 | |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Little Miracles Nicholas McAvena A warm, yet shy smile is the first thing you notice about Nicholas McAvena. This month, Nicholas will celebrate his ninth birthday-one of the first where he'll be able to enjoy the cake and communicate without using sign language. Nicholas was born with a variety of respiratory issues, only a left heart valve and a hole in his heart. Nicholas had his first surgery when he was only a week old. Doctors inserted an artificial valve. Due to complications, Nicholas needed a tracheotomy. Nicholas was finally able to go home to his parents and three older siblings after six months at the Stollery Children's Hospital. Over the next few months Nicholas was in and out of the hospital, often with pneumonia. Nicholas's mom Melanie says, "I could stay there with him, and feel comfortable. All of the respiratory staff and therapists were fantastic. They would reassure me and provide encouragement." Because of the tracheotomy, Nicholas used sign language to communicate and was fed through a tube. He had his second open heart surgery when he was five years old, his right heart valve had to be replaced. That was followed by the removal of the tracheotomy, reconstructive airway surgery and a 14-day induced coma to allow his throat to heal. A few months later the tracheotomy had to be put back in, which meant another induced coma. In 2006 the tracheotomy was removed. At seven and a half, Nicholas tasted food for the first time and learned to speak. Today Nicholas is able to speak and doing well in school. He can now run and keep up with his friends. Nicholas is expected to have another surgery to replace the valve. For the rest of his life doctors will always have to ensure it is working properly. Aside from that, Nicholas will lead a normal, healthy life. "Because of the staff at the Stollery he's overcome so much and is doing incredibly well," says Melanie, "That's why he's our miracle." You can help make another Little Miracle happen by calling the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation at 433-KIDS (5437). Hannah Crowther At just 10 years old, Hannah Crowther has overcome more obstacles than most people will face in a lifetime. Still, she is high energy, outgoing, chatty and always up for a laugh. As you watch Hannah giggle and play with her twin brother, it's difficult to imagine how her life could have been. Hannah and her brother Jacob were born one month early. While Jacob was healthy, Hannah was born with a condition known as Hydrocephalus, a build up of cerebrospinal fluid on her brain, and was immediately taken to surgery. Doctors inserted a shunt to relieve the pressure caused by the fluid on her brain. This would be the first of many medical procedures for Hannah. Her shunt had to be replaced two more times in just three months. Hannah's mom, Becky, says the twins had distinct personalities. "Right away I knew she was the stubborn one. Thank goodness she is." The damage from the fluid on Hannah's brain caused Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy. This form of Cerebral Palsy caused stiffness in Hannah's legs, with both femur bones turned inward, making it impossible for her to walk. When Hannah was just a few months old, she had her first visit with Dr. Joe Watt, Chief of Pediatric Rehabilitation for the Stollery Children's Hospital. "Many doctors told us she'd never learn to walk. The first time she saw Dr. Watt he said it would take time, but she could do it. He was right. She's just so determined," says Becky. For more than six years, Hannah underwent ongoing treatments for her condition, in which she received Botox injections and serial casting to relax and straighten her legs. Both of these treatments helped Hannah learn to walk, but she remained quite unstable. This past January, Hannah had her biggest surgery yet. Multiple tendons in her legs and heels were lengthened. Doctors also rotated her femur bones. At the age of 10, Hannah had to learn to walk all over again. But, adds Becky, "Hannah made such a fast recovery, she healed remarkably well." Hannah will always have the shunt to keep fluid off her brain and face physical challenges because of the Cerebral Palsy. Yet, anyone who meets Hannah knows it's unlikely any of these challenges will stand in her way. "She's never deterred by anything. She just does what needs to be done. It's quite inspiring," Becky says. In addition to being November's Little Miracle, Hannah is also the 2008 Champions Across Canada, presented by Wal-Mart, Champion Child. She'll spend the next year acting as an ambassador for the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, at various functions across North America. "All kids with disabilities are champions," says Dr. Watt, "But Hannah is the champion of all the champions." You can help make another Little Miracle happen by calling the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation at 433-KIDS (5437).
