Pam Skruck was 14 weeks pregnant when she got the news. Her unborn son, Wesley had some complications. His stomach, small and large intestine, liver and spline were not where they're supposed to be. For this family from McDonald, that was just the beginning of a 3 and a half year journey.
Call him the Million Dollar Baby, a Walking Miracle, or Wesley. This little 3 and a half year old will have quite the story when he's old enough to tell it.
"You could just see this bubble, just looked like a bubble, where his belly was and I was like what is that?" says Wesley's mom Pam.
Wesley Skruck was born with a rare condition called omphalocele in which which all his organs were protruding from his body when he was born, inside this "bubble". "He had the large and small intestine, stomach, spline and liver," says Pam.
It's not definite, but Wesley's doctor at the Cleveland Clinic believes it was caused by a kink in the umbilical cord causing his organs to rupture through his belly button. Only one in every 10,000 babies are born with the complication.
Pam says, "When I first found out, all I did was cry for the first day because I was thinking, oh my God. How does this kid lead a normal life? What happens if he gets hit in the stomach?"
But, for the most part, he did lead a normal life. Although some things like crawling were a little difficult. "He never crawled. He scooted around on his bottom. So needless to say, he ripped every onesie on the bottom," says Pam.
By the time he turned a year old doctors thought they could correct Wesley's bubble, but that didn't happen. It took much longer for this little guy to build up enough strength to tolerate a life-threatening procedure.
To make the operation easier, Dr. John DiFiore and his team learned of a new surgical procedure done out of state but never at the Cleveland Clinic. They would expand Wesley's bubble. Pam explains, "They put in a balloon and filled it with saline so much every day and just let it expand. They had done other omphalocele procedures, but this was the first time they ever used an expander to help the organs go in. So this was a first for them." And it worked.
Today, less than two months after that life-threatening surgery, Wesley's bubble has deflated. As he pulls up his shirt, he shows us his organs are securely in place, and he's doing great. In fact, it was hard for us and his six-year-old brother Wyatt to keep up with him at his McDonald home.
Along with regular check ups, Wesley's on medication to help his digestive track and he munches down extra doses of protein...and ice-cream!
"Once his incision heals, then he can do whatever he wants to do like sports. It will be just like nothing ever happened to him," says Pam.
By this time next year, little Wesley Skruck will be starting pre-school. Perhaps it will be there that he'll tell his story: The Story of the MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
From birth, Wesley's medical expenses are estimated at 1-million dollars, and it gets worse. Both of his parents are laid off from work, meaning their medical insurance is expiring. So, a few fundraisers are planned to help-out the family.
Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27, GTA Karate in Girard will hold a rummage sale, bake sale and chinese auction. Then Sunday night a Dinner Benefit will be held at The Mahoning County Country Club in Girard.
For more information or how you can help call 330-545-6102.
