Dominic, born 2010

Dominic is our sweet, sweet boy, born October 18th weighing in at 5 lbs 1 oz and 17 inches long (born at 35 weeks). At birth, a heart murmur was detected, but it would come and go. At two weeks old, Dominic was diagnosed with failure to thrive. At one month old, he was diagnosed with a VSD which was to be monitored, and would "probably close on its own." Just eight days later, Dominic went into congestive heart failure. With the help of Lasix, Digoxin, and Captopril we were able to keep Dominic's breathing and heart rates down, but they were still high. Thanks to an NG tube he was able to eat much more comfortably.

 

We went into Children's Hospital on December 15th because the meds just weren't cutting it anymore. Dominic's heart and breathing rates were well above 200/minute, and we had to get the surgery done. Our little boy underwent his heart surgery on December 22nd , just over 2 months old and only weighing about 6 and a half pounds.

 

During surgery they noticed that Dominic actually had a variation of Tetralogy of Fallot. It wasn't until Christmas morning, our first as a family, which he was taken off the vent and was able to breathe on his own, and for us to be able to hold him. That truly was the best Christmas I will ever experience.

 

When people hear of Dominic’s story, they apologize. My husband and I like to tell people that it's okay, because it has shaped him to be the strong, courageous little boy he is today. If changing Dominic's history would change the person he has become, then we simply wouldn't do it. We look at each day as a miracle with Dominic. He has had some developmental delays, but we work with Early Intervention and he's been doing great! The most important thing we remember is that Dominic is not just a child with a CHD; he is an amazing human being who is truly blessed to have in our lives.

 

Story by Dominic’s mother, Amanda – Massachusetts