December 30, 2008...In for the long haul...

As the new year approaches, change continues...Deepika was finally able to get accomodations at the Ronald McDonald House. There is a bedroom and there is a common kitchen available...it helps...every little bit helps...One of Deepika's cousins was able to stay with her for a while but needed to head back east for school and with great hope her parents will be able to be here shortly after a variety of delays...

The doctors have once again removed the breathing tubes for Jevesh...we hope and pray that this time they (the breathing tubes) can stay out for a longer period of time.

I wish I had all good news to report for Deepika and Jevesh, however, that is not the case. The doctors conducted another echocardiogram and found a possible leakage between the atria and ventricles. They will monitor the situation and treat accordingly, however, with this news comes the very sad fact that Jevesh will likely have to stay in the hospital until the next surgery, possibly 3 to 4 months from now. The doctors had hoped to send him home for a while for healing and bonding, but with his fragile health, they feel that it would be better for him to remain under medical supervision.

Friends (including wonderful employees at the kitchen, farmer's market vendors, the chico community, and so many more) continue to offer kind words and a helping hand to assist in keeping the business going and Deepika stays in contact to make sure that everything gets taken care of to keep life, home, and business going. Thoughts, prayers, kinds words, are all welcome and appreciated...you can always leave those comments for Deepika on this blog for her to see and to show your support.

May the new year bring hope and good health to Deepika, Jevesh, and all those who have been so kind.

December 26, 2008....The only thing constant is change...

After multiple attempts by a special nurse to insert what is called a "pic" line (I am not sure if I spelled that correctly), which is a special line to the heart which allows the taking of blood and administering of medications (I think...I still need to do a little research), it was decided that Jevesh would have to undergo a minor surgical procedure. During the procedure, a doctor inserted a pic line while Jevesh was under anesthesia. The procedure went fine, unfortunately, afterwards, little Jevesh went in to stress and the doctors were forced to reintubate in order to stabilize his condition.

The doctors are hopeful that they will be able to remove the tube in a day or so as long as Jevesh shows improvement.

December 21, 2008...Breathing easier

Good News...Doctors made their second attempt to remove the breathing tube for Jevesh and have him breathing without the invasive tubes. Jevesh is doing well and has been able to go a number of days now without having the doctors intubate. He must still have additional oxygen, however it is administered via an external nasal system. He is by no means in the clear but he is doing better, his eyes are open, and he is almost able to cry and make noise. (The above picture is prior to the surgery while Jevesh was still intubated...a wonderful nurse convinced the doctors to allow her to work with Deepika to move the tubes, etc. and attach them to Deepika's clothes so that she could hold Jevesh in the NICU).

May the Holidays and New Year bring infinite blessings to Deepika, Jevesh, and all those that have shown the love, support, kindness, and generosity.

December 18, 2008...Trying to breath...

Jevesh continues to heal and continues to struggle. Just one night after going in to stress and having his blood pressure and heart rate drop, Jevesh seemed to be doing well enough that the doctors wanted to remove the tube that was assisting him in breathing.

Doctors removed the tube and Jevesh seemed to adjust. Deepika was able to give him a pacifer to soothe his cries, he slept, everything seemed fine, unfortunately, only for a short while. Jevesh woke up and began to cry, and like many babies, held his breath...however, due to his condition, this was a bad thing...Jevesh went in to stress yet again. Deepika was forced to leave the room as doctors worked to reintubate.

For now, the tube must remain, but doctors are hopeful that in a short time, they will be able to remove the tube and Jevesh will be able to breath on his own...meanwhile, we hold our breath...

December 17, 2008...Jevesh gives us a scare

Last night, while Deepika was at Jevesh's bedside, he went in to stress...the ventilator was having troubles detecting his breath and giving him extra oxygen, which his body could not deal with...his heart rate dropped and Deepika had to leave the NICU while the doctors went to work...

After checking his blood, incisions, and ventilator, they were able to stabilize Jevesh...A new ventilator was brought in (one that I guess is more sensitive and accurate)...

Jevesh is stable and is doing fine...He gave us a scare but he is doing better today.

Keep Deepika and Jevesh in your thoughts...and thank you to all who have shared your kind words and support...you are their angels...

Tuesday December 16, 2008...Jevesh goes to surgery

On Monday, December 15, the doctors told Deepika the surgery would happen. When? Tuesday...maybe Wednesday...again, depending on Jevesh's condition, emergencies that might arise, unexpected changes...

