Amanda Mayes lives in Logan County with her husband Michael and their four children, Ava, Elijah, Caleb, and Gabriel.
In the summer of 2012 we had, what we thought, was a healthy baby boy,
number two for our small family. We named him Elijah. However, during the routine exam by nurses they discovered a heart murmur.
The staff assured us that this happened frequently and usually everything was fine. Nonetheless, the pediatrician-on-call decided to do an echocardiogram to be sure.
Our entire life changed at this moment. They discovered that Elijah had a congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This is a condition that affects only about 1 out of every 4,300 babies. The echo on that the left side of his heart did not function nd his aorta was too small.
They immediately inserted a breathing tube and life-flighted him to Kosair Children's Hospital. Once we arrived at the hospital and spoke with the doctors they informed us he had a 30 percent chance of survival with surgery and no chance of survival without.
Thus, when he was three days old they completed the first of a three-stage open heart surgery. During this surgery they combined his pulmonary artery and aorta into one piece and placed a shunt to allow blood flow.
He did better than expected and after six weeks he got to come home on several medications, a heart monitor, and a surgically placed feeding tube.
Later that year it became evident that he needed his another surgery. In the fall of 2012 he had his second heart surgery. They removed the shunt from his first surgery and placed a permanent tubing that connected the pulmonary artery to the vessel that returns blood from the body to the heart. After this surgery he thrived and began to enjoy life.
Then in the fall of 2014 he began to show signs that he needed his third surgery. So, in the spring of 2015, right after the birth of his new little brother, they completed the final stage of his surgeries. This final stage finally allowed blood coming back from his body to go into the lungs.
Since this final surgery Elijah has grown and thrived and become a big
brother again! He is happy and funny and even plays teeball just like any other five-year-old can.
Unfortunately, Elijah is not cured. He currently has a moderate leak from his aortic valve and still has a hard time overcoming respiratory illnesses. As he grows and his body changes. he will likely develop new complications that require more surgeries, a possibly a heart transplant. However, we have hope and faith that the research being done by the American Heart Association and The Children's Heart Foundation will one day mean an easier journey for children like Elijah!
The Warren County Heart Walk will be held at Bowling Green Ballpark this Saturday with registration starting at 8 a.m. and the walk beginning at 9. People can donate in Elijah's honor via http://www2.heart.org/goto/Elijahsheart, or they can donate directly to AHA or the CHF website, or on site at the heart walk.