Kathy Weber watches on in amazement as her daughter Jessica runs and plays on the playground, easily keeping up with the other children her age. Jessica turns three this fall. Just last winter doctors believed Jessica would never walk again. When Jessica was about one year old she was keeping up with her age group, and learning to walk. Suddenly, Jessica was no longer able to walk. "She couldn't even put her arms out to catch herself, and she'd fall on her nose," her mom remembers. Jessica continued to experience ups and downs when it came to her motor skills. While she did have good days, Jessica was often cranky, wasn't growing or speaking, her muscles were very stiff and she even experienced severe full body tremors. "It was really scary," says Kathy. After an appointment at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, doctors believed Jessica may have Dopa Responsive Dystonia, a movement disorder that causes the muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. Jessica was referred to Dr. Richer at the Stollery Children's Hospital, a pediatric neurologist. In December, Dr. Richer prescribed a drug called Sinemet, its effectiveness confirmed the diagnosis. Within days of beginning treatment, Jessica's parents were elated by the amazing changes in Jessica. "It was shocking to see how much she could move". It turned out to be a Christmas the Weber's will never forget. Jessica went from almost no mobility to crawling up and down her grandmother's stairs, all on her own. While the energetic toddler has had some ups and downs since then, her progress is astonishing. By January she was able to walk in straight lines, and by February was moving all over the family's Fairview home. "It was a big adjustment. Suddenly we had a toddler, we finally had to baby proof our house," says Kathy, "she's a totally different kid." Jessica will have to take the medication the rest of her life to manage her symptoms. Her doctors say as she grows, it will have to be adjusted to find the right balance. Already, Jessica's almost on par with other kids her age, and is making incredible progress. "Every doctor has been shocked by her", marvels her mom, who credits the doctors at the Stollery Children Hospital for giving her daughter a second chance at an active life. "The support they gave us was amazing." For Jessica and her family, this is only the beginning of a lifetime full of milestones. "Now I have a little girl that sings me songs, runs around. She goes and plays on the swing. She truly is a little miracle." You can help make another Little Miracle happen by calling the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation at 433-KIDS (5437).
When 10 month old Alexander cracks his signature smile, it’s hard to believe what he has endured in his young life. Within minutes of being born by emergency caesarean section, doctors knew something was wrong. Alexander’s colour was gray and he was very quiet. That night Alexander was transported to the Stollery Children's Hospital and diagnosed with a tracheo-esophageal fistula, an abnormal pathway between the trachea (windpipe) and the esophagus (tube that connects the throat with the stomach). Within days, Alexander underwent a surgery to close off the fistula and was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The location of the surgery made it very difficult for Alexander to feed and though he tried, he wasn’t able to get the nutrients he needed. At 3 weeks old, Alexander underwent another surgery, this time a gastrostomy tube (or G-tube) was inserted through his abdomen and into his stomach. This G-tube allowed a pain-free way to provide the necessary nutrients a young baby needs. A week following the surgery, Alexander was able to go home for the first time. The Hanneman family was enjoying a new life with their baby at home, when a follow-up appointment revealed a hole in Alexander’s heart, a hole that was making his little heart work harder than it had to and would require surgery to correct. Mom Erin says “The hardest part of this experience was having him at home for a few months and then having to go back to the hospital and hand him back over to the surgeons. But as hard as it was to leave him, I was never worried because I knew he was in the best place possible and getting lots of care and attention.” Easygoing Alexander recovered quickly from the heart surgery and was back at home within 6 days. Six months later, enjoying swimming lessons and charming his way into the hearts of those he encounters, Alexander hasn’t looked back. He stopped using his G-tube in December and recently had it removed --- a big step for a little boy that has gone through a lot. “He’s beautiful and normal because his parents are great and they’ll make sure he does well. He’s not only survived, but thrived and that’s a tribute to the healthcare we have here in Edmonton,” says pediatrician Dr. Lyle McGonigle. “Alexander has bounced back so quickly from everything,” Erin says. “He’s doing all the milestone things he should be doing --- none of these road bumps have held him back. He’s still an easygoing, social little boy. He’s our little miracle.” You can help make another Little Miracle happen by calling the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation at 433-KIDS (5437).
