In Memoriam - Keyon

Keyon Talik was born on September 13, 2007 in Wake Medical Hospital. Hours after he was born we found out that he had Hypoplastic left heart syndrome. At the time I couldn't believe that this was actually happening to us. Later that evening around 7 pm they rushed our baby to UNC Childrens Hospital. I was scared, confused and heart broken.

About two weeks later they performed open heart surgery on my son (the Norwood procedure). He started doing a little better, but he was still a long way from being ok. He couldn't breath. So they had him on the breathing machine since he'd arrived. Months went by and Keyon seemed to be doing ok, but little did we know that his lungs were getting weaker. So they eventually had to perform surgery to correct the problem with his lungs, they said if they didn't he wouldn't be able to have his second surgery. After doing so he still had to stay on the machine. And they eventaully had to insert a trachea in his throat.

Keyon was not getting better and he also eventually developed Edema There was no way he could have his second surgery being this sick. His lungs weren't working at all and his doctors sat us down and told us that there was nothing more that they could do for him. So his father and I talked about the chances of him getting better with his doctors and they said that it was slim to none. So in January when we went to visit him we had decided that if he was not having a good day we would ask the doctors to remove him from his breathing tube. And that day I asked for a sign from God to let me know if I was doing the right thing and when I walked into his hospital room his nurse told me, she said "honestly I don't think that I am doing Keyon any good, I feel as if I'm torturing him more than helping him." That was all the sign that I needed because Keyon's edema had gotten so bad that whenever they moved him to even change his diaper it hurt him. I couldn't see my precious little baby suffering like that anymore.

He passed away on January 26, 2008. I feel broken and I know I will never be ok, but there's also a feeling of peace because I know that my little man is now ok and there are no tears in heaven. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about my baby. I wish I could go back in time sometimes and just be with him one more day, but God knew best.