Our Little Hero

~ Jordan Joseph LaFond ~

October 18, 2011 - November 21, 2011

One Tough Little Nut

Even until the very end, Mommy and Daddy were pulling for Jordan, their tough little nut. A condition known as Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, or CDH, claimed our son's life. Although he was the biggest baby in the NICU and a tenacious fighter, pulmonary hypertension was too much to overcome. Jordan received the best treatment in the world for this condition at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).  CHOP was the only home that Jordan knew in his short life and the medical team became our family.  CHOP was fantastic and Jordan was in the right place.  Even the best doctors in the world cannot grow pulmonary vessels.

Big Brother Caleb Giving Jordan His Last Goodbye Kiss

Jordan is our hero.  Our little baby fought through every stage of treatment for over a month.  During the healing phase, when they try to wean life support, Jordan responded fantastically for the first 48 hours.  That is the ugly nature of CDH though.  Jordan lacked the amount of pulmonary vessels necessary for oxygenation.  CHOP can help heal lungs, but they cannot grow vessels.  Because the heart could not push blood to the lungs, the right side of the heart became too strong - mixing both oxygenated and unoxygenated blood.  It was a vicious cycle that proved to be too much.

Jordan fought to the very end.  He inspired his parents, family and friends along the way.  We could never give up because Jordan inspired hope in us.  The first and only time we ever had the privilege of holding our son was right at the end.  It would have been impossible to summon the strength to hold our precious child as he struggled for his last breaths, except that we owed it to him for fighting so hard.  Words cannot describe how much we will miss his presence, but we know that Jordan is not struggling anymore.  He has fought his fight and he inspired so many people.

So many people will be deeply affected tonight and in the weeks to come.  Please accept a warm hug and our deepest gratitude to all who prayed for Jordan.  Our family has taken great strength in those prayers.

Goodbye for now Jordan.  Thank you God for our son.  Until we meet again, we will take strength from having the opportunity to have known our little hero.

Baby Jordan's Last Day & First Time in Mommy's Arms