Since the day James Dufour was born, feeding has been a struggle. As his mom, Monique, began breastfeeding James, she saw her newborn baby was throwing up more than he was taking in. Many newborns go through periods spitting up, just as James was, but it didn’t take long to see that James’ problem was constant. He would vomit after each feeding and slept nearly 23 hours each day. Even more frustrating was that no diagnosis could be made – there seemed to be no specific cause to point to. James wasn’t meeting the expected standards of growth for height and weight for a child his age. After much testing to rule out possible diseases and conditions, James’ pediatrician diagnosed him with failure to thrive of unknown origin. He continued to suffer reflux problems after feeding, and underwent the first of two fundoplication surgeries to help correct his reflux troubles. During this procedure, a valve is created around the esophagus and the stomach to keep contents from flowing back into the esophagus. During James’ second surgery, at four months old, a gastrostomy tube (or G-tube) was surgically inserted through his abdomen into his stomach . James was unable to eat orally by this point, and the G-tube allowed a way to feed him the calories he needed to thrive. He has been in and out of the Stollery Children’s Hospital to receive treatment over the years. He is followed regularly by the Dietitians with the Home Nutrition Support Program, who carefully monitor his health and growth. Now 10 years old, James continues to be challenged with gaining weight. His doctors know that his metabolism is very high and that his body requires many additional calories per day to stay healthy. They hope that the condition will settle down once he becomes an adolescent and that his metabolic rate will be closer to that of a normal teenager. Though his struggles continue, James has grown into an amazing little boy with a very social personality. “James has survived bruises, surgery and being poked all over,” Monique says. “He hasn’t given up and he’s got the drive to keep going even when I don’t. He is a little miracle.” You can help make another Little Miracle happen by calling the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation at 433-KIDS (5437).
Hunter Kuzik’s unique smile and chatty personality betray any health concerns that he might have. However, Hunter was born with a serious condition that, if left untreated, could be fatal. He was born with a cleft lip and palate, and doctors were confident that, once repaired, Hunter could go on to live a normal life. But at six weeks old, blood tests showed his hemoglobin level was dangerously low and he was immediately admitted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital for an emergency blood transfusion. A month later a bone biopsy revealed that Hunter’s bone marrow was not producing any red blood cells and he was diagnosed with a rare condition called Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA). Carrie and her husband Shannon were relieved to hear that DBA was treatable and the blood transfusions continued every two to four weeks. Meanwhile, Hunter had to face two surgeries: the first at 5 months to repair the cleft lip, and the second at nine months to repair the cleft palate. Both surgeries were successful and the young family could focus on the baby’s other health concerns. Doctors tried putting Hunter on steroids, but after 22 weeks without transfusions, he developed a rare and serious side effect in his bowels. Doctors weaned him off the steroids and he resumed regular blood transfusions. Now at two and a half years old, Hunter faces another challenge. After 43 transfusions, he now has a buildup of iron in his blood and needs to take medication to reduce those levels. Despite having acid reflux, a heart defect, a higher susceptibility to illness and having lived through seven surgeries in his little life, Hunter is an inspiration to his mom. “I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Carrie says of the Stollery staff. “Hunter has been in many departments and the doctors and nurses are amazing. They are our extended family. We are blessed to be so close to such a great facility and so thankful to those who donate blood. Without them, Hunter would not be here.” “It is such an inspiration to see how Hunter can bounce back despite being born with all these challenges ahead of him,” she says of her Little Miracle. “If he can do it then so can I. He was meant to be mine.”
