Sadie, born 2016

When our little Sadie was born, we had no idea she had a heart defect. In fact, we had no idea for almost seven months. Two days after Christmas 2016, while packing for a trip out of town for New Years, I heard a slight change in Sadie's breathing. I decided to take her in to the pediatrician for a quick checkup the next morning to be sure it was safe to travel. The doctor heard a wheeze too and sent us for a chest x-ray that same day. We were shocked when the chest x-ray came back showing an enlarged heart and cloudy lungs. Our girl had never once been sick in seven months, how could her lungs look like this? They sent us on to the hospital for an ECG. From this we learned about the large hole in her heart that was causing her lung congestion. Within a month we had seen specialists and were preparing for open heart surgery.

 

The morning that I had to hand my little baby over to a nurse to be taken back for surgery is a moment in time that will never cease to bring me to tears. When we finally got to see her it was a mix of joy and terror as we saw all the tubes and wires that she would need to help her recover over the next week. Each day got better, and each day another tube or wire would come out. Sadie did recover beautifully, and they sent us home five days after surgery. I am so amazed at the resiliency of these beautiful heart babies. Every time I look at Sadie I am reminded to keep fighting and keep holding on.

 

Story by Sadie’s mom, Rachel - Florida