On Tuesday, December 16, doctors told Deepika that Jevesh was second in line for surgery but that surgery prior to his was a 6-8 hour procedure...Jevesh could go to surgery that afternoon...maybe Wednesday...but...they would only be giving her an hour notice before taking him...

What kind of surgery would they be doing...Doctors had already warned Deepika...Due to the multiple defects of the heart, Jevesh will need to undergo a minimum of three surgeries, possibly more..,and spanning years...the first surgery, a shunt. Jevesh had been placed on a drug that was keeping the original ductus arteriosus, (the ductus arteriosus is a natural shunt present in the growing fetus that sends blood to the ventricles, bypassing the lungs which are not yet in use)...by putting in a new shunt, Jevesh could be taken off the drug, PGE, and reduce his risk of developing the side effects associated with the drug (including cessation of breathing).

Jevesh went in to surgery at 4pm on December 16, 2008....5 hours later, he came out...the surgery went well and there were no problems...soon, Deepika will be able to hold her sweet, courageous, baby....

Now he must heal, doctors must monitor, likely, there will be more tests, more information, ....more waiting

December 11th through December 14th, 2008...More Waiting

The remainder of the week that had started as a surprise, followed by joy, in turn followed by tragedy and heartache, was filled mostly with waiting and vague answers.

Deepika waited, sat by the bedside of Jevesh, spoke to him, prayed for him, caressed his tiny hand, bruised by IVs, kissed his cute little toes, swollen from the pokes of blood tests and the binding heartrate monitor, sang to him, calmed him...

The most the doctors could do was to attempt to explain and provide a little bit more clarity to the defects of Deepika's baby...draw a sketch, explain some more, give names to the seeming laundry list of problems they would be facing...and that surgery would likely happen "next week." When exactly? that would depend on his health, availability of operating room, and emergencies that might arise...

On Sunday, there was more good and bad news...scans of organs, brain, and spine, seemed to indicate that they were functioning normally, all except one, the spleen. The spleen, it appears, was not there...On top of the reversed organs, on top of the heart defects, Courageous Jevesh would have to face one more challenge...the absence of the spleen...known as asplenia (congenital asplenia to be exact, often associated with heterotaxy syndrome - the reversed organs).

The spleen is an organ in the body that is responsible for creating and destroying red blood cells and holds a reservoir of blood...most importantly, it is part of the immune system...its absence can result in susceptibility to infection...(information obtained from Wikipedia)...

December 10, 2008...More tests...More bad news

At 6:00AM Deepika and her friend arrived at Stanford. By this time, Stanford had already conducted a basic echocardiogram, confirming the findings from Enloe but with results that indicated that a more extensive battery of pictures would need to be taken.

They allowed Deepika to see Jevesh, who had been taken to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. There are no words to describe the heartbreak a mother feels as she sees her child lying in a hospital...IVs, breathing tubes, machines, ...to see her child try to cry, unable to make a sound...and as a mother, unable to do anything but caress his hand, whispering calming words, words of love, praying that everything will be ok...

The doctors told Deepika that they would know more, later that day, and to try and rest and take care of herself so she can be healthy for the baby.

The day was full of waiting...waiting for the pictures to be taken, talking to doctors and answering their questions, sitting at the "bedside" of Jevesh, seeing the pictures, then the results.

That evening, Deepika was able to speak to one of the doctors on the team that would be responsible for taking care of Jevesh...the news was not good, though the doctor's were hopeful...Jevesh did not have a single heart defect, he had multiple heart defects...What Deepika would later find out was that little Jevesh had 5 heart defects...no reason, no cause, simply a fluke, a genetic mistake during the early period of development...the cells got the messages wrong and as a result, Jevesh had a heart with defects...The doctors were kind, they were informative, but that much information at once tends to overwhelm...you are hearing the words while at the same time hoping they are wrong, that there is some mistake, that Jevesh will be ok...they ask if she has questions...but where to begin? what questions to ask? Deepika would ask many questions, get some answers, mostly vague, and was told that they would know more after further study of the echocardiogram pictures and consultation with other doctors...

One thing was certain, Jevesh would need surgery.

Through it all, one asks, how much more can a person take? How much tragedy can befall one person. How can such a good and wonderful and kind woman go from having the best year of her life with her best friend , her husband, finding out they would be parents, having a successful life...to losing her love and now watching her child fight for his life.

Deepika is one of the strongest, bravest women I know. I am proud to know her. Blessed to have her as a friend. I only wish I could do more to help her...Keep her in your thoughts, prayers, positive vibes, hearts...