By the time Haley Klak turned one year old, her parents, Karen and Greg, knew something seemed different about their daughter. Her height and weight were below that of other one-year old children, and she began to whine regularly. Haley’s aunt, a neonatal nurse, recognized the whining sounds as a neurological problem and sent the family to the Emergency Department at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Tests revealed a tumor, known as neurofibromatosis, on Haley's optic nerve. Chemotherapy was used to control the tumor until Haley was old enough to withstand radiation therapy. But nine months into her treatment, Haley developed hives from the 'chemo' and it had to be discontinued. For three years, the tumor remained stable. When Haley was six years old, the tumor began to change and it was decided that radiation treatments should begin. After twenty-five treatments, the tumor was obliterated. However, Haley lost sight in one eye and experienced severe weakening in the other. A year and a half later, Haley started having tremors. An MRI showed that everything looked normal, but a week later, Haley woke up with a bad headache and couldn’t speak. Testing revealed that she had a stroke and was also diagnosed with Moyamoya disease, which arises when tiny vessels form to compensate for a blocked artery in the brain. Surgery was performed to restore the blood flow to the brain but twelve hours later, Haley had another stroke in ICU. She lost her speech, had no feeling in her right hand and her math and reading skills were severely set back. A year later, Haley is still receiving rehabilitation and her prognosis is good. Her mom says that with Haley’s positive attitude, she knows they can stay strong and keep going no matter what comes next. “Haley is my little miracle because, despite having been through so many things, she feels she hasn’t,” says Karen. “She should be frustrated but she is more willing than most to do all she has to do to get better. She is a person who has complete faith in the Stollery Children’s Hospital. She knows that’s where they solve problems and make her feel better.”
In August 2002 in Saskatchewan, Tanis Klassen gave birth to her second child six weeks prematurely. Zach came into the world, but he wasn’t breathing and his face was blue. Doctors rushed him to the NICU. Tests revealed Zach had a collapsed lung. He was treated for that, and two week later, was discharged home. Two months later, he had a massive seizure and stopped breathing again. Tanis called 911 and her neighbors, who were nurses, were able to keep Zach alive until help arrived. The doctors in Saskatchewan knew he had sleep apnea, petite mal seizures and a possible brain tumor. A CAT scan ruled out the tumor at that time but the Klassen’s decided to take their son to Edmonton, where Zach could see the specialists at the Stollery Children's Hospital. A team of doctors met him when he arrived. “There were five specialists. We felt peace and knew that these doctors weren’t going to rest until they helped Zach,” says Tanis. The family decided to move to Edmonton, and pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Adamko took charge of Zach’s case. During a routine bronchoscopy, doctors discovered that Zach’s airway was crooked, pulled over and compressed by his esophagus and his spine. Dr. Adamko recommended that corrective surgery wait until the toddler really needed it. Zach has been thriving with the help of prayers and the Stollery team, and the surgery hasn’t been necessary. Zach, now four years old, continues to be monitored for gastroesophageal relflux disease (a backflow of acid from the stomach into the esophagus). If this problem becomes more severe, doctors will have to do the corrective surgery. Zach also needs an MRI every four months to check for brain tumors. With regular medications, oxygen and special arrangements at school to help Zach prepare for kindergarten, Zach’s parents are excited about their son’s next step. “The Stollery has a team for our child,” says Tanis. “Zach is the captain and they want to help him win.” “Zach has defied every obstacle he was born with. He always finds a way to be healthy by somehow outgrowing it. That’s why he’s our little miracle.”
