Happy Birthday

Oleyen would have her first birthday today.
Many people are thinking of her this week.
Peace to all...

Epilogue

Hello everyone,
I notice that as we near the 3 month mark since Oleyen's birth, I am still getting a substantial amount of hits on this site. I'll keep it available indefinitely.

We do have some more information on Oleyen's condition, which might seem like bad news, but actually makes her life all the more remarkable in comparison.

Oleyen did not have "congenital diaphragmatic hernia" as the doctors thought. She had a rare condition called "agenesis of the diaphragm" - which translates into - rather than having just a hole, she had no diaphragm at all. It was a fatal condition - surgery would not have helped her.

What is remarkable is that of the only 5 previously reported cases of this condition, none lived past a few hours beyond birth - except Oleyen. Oleyen was given 19 days with her family that no other child with this condition has ever been granted. She breathed on her own when she physically had no ability to do so. There is no medical explanation for this.

I find this strangely comforting, that she put out that much effort to be with us as long as she did. It makes me appreciate it more, in a way. Plus, we Vollette girls love to prove the medical community wrong anyway...

Stay warm,
Lauren

Thank You All

Last night we had the memorial service for Oleyen. I wanted to thank you all for coming. It was amazing seeing how many friends and family were there to support Neely and Chris. For those of you who weren't able to attend (for instance, Marisha was stuck in Denver and I know it killed her not to be there for her sister) I will give a brief synopsis.

I started off things with a welcome and introduced Edward Kist, Chris's brother. He read an incredibly touching and sincere message from him and his wife, expressing their deepest sympathy for the loss of a child. Connie Ralston-Roberts read a poem entitled The Common Destiny that basically delivered the message that we all go from birth to death, and we should appreciate every moment of the inbetween. Nan Vollette (Nana) read letters from the doctor that treated Oleyen. He took the time to write to the family and let us know that the short time the he knew our baby had renewed him as a physician and touched him on the deepest level. I personally lost it when he said that a part of him died with Oleyen, and yet a part of him was reborn. It was very moving. For that reaction alone could have been her destiny here.

I think we all came away from the service feeling just a little more healed, a little more appreciative of the people around us that we love, and a little more aware of our blessings in life. For some of us, this was an emotional journey on so many levels, awakening pain for some who had lost loved ones recently, or for others that had lost children.

I'll end this post with the quote I used, "It is not the length of life, but the depth of life" and we all experienced last night now deep her life was. Thank you all for being there, in body or in spirit.
- Lauren

Memorial Service - Sunday, November 28

To all, a memorial service will be held from 6pm - 8pm on Sunday, November 28th at the Weymouth Funeral Home in Newport News, Virginia for Oleyen Vollette-Kist. Weymouth Funeral home is located at 12746 Nettles Dr, Newport News, VA 23606. The service is open to the public, and all friends and family are invited. If you would like to read at the service, or contribute to the open ceremony, please contact Nan Vollette at 757-749-8118. We hope to see you all there. In lieu of flowers, please contact Nan Vollette for donation information. Thank you all again for your wonderful support during this time. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

She chose to move on...

Every once in a while there comes into your life an angel that reminds you that every moment is precious. For us, this angel was Oleyen Hannah Vollette-Kist.

Oleyen passed from this life at 1:30 pm today, in her mother's arms, being adored by her father. She was going to surgery today when she suffered a massive hemmorage in her chest, making surgery impossible. Neely and Chris chose to spend her last moments with her, rocking her, and holding her with no tubes, no wires and no drugs. She exited this life the same way she came in, naturally.

Thank you all for your prayers, your thoughts, your hopes and your help. Oleyen came into this world and made an impact, reminding us all not to take life for granted and to cherish every moment. She did what she was sent to do, and when she was done, she chose to move on...

For every moment we had with her, we were blessed. Thank you Oleyen. Your family will miss you and always love you.

In Memory Of Oleyen Hannah Vollette-Kist
November 1, 2004 - November 19, 2004

She's off ECMO & in Mommy's Arms

Well, I feel a bit neglectful. We've had a lot of news in the last 24 hours. Yesterday they determined that she was doing very well. She's off the ECMO machine and they are taking the tubes out of her neck today - which means one thing -- Neely and Chris get to hold her for the very first time. Now what's so amazing is that they have NEVER held her. She was worked on because of low response from the minute she was born, so the most they could do was hold her feet while the midwife administered CPR and checked her vitals before deciding to transfer her to the hospital immediately.

She will have some snuggle time with mom and dad before her surgery on Friday (or sooner) and then by next week we should be over the major crisis. Nan just got back with new pictures from the hospital, and I'm posting them right now. So check on the PHOTO PAGE for the new pictures of the baby with her eyes open!!

Nan says she just looks so "pissed off" at being stuck in a world of tubes and iv cords. She'll be so happy to experience life without them soon. Tomorrow I won't be posting, but I should be back online by Friday. Till then...

Big Decision Day

I was lucky enough this morning to actually talk to Neely. I haven't talked with her in quite a while, as she's been a bit preoccupied. She told me that last night, Oleyen didn't do so good on the 15% so they had to increase it to 25% and start working down again. Part of that was her breathing tube wasn't large enough for her to get oxygen. She was having to work too hard. So they changed the breathing tube, and started the process again. She should be off of it by today, but if she isn't, then they'll have to do the surgery with her on the machine. That is the big decision today. Neely will let me or Nan know what the doctor decides. Neely did say, that when they changed her breathing tube, she was moving around too much. They had to give her medication to essentially paralyze her --and it still didn't work!! She is still a mover and shaker...
Smiles and hope...