December 09, 2008...Jevesh's Oxygen levels drop

Less than 24 hours after coming in to this world, things began to change for Jevesh and Deepika. Late in the afternoon of Tuesday, December 09, Deepika noticed that Jevesh's coloring was not right and his lips appeared darker, almost slightly blue. Deepika asked the nurse and Jevesh was taken to be checked.

A short time later, the nurse came to deliver the first of what would become a series of bad news. The blood oxygen levels in Jevesh's blood were at 40%...the levels should be at 80-90% or higher...

Jevesh was placed on oxygen and the on-call pediatrician was called in to evaluate the situation. An echocardiogram was conducted and it was discovered that Jevesh had a heart defect. The doctors would give Deepika very little more regarding his condition. It would be hours before the situation changed.

It was decided, after consultation with experienced doctors at the Children's Hospital in Stanford, that Jevesh would be life-flighted to their hospital for further tests and to stabilize his condition. Jevesh was flown by helicoptor/jet to Stanford while Deepika was released early to follow him by car. A friend drove her down to Stanford.

December 07, 08, and 09, 2008...Jevesh decides to arrive early

Our tale begins around 11:00pm on the evening of Sunday, December 11. Deepika's water breaks...She did not wake anyone immediately, unsure that it was really happening.

Upon waking the others, it was decided to wait. She was not feeling any contractions and the water was still coming...slowly. The next day, she went in to see her doctor, who confirmed that Deepika's water had indeed broken and she needed to be admitted. After going home to pick up a few things and have some lunch :) she headed to the hospital to be admitted. Then there was the waiting...and waiting...Even though Jevesh had decided to arrive a week early, he was going to take his time...

After some waiting and some effort, Jevesh entered the world...6lbs and 15.5 ounces to be exact and 20 inches long. He was beautiful...He was healthy...Deepika was smiling...staring in to the eyes of her beautiful, adorable son...Seeing herself, Seeing Amit, Seeing her boy...

Then there was rest, at least a little.

Strength, Love, and Hope

This blog is the ongoing story of

The Tandon Family of Chico...

Amit and Deepika Tandon married on December 28 of 2007. They were best friends and loved each other deeply. Ask anyone who had the pleasure of meeting them...She loved him so much and he loved her absolutely...They laughed and smiled, the kindness they showed each other and everyone they met warmed the heart. Amit was magnetic and charismatic, Deepika, kind and warm. Amit and Deepika came to know they would be parents in the spring of 2008...If only one could have taken a snapshot in that one moment...I can only imagine that Amit must have been just about ready to burst...For the next months, Amit cared for Deepika...protecting her, taking care of her, preparing for their life as parents.

On August 6th, 2008 tragedy struck when the life of Amit Tandon was stolen by Drunk Driver Troy Hovey of Chico. Deepika was five months pregnant...they had only just found out two days prior that they were having a boy. Deepika was heartbroken...there are no words to describe the emotions...to feel your heart torn from your body...to know your love will never walk through the door again, that she will never feel his embrace...the struggle to come to terms with such tragedy and heartbreak. Deepika grieved and still does...Chico grieves with her.

Tragedy continued when Troy Hovey's actions went unpunished. Judge Glusman sentenced Hovey to only 180 days in jail (of which he served less than half, being let out early to go to alcohol rehab) three years probation, and only losing his driver's license for one year. I will not talk more of Hovey and such terrible things...To read more about these actions, please see the blog "Taking Action"...I have included the majority of the statement that Deepika had read in court, news contacts and links, and additional information and facts that people have shared on comment pages.

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In this blog I will keep everyone updated as to the health of Deepika and her baby boy. She has named him Jevesh, meaning Courageous.

Jevesh was born a week early, on 12/09/08 at 0200 ...he weighed 7lbs and was 20 inches long...less than 24 hours later, Jevesh was losing oxygen. Instead of 80-90% oxygen saturation in his blood, he was at 40%. Thanks to Deepika, she had him evaluated and the doctors put Jevesh on oxygen. The doctor's at Enloe proceeded with an echocardiogram (a picture of the heart). The results showed a defect of the heart. Doctor's at Stanford were contacted and Jevesh was life-flighted to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. A friend drove Deepika down to the hospital...Deepika is staying at the hospital (they have sleeping arrangements for parents) and is on a waiting list to get in to the Ronald McDonald House.

Here is one of the first pics of Deepika and Amit's Beautiful Jevesh (my heart breaks for this family)...