My son, Steven, was one of the few children to be diagnosed with Hirschsprung's at such a late age. Steven was 10 in December and was diagnosed in mid-February.
Steven had been to MANY doctors and specialists, but unfortunately no tests were ever done on him. Then we met a very observant paediatrian the last day of January who sent up the red flag with regard to Hirschsprung's. Things happened so fast, I can hardly remember what happened when. After spending a week at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto, Canada, Steven was diagnosed.
Because of the trauma to his bowel over the last 10 years, we were told that the pull-through surgery would not work until his bowel was down to normal size. We were told that he would require a temporary colostomy to allow things to settle down. Devastated as we all were, Steven was the rock and was so strong through this all. Steven's surgery was March 1, 2000 - for the colostomy - no date set yet for the pull-through.
I have attached to this e-mail an article that was written about Steven in our local newspaper. It pretty well brings Steven's story up to date. If there are any children out there who have to go through what my son has been through, I only hope that his story encourages you, as it has done me. For all you parents out there whose children need to go through this, be strong, and with your love and support you will be surprised how well your children cope.
Kym Davies