Cranio Kid June 2010

Congratulations to Thomas Joseph Phelan

Thomas Joseph Phelan was born on Monday, May 18, 2009...a healthy and beautiful
baby boy! We were so thrilled and I instantly fell in love, as did his two big sisters! On
June 4, 2009, at a routine four-week doctor?s check-up, Thomas was suspected to have
Craniosynostosis and referred to a pediatric neurosurgeon. This was the first day of our
journey and the nightmare that we would face!  For the weeks that followed, I was overly consumed with finding out as much information as possible about this “C” word. I spent countless hours and days  researching Craniosynostosis and interviewing pediatric neurosurgeons in the area, all of whom were extraordinarily qualified and informed on the best way to treat Thomas? condition. On August 24th, at three months of age, Dr. Leslie Sutton at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) performed surgery to correct Thomas? fused sagittal suture. Thomas spent four long days in the PICU with the most amazing nurses in the world caring for him. He has healed beautifully and in February, at his six month postop visit with Dr. Sutton, he was fully discharged and told to “have a nice life”. Dr. Sutton and his surgical team were unbelievably thrilled with how amazing Thomas? head and scar looked. We just celebrated Thomas? first birthday on May 18th and it was a time to smile to reflect back on our amazing journey with Craniosynostosis. As a gift to my angel Thomas, I created a website on his behalf (www.thomasjoseph.weebly.com) and continue in my efforts to reach out to other families who are facing what we did last year. Craniosynostosis has changed our lives and the people who we have met along the way, and continue to meet everyday, will always hold a special place in my heart.