When Patricia and Mark Cheyne welcomed their son Liam into the world, their future looked bright. However, the next day, when doctors were doing their rounds, they noticed an obvious difference in the shape of baby Liam’s head. The diagnosis came back as sagittal synostosis - a condition in infants where the ‘soft spot’ on top of the head between the left and right sides of the skull fuses and hinders growth of the head causing an abnormal appearance. Two weeks later, Liam saw Dr. Aronyk and Dr. Mehta from Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Liam’s parents had been hoping that that their baby’s head shape was normal but the doctors knew right away from the look and feel of his head that it was more serious. They recommended waiting until Liam was 15 pounds before doing surgery. However, two months later, his forehead protruded, a bump grew on the back of his skull, the sides of his head had become thin and his brain began growing towards the back of his head. As a result, emergency surgery was preformed on Liam removing a ¼ inch strip of bone from front ‘soft spot’ to the back and some from behind each ear. In order for Liam's head to keep this shape, he is required to wear a specially designed helmet that was cast at the Stollery and sent to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital for finishing. He will wear the helmet for two months. Liam is recovering and developing well and has no further need of intervention. “Liam is a completely different kid. He had a great disposition before but he’s even better since the surgery,” says Patricia. “During our time at Stollery we were treated like family,” she says. “It was amazing. The staff was so knowledgeable and they never lost their human touch. Any needs or problems were all met, no problem, 24 hours a day.” “He is a little miracle because he’s my son but also because he had a tough start and came through it so awesome,” says Mark.
Ty Stokell was a good baby who grew and developed into a regular toddler. Then, at three-years old, young Ty would need to sleep during the day, even during play with his friends. At the park, Ty would fall sound asleep on top of a picnic table. When Ty entered grade one and experienced full days in the classroom, the teacher noticed he would put his head down on his desk and go to sleep, or he’d fall asleep during story time. After falling behind in his school work, Ty’s parents, Theresa and Gary, brought Ty to his family doctor, who found a possible heart murmur and ordered diagnostic testing. However, the heart murmur was not the problem and by this time, the family’s pediatrician suspected narcolepsy - a chronic sleep disorder characterized by excessive sleepiness. Ty was referred to the Stollery Children’s Hospital where Dr. Manisha Witmans, a pediatric pulmonologist and sleep specialist, was able to witness first hand a "sleep attack" when Ty fell asleep in the waiting room. “An active healthy six-year old would be climbing the walls,” says Theresa, “not falling asleep.” Because narcolepsy is challenging to diagnose in children, it took a while before Dr. Whitmans was able to confirm that Ty had the disorder. He was eight-years old when she established that his inability to reach the normal deep REM sleep was narcolepsy. With regular medication and special arrangements at school to help Ty manage his sleep disorder, he can lead a normal life. In Ty’s own words, “Wow mom, this medicine really works. It keeps me awake.” “From the time we started out with our family doctor, to being referred to Dr. Witmans at the Stollery, the process was fast,” says Theresa. “Our care and treatment at the Stollery Children’s Hospital was fabulous and very supportive.” “Of all the things that happened in the grand scheme of things, his life will be altered but his life is not threatened,” says Teresa. “He is a little miracle.”
When Marcy Farrer was 20-weeks pregnant with her second daughter, an ultrasound showed there was an anomaly with the fetus. Because the family lived in Bonnyville, Alberta, Marcy made the trip to Edmonton for an MRI. The results showed that the baby’s small intestine was developing outside of the body. “Jordyn was born at 33 weeks,” says Marcy. “I saw her for a brief moment before she was whisked off to surgery.” Marcy and her husband, Travis, waited while Stollery Children’s Hospital surgeons inserted the organ back into the abdominal cavity. When the doctor emerged from the operating room, the news was not what the young parents were expecting. Complications of the developing intestine forced surgeons to remove most of it. Normal infants are born with 155 to 180 cm of small intestine. Jordyn had only 17 cm to do the work of absorbing necessary nutrients to grow, not enough to survive without help. Doctors surgically inserted a central line into a major artery to administer vitamins and nutrients. Unfortunately, the formula is very hard on the baby’s liver. But it was her only chance. “Jordyn was always very stable,” says Marcy. “It was hard for us to realize she wasn’t well.” Except for the yellowish tinge to her complexion, the smiling baby seemed healthy. In May 2006, doctors found an obstruction in Jordyn’s bowel, which had caused the organ to dilate. With the intestine widened, she was a candidate for a rare procedure that lengthens the small intestine. Jordyn was the 34th patient worldwide to have this operation, and it was successful. She is slowly being able to accept mother’s milk for her nutrients. Jordyn is now thriving and growing, and by the end of August, seven-month old Jordyn will go home to Bonnyville for the first time in her young life. “I just know she’s going to be ok,” says Marcy of her Little Miracle. “They never expected her to do as well as she has.”
