Weathersfield toddler ready for surgery to repair organ ‘bubble’

Wesley Skruck

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Wesley Skruck, 3, was born with several of his organs in a sack outside his body. A March 26 surgery is planned to correct this.

By William k. Alcorn

The boy was born with a sack of internal body parts outside of his stomach.

WEATHERSFIELD — The mother of 3-year-old old Wesley Lou Skruck says she isn’t sure her son wants to lose his “bubble,” a softball-sized sack outside his stomach that holds five of his organs.

But his parents, Pamela and Lewis, are ready for their youngest son to have a normal existence, with everything in the right place.

Surgery to place Wesley’s “bubble” and organs inside his body is scheduled to begin Thursday at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. The first procedure is to install a silo in Wesley’s stomach area. Then, when it is determined he is ready, the organs will be squeezed into their proper positions.

The Skrucks knew before Wesley was born on Sept. 8, 2005, in St. Elizabeth Health Center, that he had a rare condition called omphalocele, in which organs are located outside the body. Immediately after he was born, he was taken to Cleveland Clinic for treatment, where he spent the first three months of his life.

In Wesley’s case, the organs, all functioning, are the small and large intestines, stomach, liver and spleen.

Even though they knew what to expect, and had thoroughly researched the condition on the Internet, “It was heart-breaking,” Pamela said.

The sack, when Wesley was born six weeks early, weighing 3 pounds, 3 ounces, was grapefruit-size, his mother said.

Despite the shock, despite the seemingly endless trips to the hospital to deal with the easily acquired infections that Wesley was not strong enough to resist, despite the fear that the sack might be punctured or injured in some other way, Pamela said they have been lucky.

Wesley doesn’t have Down Syndrome or mental retardation or heart problems, conditions which often accompany omphalocele babies, she said.

Developmentally, he is normal. He talks a blue streak, is very personable, has a hearty laugh and takes his coffee with lots of milk.

The main way the condition has affected Wesley physically is that he has a hard time gaining weight. His stomach is slightly tilted, making him feel full, so he doesn’t eat much, his mother said. He is of normal height for his age but weighs only 271‚Ñ2 pounds.

He has a surgically implanted port, called a broviac line, through which he receives nutrients 12 hours a day while he is sleeping. The port has not been without its problems. Once it was pulled out, and another time an infection developed at the site, Pamela said.

When he was born, it was thought Wesley would have corrective surgery in about a year. However, it took more than three years for him to gain enough strength and size to enable him to withstand the delicate and lengthy surgery, the initial step of which the doctor said will take at least four hours.

In spite of his condition, which keeps him mostly indoors in the winter, Wesley is a normal kid.

He rolls around on the floor, likes “Handy Manny” and “Bob and his Tools” on TV, and has his favorite teddy bear and stuffed cat and dog.

He goes to his brother’s karate classes three times a week, then comes home and tries the moves himself.

Brother Wyatt, in kindergarten at Seaborn Elementary School in Mineral Ridge, was a national karate champion in self-defense in his age group when he was 5, and has many trophies.

Wesley’s father, Lewis, 37, works for Aerotech Mechanical in Boardman, and is a graduate of Girard High School. Pamela, 42, a Leetonia High School graduate, was laid off in August 2008 from her job with Universal Development in Liberty. But she continues to pay for her insurance to help with health care expenses.

Wesley’s grandparents are Larry Skruck of McDonald, and Paul and Bernice Holisky, who live next door in Weathersfield. In addition to caring for Wesley, Pamela and Lewis also help care for her father, who was paralyzed from the neck down in an automobile crash in September 1988.

The Skrucks said when he was born that Wesley was going to a million-dollar baby, and he is well on his way to that. She estimated Wesley’s health costs are about $600,000 so far.

Doctors expect Wesley to have a full recovery without any side effects from his condition.

Pamela and Lewis, members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in McDonald, say they just want a normal son.

Pamela said their plan is to get him healthy enough by summer so he can go outside and play without fear of infection or hurting himself.

“By September, I would love to have him potty-trained and ready for pre-school,” she said.

alcorn@vindy.com