Saving Little Hearts

Lauren was born on July 2, 2003 on July 3, 2007 she we were told that she has a serious heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot compounded by Pulmonary Valve Atresia. We will never forget this day. We were packed and ready to take our new baby home when the Ped. came in and told us he heard a murmur and that he had called a PC in to take a look at her. The PC was up to see her in just 10 minutes from there things moved very fast. The PC came in with a picture that he had drawn and told us that Lauren was in very critical condition and that they had moved her to the ICU and called the Pediaflight team from our local Children's hospital. We went to the ICU were they gave us a picture of Lauren and a bag with her cloths in it. We met the entire Pediaflight team. We were told to get to the Children's hospital ASAP. The hospital was a 45 minute drive for us, however it seemed like hours. We walked into the ICU and gave Lauren a kiss as the took her to the Cath lab. She was in that Cath lab of over 7 hours, they tired to open the membrane to her pulmonary artery. After 7 hours they came out and told us that it did not work and that she would need a shunt placement. On July 4th our older two children came to the hospital and we had Lauren Baptized. Since it was 4th of July all the doctors were off so they would not do the shunt placement until the 6th. The morning of the 6th came and they took Lauren off to surgery after 6 hours they came out and told us Lauren had done wonderful. A week later we went home. We were home for about a week and Lauren came down with a 101 temp. We rushed her to the children's hospital were she was admitted for Endocarditis. We were in the hospital for 2 months for treatment. We finally brought our little one home again to have to rush her back a few days later. She had developed Colitis as a result of the medicine given for the Endocarditis. Thankfully we were able to treat her at home. Around 5 months of age Lauren started having a lot of blue spells, and her sats were in the low 80's we went in for a heart cath and they found she had already outgrown the shunt, we were told this would not happen until she was a year old. Again things moved fast and she had her repair at 6 months old. She went in and after 8 hours they came out and told us we could go see her, when we walked in her bed was covered with doctors and nurses. We were told that she was bleeding to much and that they were rushing her back in. Our wonderful ped. was there and talked to her doctors then came to the ICU waiting to be with us. After 2 hours they came out and told us she was doing great. By 6am the next morning she had pulled out all of her IV lines and was trying to pull out the tube to the Vent. The doctors made their rounds and the took her off the Vent, the next day we went to the Special Care Unit and home three days later. Lauren will be 4 in July and has been very healthy since. We are on Yearly PC appoints. We know Lauren will have more surgery in the years to come.

This year we worked really had and had the Governor of Mississippi as well as our local Mayor proclaim the week of 2/7/07-2/14/07 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week.

Pictured Left to right , Mayor Greg Davis, Jayme, Lauren - This is when the girls received their proclamation.

Jayme was born June 15th, 2003. She also has Tetralogy of Fallot. Our girls met in the ICU on 1/28/04. Jayme had her repair on 1/27/04 and Lauren had her on 1/28/04. They were side by side in the ICU and we have been close friends since that day.

Thanks for letting me share Lauren's story with you.

Cordt, Mary, Kayla, Matthew & Lauren