Brett was born at 29 weeks, and at the beginning, doctors didn’t know if she would make it. Her mom, Brandy, went into premature labour just before Christmas 2000. Hoping to advance the maturity of the baby's lungs, doctors gave Brandy one shot of steroids, but by the next day, it was obvious Brett was ready to be born. When she was a day old, one of Brett’s lungs collapsed and doctors in the neonatal intensive care unit had to reinflate the lung by means of a tube inserted through a hole in her left side. When Brett was five days old, she experienced another of the complications of prematurity; she developed a 'bleed' in her brain. There’s nothing to be done but wait. “Brett had a grade 4 brain hemorrhage,” says Brandy. She knew it was the most severe type of hemorrhage newborns could have. Brandy and her husband, Ian, prepared for the worst. She pulled through, but the baby still had excessive spinal fluid in the brain, causing a lot of pressure on the infant’s brain. Doctors inserted a reservoir so they could extract the fluid with a syringe everyday and minimize the pressure. When Brett was two months old, the pediatric neurosurgeon inserted a shunt, a tube that went from Brett’s brain, into her abdomen, so that the excess fluid could be drained. The shunt works very well to remove the fluid from Brett’s brain. But complications can happen, and when a problem arises, she has to return to the hospital for surgery. In five years, Brett has had 30 shunt revisions and three major brain surgeries. Doctors had expected Brett to be severely disabled, but despite mild cerebral palsy, she can walk on her own and talk to anybody who would listen. “When she grows up, she wants to be a firefighter and a doctor,” says Brandy of her Little Miracle. “Despite everything, she is the happiest kid you’d ever meet.”
Karma and Stan Black celebrated the arrival of their fourth child, Austin. He seemed like a healthy little boy, until at 6 months of age, his mother noticed that his colouring seemed blue. Austin was diagnosed with pulmonary atresia, a condition where the main artery that takes blood to the lungs isn’t properly formed. Austin’s body had compensated by creating many little blood vessels to do the work, but it wasn’t enough. Last winter, doctors surgically inserted a shunt into Austin’s chest, to help enlarge the tiny blood vessels. Surgery lasted less than two hours, and Austin left the hospital nine days later. The family planned to return to the Stollery for a second surgery in August, but tests done in April 2006 showed that the shunt had clogged. In May, Austin went into the operating room where doctors took the many tiny blood vessels, and created a large one. The surgery was successful and Austin stayed in hospital for another three weeks, while his three brothers prayed for him at the family home in Lethbridge. “He’ll have another surgery to fix the hole in his heart in another six months to a year,” she says. “Hopefully after that, he’ll be able to catch up to his peers.”
Olivia Beaudoin came into the world when her parents least expected it. They were on a camping trip, and her mom, Wendy still had 13 weeks to go in her pregnancy. “We were sitting around the campfire when my water broke,” says Wendy. They drove to the hospital in Rocky Mountain House where they quickly sent her by ambulance to Edmonton. Although doctors tried to slow the labour down to allow her lungs to develop, Olivia came into the world at just over 3 lbs. Olivia’s lungs were well developed and she was breathing on her own within a few days. After eight days in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Olivia underwent a routine head ultrasound. Premature babies can sometimes have complications in the brain that prevent cerebral fluid from draining properly. Olivia was diagnosed with a grade 3 intraventricular hemorrhage. She had a procedure to install a reservoir into her brain. Clinicians can relieve the pressure inside her brain by pulling the fluid out with a syringe. After a couple of months at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Olivia went home with her parents for the first time. But within two weeks, the reservoir needed to be replaced by a shunt, a tube that connects the brain to the stomach to drain the excess fluid into the abdomen. The surgery went well, and Olivia spent three days in the hospital to recover. Over the next few months, Olivia returned to the Stollery to deal with complications with her shunt. Olivia’s last stay in the hospital was in January 2005. She returns to the Stollery periodically so doctors can keep an eye on her. For the last year and a half, the shunt has been working wonderfully. Olivia is now a thriving three-year old girl, with a baby sister to help look after.