Almost to Idle State

I recieved word last night that they have reduced the ECMO to only 15% and Oleyen's lungs are doing the rest. When they get down to 10%, she will be at an "idle" state. When she's at idle for 8 hours, they consider her weaned. She will then be allowed to heal for a few days and have surgery probably on thursday. She's doing well, and we are all hoping that the good news keeps coming. I've been having a few troubles with the redirection of this site, so if you get a page that says "Index Directory for Oleyen" then something screwed up. I'm trying to fix it.
Till later...

Ok, good news at last!!

Ok people, we got a break!
Nan called and told me and Oleyen is doing much better. The ECMO was originally at 60%, and they were able to reduce it to 40% today. Her lungs are responding well, and the oxygen levels are up. She could be weaned from the machine as soon as Monday. She'll probably go into surgery on Wednesday. She has a good prognosis now. Actually, the neatest thing I was told was that Oleyen wakes up often now, looks around and kicks her legs. She interacts with her parents, making eye contact and moving her limbs around. At one point, when they had to change a line or something, they had to sedate her because she was moving around too much. Nan took more pictures and hopefully she'll bring them for me to post by next week. Nan said she has lots of life in her...

A little bit more info

Ok, well I haven't heard much. All I've heard so far is that they are considering doing the surgery in middle of this coming week. That would mean doing surgery before they wean her off of the ECMO, which is risky. She is on blood thinners and cannot be jostled, but I've read many instances where this procedure is done on the ECMO. It gives her a better chance of surviving the surgery. Anyway, I've also heard that they are trying to inflate her lungs in preparation for them to take over the job of breathing and that is slow going. Not sure how well she's taking to that.

I've gotten the photo page to link correctly now, so you can see some of the pics Nan took last week for those of us who aren't able to see her (almost everyone).

Some of us are having trouble doing the posting to this. You can either sign up for an account which will allow your name to be posted everytime you post a comment, or you can post anonymously. If you do the latter, then make sure you sign your name within the post.
Peace to all...

No Change

Hello,
Well, Nan is up with the baby, and Neely came down for one night to spend Noveigh's birthday with her. They went to see the Wiggles, some absurdly irritating australian gay men who entertain children. However, kids love them and mothers find themselves singing their songs in the shower... I don't understand it, but I have a 7 yr old, and I find myself getting sucked into the rules of Yu-gi-oh, and getting excited when my son gets another Blue-eyed, crystal dragon card. So, I guess we are all victims of adolescent consumerism.

I did find some interesting information about Oleyen's condition - here is a link to a site if anyone would like to read more about it.
http://www.cherubs-cdh.org
This site has a lot of info and stories of other parents' struggles. What is apparent from these stories are 1) Oleyen has a severe case and 2) that doesn't effect her chances, as severe cases are known to pull through, while minor cases may submit early to the condition.
It's all individual.

Till tomorrow...

First Entry

Hi everyone,
Hope you made it here safely. I've never hosted a blog before, so we are going to see how this works. I'm sure my writer's tendency will show as I drone on and on and on and on.

Update on Oleyen:
Ok, I've heard today that they will be weaning Oleyen off the ECMO machine (infant heart/lung bypass machine) starting Friday. This is a long process, because they have to make sure as they slow down the machine, Oleyen's lungs and heart take over the function of oxygenating the blood. However, she only has until next Friday (19th) to finish this process because apparently the ECMO machine can only be used for 14 days. She'll be over that limit, but she won't have any more time. This is a critical time right now, and the most dangerous of the steps to recovery.

They have said they were going to start this process last week, but have not for some reason or another. Neely and Chris are up there, and will be by her side for this transition. Oleyen is a Vollette woman, so she's gotta be a fighter. It's in her genes - all of us girls are stubborn.

You can use this site to post remarks to the couple if you'd like. They really don't have access to the internet, but Mom will be bringing them printed out emails or letters.

I'll write more as soon as I know more.
Keep up the good energy...

Original Email

Hello everyone,

Most of you have heard our news. Oleyen Hannah Vollette-Kist, my new niece, was born to Neely Vollette and Chris Kist on November 1, 2004 at 7:23am.

Unfortunately, Oleyen is a very sick little girl, and we are all hoping for the best. She is being cared for at the Washington DC Children’s Hospital. She has a diaphragmic hernia and is on life support. She will go in soon for a very complicated and risky surgery, which as of yet, she is still gaining her strength for.

I have been asked how we can help this young family cope with this crisis, and I’m sending out this email to give a few ideas. In lieu of flowers, here are some suggestions of ways to expressing your concern that will help Neely and Chris in their long road to recovery for their little girl.

A Harris Teeter Gift card can be purchased and sent to the couple – they are staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Washington D.C. and having to maintain two households while both being out of work during this ordeal
Cards can be purchased online here: https://www.harristeeter.com/ .

Other gifts can be a Target Gift Card so they can buy diapers and supplies for the baby

Chris is commuting back and forth from Hampton Roads several times a week in order to care for Neely’s daughter Noveigh and to work. A gas card would be incredibly helpful.
Any of these can be ordered online and sent by postal mail to:

Chris and Neely Vollette-Kist
c/o Ronald McDonald House1326 Quincy Street, N.E.Washington, D.C. 20017

or
Chris and Neely Vollette-Kist
310 Raleigh Ave
Hampton, VA 23661

They are unable to take phone calls right now, but if you’d like to shoot an email to Nan@vollette.com, she will print them out and bring them to the hospital for Neely and Chris to read.

I will be making a web site located at http://www.vollette.com/oleyen that will contain pictures of the baby and family, and updates on daily basis of how she is progressing…a blog if you will.
That site should be up and running in the next day or two, so feel free to spread the link around.

Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers. They are truly appreciated, and needed right now.

All our love from the Vollette Family, the Kist Family and the Vollette-Kist Family.

Lauren Vollette
Lauren@vollette.com