Meet Cameron

“On January 6, 2009, two very excited parents welcomed a 8 pd, 6 ounce little boy into the world. The parents were overjoyed, but were quickly worried when the doctors noticed he had been born with a heart murmur. The couple was told that 2 in 3 babies were born with one, not to worry, but they scheduled a pediatric cardiology appointment just in case. At only 6 days old, baby Cameron was taken to Children’s Heart Group in Harrisburg PA. In the waiting room sat a mother feeding her baby with a feeding tube and another mother discussing with her husband about the blockage in their daughters heart. It was almost too much to bear just listening to their stories. Cameron was called back. They did an EKG, echocardiogram, and some X-rays. It was such a long day and the exhausted parents were in a hurry to leave this scary place. But not yet. The doctor came in and sat, after a long sigh, he told us that he has never in his professional career seen a baby come into his office like Cameron. His words changed our life. Cameron was diagnosed that day with Tricuspid Atresia, a rare congenital heart disease in which the tricuspid heart valve is missing or abnormally developed which leads to a hypo plastic (undersized) or absent right ventricle. Cameron would need multiple open heart surgeries. His little single ventricle would need to perform the job of two. So many questions ran through the young couples mind. But only one was important; “Would Cameron survive”? And so began the long heartbreaking journey of tears, sleepless nights, and unimaginable fear. We were supposed to be celebrating this new life instead we were signing waivers stating that our child will die unless surgery is performed and saying our goodbyes as the anesthesiologists took Cameron from our arms and through the double doors to place him on a heart and lung machine. At 14 days old on January 20, 2009, while the rest of the world was watching Obama’s’ inauguration on TV, Cameron was scheduled to have his first surgery, the Norwood Procedure, and an artificial shunt was inserted to keep blood flowing to the lungs. The surgery took about 7 hours and when the doctor brought Cameron up to the ICU, his parents never left his side. His recovery was a long one. The doctors quickly became our family, they loved and cared for Cameron as if he was their own. They came in on their days off to visit him and check his progress. The doctors predicted the shunt would last 4-8 months before Cameron would outgrow it. He was released from Penn State Hershey Medical Center on February 11, 2009. He had a blood oxygen level of around 70. In a normal person it should be from 95-100. The next surgery would come all too soon. In the following 3 months after his surgery, the parents were a wreck with worry. Trying to take care of a child with high blood pressure, a stitched in tube in his heart, and his older brother who was only 2 years old trying to understand what was happening. His brother had been passed from family member to family member while Cameron had been in the hospital and it was all about to happen all over again. Cameron was scheduled to have the Hemi-Fontan procedure on May 22, 2009. The Hemi Fontan is a procedure that disconnects the superior vena cava from the heart and instead is redirected into the pulmonary arteries. This will cause a lot less stress on his single ventricle heart. Cameron blew through the surgery and was discharged in only 5 days! Life slowly got back to normal but there was always a dark cloud in the future. The doctors said this surgery would likely last Cameron until he was between 3-5 years old and he was scheduled only for regular checkups until that time. However, on a beautiful August Afternoon in 2010, Cameron had a “blue spell” due to his oxygen level. It is considered normal for a child with his condition to turn blue, but it’s still frightening. He was scheduled for a doctor visit within the week, where we learned that Cameron was likely ready for the 3rd and final procedure. A heart catheter was scheduled to see if Cameron was ready for the Fontan Completion Surgery. They scheduled him for November 16, 2010 at only 22 months old. Cameron had gotten so big and strong, he was ready. He had the surgery and this time was released in 4 days! For the first time in his life, he has a blood oxygen level in the 90’s and looked pink instead of blue, it was a miracle! Cameron is now three and a half and one of the strongest, bravest, happiest children I could have ever had the pleasure of being a mother too. There is not a single day in my life that I forget how lucky I am to hold my baby, to watch him grow, and to share his laughs. Congenital Heart Disease can happen to anyone, anytime. Nobody chooses to become a “heart parent” and one of the toughest parts is watching your child go through that, we would have done anything to take his place. It can come into your life and change you and your loved ones forever. We can’t predict the future, but thankfully, by the blessing of God, the knowledge and skill of the pediatric cardiologists at Hershey Medical, and a little tiny hero named Cameron, we get an opportunity everyday to show him how much we love him and to celebrate his new life.”