Latest news with #VentricularAssistDevice
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Parents Told Newborn's Noises Are 'Normal'—Then Comes Devastating Diagnosis
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Two parents from Toronto, Canada, were excited to bring their newborn daughter home from hospital, but just a few weeks later, they were rushing her to the emergency room. Stephanie Mulhall-Atkinson and Justin Atkinson (@warriergirlsloane) shared their story on Instagram, where they said their daughter, Sloane, had been making a soft but persistent grunting noise. Stephanie, 37, told Newsweek that the couple brought this to the attention of doctors, nurses and their pediatrician. From left: Justin Atkinson holds baby Sloane wrapped in hospital bedsheets. From left: Justin Atkinson holds baby Sloane wrapped in hospital bedsheets. @warriorgirlsloane "We were told that she was just moaning and that it was normal and that was just her normal baby noises, which we now know is not true," Stephanie said. The grunting, the couple now know, was not harmless. It was a sign that Sloane was struggling to breathe, and her body was working overtime to survive. The parents said several symptoms were overlooked. "She would mostly grunt when she was sleeping and being held," Stephanie added. "We also noticed that she was sweaty … and was happier when she was laying by herself." When Sloane stopped eating one morning and had a faint ring of blue around her mouth—usually a sign of cyanosis where oxygen levels are low—the parents took her to the ER. At The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), doctors told Stephanie and Justin that Sloane's grunting meant their baby was in distress. "We were shocked and angry," Justin said. "Everything quickly declined from there." Within hours, Sloane was in the emergency operating room, surrounded by more than 20 specialists. A cardiology fellow performed an echocardiogram that revealed her heart was barely functioning. Then came the devastating diagnosis: dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart becomes enlarged and weakened, leaving it unable to pump blood effectively. A week later, doctors confirmed she was in end-stage heart failure, and a transplant would be Sloane's only chance at survival. "You can't even comprehend what's happening," Stephanie said. "To hear that your tiny perfect 'healthy' baby needs a heart transplant to survive is truly beyond words." Sloane has now spent seven months in hospital. The family relocated from Vancouver to Toronto's SickKids Hospital, one of only three centers in Canada equipped to implant a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD). This now keeps Sloane alive as she waits for a donor heart. Sloane has now been on the transplant list for six months. The average wait time in Canada is six to 12 months. "We're just living life as 'normally' as possible until then," Stephanie said. "She's the happiest, funniest girl. Each day, we focus on her development and keeping her growing and getting strong, so that her recovery posttransplant goes smoothly! We can't wait to be able to take her home."
Sunday World
23-06-2025
- Health
- Sunday World
Fundraiser for Wexford toddler with heart failure reaches €36k
Alfie Hearne is awaiting a heart transplant Alfie Hearne from Screen was admitted to Children's Health Ireland, Crumlin at the start of April to undergo treatment for heart failure caused by Viral Myocarditis. The tot, who is set to turn two next month, spent 3 weeks on life support before he was transferred to Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne for specialist cardiac treatment. Family friend Domhnall McArdle set up a GoFundMe to help support his parents, Kenneth and Johanna Hearne as they and their two daughters need to relocate to the UK. Read more The tot had a Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) implanted, and must now remain at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle indefinitely as he awaits a heart transplant. 'Alfie is a happy, active little boy who loves tractors and playing outside in the sandpit,'the GoFundMe page reads. 'Before Alfie got sick he was in perfect health and would spend his day running around after his two older sisters Eileen & Elizabeth. Alfie Hearne with his parents, Johanna and Kenneth, and sisters Eileen and Elizabeth (GoFundMe) 'Due to the nature of Alfie's treatment plan, his parents are travelling over and back to Newcastle, but now need to relocate the family there indefinitely.' So far, 450 donors have raised €36,015 of a €60,00 target. Scoil Ghormain Castletown raised €7,830 from a sponsored walk, while St Jude's Senior Camogie Team raised €540. His parents previously told the Irish Independent that when Alfie first got sick at the end of March, they thought he just had a cold. 'My wife Johanna brought him to the doctors on a Monday and he presented like he had a chest infection,' dad Kenneth said. 'He was prescribed antibiotics and sent home. Alfie Hearne (GoFundMe) "She wasn't happy with him the following day, and then on the Wednesday she brought him to CareDoc and again they said it was a chest infection and to keep an eye on it. "On Thursday, it seemed worse, so we brought him to the hospital. They thought he might have developed pneumonia, but when they did an x-ray on him, Alife's heart was enlarged. At that point they sent an ambulance from Crumlin Children's Hospital for him straight away.' "He's been fitted with a VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) which assists his heart in pumping blood to the rest of his body,' the father of three explained. Alfie Hearne (GoFundMe) News in 90 Seconds - Monday June 23 "The left hand-side of his heart has severe impairment and there's mild impairment to the right side of his heart.' Kenneth said that the couple were taking turns spending time in Newcastle with Alfie, while the other parent remained at home with their two daughters. 'It's not easy, with two other young children and another on the way,' "At the moment, we're staying in a house attached to the hospital in Newcastle. But that wouldn't be an ideal place to bring a newborn baby in a few months time.'
