Baby Sam update

I've been contacted several times asking for updates on this little guy, so thought I would post here for anyone who is interested. Sam is now 1 month old! Hard to believe. He's definitely a fighter, but still has lots to get through before he gets to go home. Both of his parents, and his 3 siblings, are all at Mayo this week to spend Christmas with him, together as a family. It's hard to be at the hospital over Christmas, but they are just very happy to all be together again. Here's the latest update from Joy, as of 2 pm Sunday afternoon:

"Samuel will need surgery tomorrow. The name for the surgery is a thoricotomy with a ligation of the thoracic duct. They will take him down to the OR, prep him with anesthesia, and make an incision on his right side in between his little tiny ribs. They will then make a determination as best they can as to where the leak is and tie it off. They will do this with the expectation that the fluid and drainage will decrease from his 3rd spacing area around his lungs. Right now he is still draining a lot every day from his chest tube, and surgery was almost a month ago.
He needs this to decrease so he can start to get stronger and heal properly. He is weak right now.

All of the risks of surgery were explained to us. Obviously it is not as major as a heart surgery, but it is still a surgery...and for a tiny little prematurely born new baby who has already been through so so much it is a lot. It does not get any easier to hear that there is a risk of death for your child. There are not words to make you understand what a difficult thing it is to sign a consent form giving your permission to operate on your baby after you hear those things. You have to physically make yourself put the pen to paper. "

Sam's surgery is the first case today, so will be taking place sometime between 6 and 8 am CST. I know his family will appreciate your continued prayers and warm thoughts. Thank you, on behalf of all of them!