CT scan showed that he had a stroke but weren't sure...

Today has been another good day for Mason. Dr. McMullen (Mason's heart surgeon) told us he is doing as well as a baby in his position can do. Yesterday Kelsey and I got the news that Mason could possibly be moved to the floor, which was certainly a surprise for us because we were hoping that would happen by the end of the week. Well, it's Tuesday and we've settled into our new room (with roomates and all). There are so many lines and feeds that Mason has been able to have removed, Kelsey and I are able to hold him whenever we want without getting permission from the nurses. In fact, he has become quite spoiled with being held that he fusses until we put him back in our lap. On another note, the doctors still think there is a possibility the clot can dissipate. Unfortunately, for this to happen with medicine Kelsey and I are going to having to give him two shots per day when we take him home. I wish I had a picture of the look on Kelsey's face when the doctors to...

Hello Again, Just wanted to let you all know that Mason is still doing very well. He seems to make improvements by the hour. Kelsey and I have been somewhat careful as to who we show his "after surgery" photos to, but we've decided to post them on his website. Mason will someday be proud of what he is going through and will not be afraid to show his scars. He has been a fighter, through and through. This will give you all an idea as to what he has endured. We also see it as God's hands at work.

Hi Everyone, It's been a pretty big day for Mason here at Children's. The doctors were able to close his chest today and Mason's vitals remained stable. Sometimes, after the doctors close the chest the organs are under too much pressure and the chest is needed to be re-opened. Thankfully, it looks like Mason is handling it very well and he will not have to be re-opened. He has also been completely taken off of the nitric-oxide, which the nurses tell us is very good news for that to be taken away so soon. Mason has slept most of the day and Kelsey and I spent several hours in his room with him. Before the end of the day we were able to watch some of the Seattle fireworks show. It wasn't the best view, but it was good enough. The next step should be to start feeding Mason into his stomach and working our way towards removing the breathing tube. We are not sure how long that could take, the standard answer around here is, "it could be 3 days or it could be 2 w...

Hi Everyone, Mason is doing great! He is in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit recovering from his surgery and doing well. It was a very hard and disturbing sight to see Mason after his surgery but also very relieving. Standard procedure following this surgery is to leave the chest open, this allows the internal organs room to operate as the body tends to swell and crowd the organs. Because of this, I was actually able to touch Mason's heart. The only thing between my finger and his heart was a thin gore-tex patch, it was quite incredible. The swelling should start to reduce as Mason in beginning to pee more fluids than he is taking in. Once the swelling has gone down the doctors will take him back to the operating room and sew his chest back together, Kelsey and I are very anxious for that day, which should be sometime tomorrow or Saturday. For now that is all I have for updates. Kelsey and I are doing well and look forward to the day we get to bring him home. But for now we...

Mason is out of surgery!! Kelsey and I finally got some good news. Dr. McMullen told us the surgery went as expected with no surprises. He told us Mason's heart is "vigorous" and is doing well. Hearing that word was like music to my ears. We have not been able to see him yet, but we know it will be a tough sight to see. However, we are so thankful that God has kept His hand on our little boy and got him through the first step. The next 24-48 hours will be critical for Mason as he is still at risk for several issues to arise. We will keep you posted on his progress. Praise God for His protection on our son. Greg & Kelsey