1 in 120 babies are born with some sort of congenital heart defect. I was 1 in 120. A lot of people do not know about these statistics. It is nothing to be worried about, but it is important to be aware.
This is my story:
I was born with patent ductus arteriosus and congenital pulmonary venous stenosis.I was born 6 weeks early, and at 3 weeks, I was having trouble breathing. The doctors found a rapidly growing cyst on my right lung. I had surgery immediately, which removed a lobe of my lung. This helped to close my PDA. Still, I continued to have trouble staying oxygenated. I was diagnosed with congenital pulmonary venous stenosis at three months. I had my surgery in Birmingham, AL in November of 1983, at three months.
My surgeon, Dr. Pacifico preformed a new procedure where they used my tissue to create a bypass on one side of my heart and to strengthen the vein on the other side. My parents were not given a % chance of my survival, because it was so risky. No child before me had lived over 18 months from this rare disorder. It was thought that one vein would be hard to get to due to the angle of a heart inside the cavity. However, when I was opened up, my veins were both visible. I am now 26, and perfectly healthy. I have never had subsequent surgeries, and have never had a problem with my blood-oxygen level. My doctor has told my parents that this surgery paved the way for other children with pulmonary venous stenosis, but unfortunately few have been as healthy.
God still works miracles! I have been told since I was young that God chose to keep me here, and keep me healthy, for a reason. My scar has always been a badge of honor. As a senior in high school, the senior picture photographer tried to "blur" out my scar (which is nearly invisible!) and I took my photos back to be un-retouched.It infuriated me that they would try to remove it! It has always been a part of me, and without it, I would not be here.
I am now pregnant and expecting in Feb. I go for a fetal echo on Sept 24, just to make sure all is well with my little one, and I am praying for a healthy baby :)
This was taken after my open heart surgery on November of 1983.
4 comments:
So happy and so thankful to Jesus for your life and because I get to know you and love you!
So glad that this baby grew up healthy and turned out to be such a wonderful adult! Can't wait to meet the new little one!
I love you - God is GREAT!
Wow, Brandi! What an amazing story?! We are currently trying to find and adopt a baby girl with a (potentially more minor) congenital heart defect off of the special needs list in China. So neat to read your story. Congrats on your baby girl!
Post a Comment