Harper’s complex heart condition was fortunately found antenatally. Mum, Madison, tells us their story:
(The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.)
I found out at my 20-week antenatal scan that my daughter, Harper, had something wrong with her heart. Within 24 hours, I was at a specialist hospital, where the fetal medicine team diagnosed my daughter with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) type condition with pulmonary stenosis, VSD, and double outlet right ventricle (DORV).
Harper was then born at 37+5 weeks via emergency caesarean section, spending a total of six weeks in intensive care.
At two weeks old, Harper needed surgery to expand the narrowing of the pulmonary valve as the oxygenated blood to the lungs was pumping straight back down and not entering the lungs. Harper had a stent fitted in the valve with a balloon inside the stent to expand it.
At ten months old, Harper had a surgical repair where the doctors fixed the VSD, removed the pulmonary valve, and made a mesh patch valve. The doctors also removed the vascular ring that collapsed into her windpipe, meaning before this surgery, Harper was in and out of our local hospital, requiring oxygen.
Looking forward, Harper will need another surgery to fit a pulmonary valve, which could be from three years old.
You must be logged in to post a comment.