In October 2005, Aminah Haymour came into the world a little earlier than expected. She was delivered at 38 weeks by C-section and struggled to thrive from the beginning. Because her condition was fragile, she was cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For two weeks, she was having trouble breathing and was too tired to eat. A heart murmur was detected and Aminah was immediately sent to be examined by the Pediatric Cardiology team at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. She was diagnosed with a septal heart defect, which is a hole in the wall of the tissue separating the pumping chambers of the heart. She was in heart failure. Doctors were uncertain if she was a candidate for surgery because there was a possibility that the defect could close over time. Aminah went home for Christmas when she was a couple months old, but had to take many medications and required special feeds. Aminah returned to the Stollery shortly after Christmas for a follow-up and it was evident that she was not thriving. She needed heart surgery right away. At the beginning of February, three-month old Aminah underwent the procedure that would give her a chance. Doctors closed the hole in her heart, which allowed it to function effectively for the first time since she was born. The four-hour surgery was successful, and, to the family's surprise, Aminah was home within seven days. “She immediately became a different child,” says Rajia. “She was doing so well, that she was back to 100 per cent oral feeds within one month of her surgery.” In fact, Aminah let her mom know she was done with tube feeding when she pulled the tube out of her nose herself. “She has so much courage,” says Rajia of her now six-month old Little Miracle. After two months at home, Aminah’s future looks bright.
When Aemilie’s mom, Brandie, was pregnant with Aemilie, the 18-week-old fetus’ heart rate dropped to a very low rate, and the situation was one of high risk. At 26-weeks, Brandie was ordered on bed rest, and a pediatric cardiologist at the Stollery Children’s Hospital monitored the cardiac status every two weeks. They determined that Aemilie would need a pacemaker to strengthen the beat of her heart as soon as she was born. She came into the world at 32 weeks, and three hours later had surgery to insert the pacemaker. The 3lbs 13-ounce baby spent three and a half months in the Stollery’s neonatal intensive care unit and was then transferred to the medical ward where she stayed for four months. During this time, Aemilie continued to be challenged with problems. She needed another emergency procedure to repair a hole in her heart as well as the insertion of a G-tube in her stomach to help her get adequate nutrition to grow and become stronger. In March 2005, after spending seven and a half months in hospital, Aemilie went home for the first time. For the next eight months, Aemilie visited the emergency room to address different concerns. A new challenge came her way with the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes. Due to her complex medical history, she had to be started immediately on an insulin pump, which administers the life-saving insulin her body needs 24 hours per day. In November, doctors decided she was big enough get a dual chamber pacemaker. Unfortunately, she developed an infection around the surgical site and the pacemaker had to come out. She had an external pacemaker hooked up while the infection was cleared. Two weeks later, a fifth heart surgery was performed to insert a transvenous pacemaker. Aemilie was only 15-months-old. “(The transvenous pacemaker) has been working wonderfully,” says Brandie. “Her strength and courage amazes me,” Brandie says of her Little Miracle. “We’re so proud of her.”
|
|
Jessica Weber
Alexander Hanneman
James Dufour
Hunter Kuzik
Haley Klak
Zach Klassen 
Liam Cheyne
Ty Stokell
Jordyn Farrer
Brett Nycyfork
Austin Black
Olivia Beaudoin
Aminah Haymour
Aemilie Foster