Jason and Amy decided to pursue the Norwood procedure. Despite the risks, which the possibility of Turners Syndrome increased, it seemed the most hopeful option. With that decision made, they had nothing to do but prepare for what was coming, wait for the surgery and pray.

Amy just needed to have as normal a pregnancy as possible so their little girl would be as healthy as possible for her surgery. The good news was that, even though the fact that she was a girl opened the door for Turners, girls have a higher survival rate than boys in such surgeries. The next five months were a long wait. They wrestled with whether they should prepare a baby room for her. Would that be too difficult to live with if she didn't survive? Should they buy clothes, have baby showers? They got connected with an e-mail group of other parents with HLHS children and heard some encouraging and some painful stories. They tried to remain optimistic as much as possible. They named their little girl, Abigail Elizabeth Thompson.

The surgery was scheduled around Amy's due date. Two weeks before the anticipated day, the doctors announced that they wanted to move the surgery up a week. The baby seemed fine and they could induce Amy. Anticipation shifted into high gear. Then plans changed. As the new day arrived they found Abbie was not as big as they had hoped. She weighed around 6 pounds and they were hoping she would be closer to 7. They shifted the date back.

Friday, October 20, 2000
That week, Amy started losing amniotic fluid. She went to the hospital every other day for an ultrasound. Each time, she bordered on being admitted but was sent home. By Friday her fluid level was down to .9% when what is normal for that time is 10-20%. That was going to be the day. They induced her by giving her pitocin, a drug that would tell her body to go into labor. For the next six hours Amy underwent labor. But, after all that time she was only at 1 cm. Also, because of an allergy to pitocin, Amy had head labor. She experienced a large portion of her labor pains in the form of migraine headaches.

They took Amy off the drug. She would have a c-section and that, too would have its difficulties. The spinal that they gave her did not numb her. It took 2 spinals and 4shots of epidural before she was finally numb enough to have the c-section. But, Abigail was born. Born at 6:54 p.m. October 20, 2000, weighing 6 lbs. 11 oz., little Abbie had a head of dark hair and a beautiful face. There was no way to know by looking at her that there was anything wrong. There was something else wrong though.

Dr. King took Abbie as soon as she was born and performed an ultrasound of her heart. He informed Jason that the right ventricle wall of Abbie's heart was too weak to withstand the scheduled Norwood surgery. There was nothing they could do.

Jason told Amy the devastating news. The hope was once again snatched away from them. They absorbed this shock. Jason went to get Abbie and bring her to Amy, who had yet to see her. When Jason left, Amy staring off in pain and disbelief, asked her mother how the second verse on "How Great Thou Art" began. She, and her mother and her sister sang praises to God. In the meantime, Jason was carrying his daughter and speaking to her about seeing the Father before he would. They both released Abigail in the hands of their Heavenly Father.

It was a difficult night for the family and friends at the hospital. There seemed no hope. Abbie, as adorable and perfect looking as she was, was only being kept alive by a medication called PGE, which kept the valve in her tiny heart open.

Saturday, October 21, 2000 - Jason's 30th Birthday
Jason had always wanted to have a child before he was 30. He managed by mere hours. But the best gift he received that day was a small package of hope. Dr. King had been in contact with a hospital in Loma Linda, CA that specializes in infant heart transplants. It looked like it might be an option to get Abbie on the list for a heart transplant. Because of Abbie's weight and her blood type, if she qualified to be a candidate for the heart transplant surgery she would be at the top of the list for her blood type. There were still some tests that needed to be done. They had to check to see if all of her other organs were strong. And, there was also the problem of Turners Syndrome. They didn't know if she definitely had it. There were some traces of the physical characteristics but not enough to be sure. It was uncertain whether that would disqualify her from being a candidate for the surgery.

They had to wait. Wait to see if they could even hope to wait for a heart for Abbie. Wait to see if Abbie was strong enough to handle such a surgery. Wait to see if Turners Syndrome would be a factor. Wait for the headaches, which kept Amy from being able to lift her head off the pillow to stop.

If Abbie were a candidate for a heart transplant, Jason, Amy and the baby would have to move down to Loma Linda, CA. She could survive six weeks with the medication PGE. Then it would take time for the surgery and recovery. At a moments notice, they were ready to go. Family offered support. Amy's parents live just an hour and a half from Loma Linda. Jason had just begun a project at work that could be done completely as a telecommuter. Things were moving.

Sunday, October 24, 2000
Sunday morning they were told that Abbie might need a tube down her throat to help her eat. She wasn't eating enough. When Amy was with her though, she ate well. Amy's presence calmed her. She ate, she slept and her blood pressure lowered when her mom was near.

Amy however, was still trying to get rid of the headaches that kept her off her feet. They gave her two blood patches to try to undue the damage done giving her the epidurals. She longed to spend as much time as she could with Abbie and yet could hardly sit up long enough to feed her.

Tuesday, October 26, 2000
Dr. King examined Abbie for an hour. He gave her an echocardiogram. He asked to see the parents right away. Jason and Amy were expecting to hear news that would change their lives, news about Loma Linda, news about a heart transplant. The news they heard was different.

Dr. King met with Jason, Amy and Amy's parents. He told them in his blunt, professional way that he didn't know what had happened. In the past couple of days, Abbie's heart got stronger. It had healed enough that he said, "We could do the Norwood and we could do it tomorrow." Stunned, they now had a decision to make. Should they proceed with the surgery they had intended to have or proceed with the heart transplant. Dr. King told them they would almost certainly be accepted by the Loma Linda hospital. There were other factors. The Turners Syndrome was confirmed, which increased the risk of the Norwood giving Abbie only a 20% chance of surviving the procedure. Faced with this monumental choice they knew would be with them the rest of their lives, the four of them quickly came to agreement to proceed with the Norwood procedure and its successive surgeries.

God had moved. He healed her heart and made the surgery they had planned possible. How dare they take matters into their own hands now? That is how they made their choice.

That evening they prepared as Abbie was prepped for surgery. The elders from Community Bible Fellowship anointed Abigail. Jason's father, an Episcopal priest, baptized her. It was a difficult night. How do you emotionally juggle bonding with your baby (after the surgery they wouldn't be able to hold Abigail for four or five days), with possibly saying goodbye to her? How do you try to sleep when you just want to hold her? Amy's bothers and their wives arrived late that night from California. They got to the hospital in time for the last feeding and a merciful nurse let them invade the NICU. They all got to spend a precious late night hour with Abbie.