When Kayla Fuhrman was pregnant with Elijah, her son, a routine scan showed that he had a heart condition. Dr. Ginnie Abarbanell, chief of pediatric cardiology at University Health, believed it could be tetralogy of fallot (TOF). But because Elijah’s heart was so small, they couldn’t be sure until he was born.
Kayla met with the University Health NICU team and toured the hospital prior to giving birth to Elijah. The team explained to Kayla what she should expect, and Kayla met with the pediatric heart surgery team to prepare for Elijah’s eventual heart surgery.
“I am extremely thankful that we found out about Elijah’s heart as early as we did,” Kayla said. “We got to prepare and know what to expect. Being a mom in itself was uncharted territory, but to be a first-time mom to a baby who was medically fragile scared me.”
Soon after the tour, Kayla gave birth to Elijah. “I got a few minutes with him before the NICU team wheeled him away, as expected,” she said. About seven hours later, Kayla was able to visit her son in the NICU. “He was laying there so perfectly and still, it was the most magical moment. My whole world changed in those hours,” she said.
The next day, Kayla and her family met with Dr. Elaine Maldonado. She explained that Elijah did not have TOF, but he had a few holes in his heart that would eventually need repairs in about three to six months.
Elijah stayed in the NICU for another three days so specialists could monitor his heart and breathing. “Leaving my baby there as I went back to my hospital room on a different floor was one of the hardest moments for me,” Kayla said. “I had wished so badly we could be together, spending the first moments of his time in the world with each other as a family. But I knew it was good he was being monitored.”
Soon after, Kayla and Elijah were both released from the hospital and were able to start their new lives together at home.
Failure to Thrive
But when they got home, Elijah was struggling to breathe. “It was like he was always running a marathon,” Kayla said. Plus, Dr. Maldonado told Kayla that Elijah wasn’t gaining weight fast enough and would need his heart surgery sooner than later.
Kayla tried everything to help Elijah gained weight. But everything burned calories: crying, eating, breathing. After another week or so, Dr. Maldonado said it was time for surgery.
Kayla met with the pediatric heart surgery team, where Dr. Aaron Abarbanell explained that Elijah was failing to thrive.
Elijah’s Open Heart Surgery
When Elijah turned exactly 2 months old, he had open heart surgery.
“We were kept up to date as the surgery went on, and they explained that Elijah was doing well,” Kayla said. “After surgery, Dr. Aaron Abarbanell explained how surgery went and what he did. We got to see Elijah after he was brought to the pediatric cardiology ICU.”
Over the course of the next week, Elijah healed, coming off one machine at a time, until eventually he was able to go home.
Elijah’s Life after Surgery
“The weeks following Elijah’s surgery were almost like having a completely different baby,” Kayla said. “He stopped struggling to breathe, he started gaining weight, and he hit all of his growth milestones.”
Now, Elijah is 1 year old. “Elijah is almost walking, he is talking, and seeing his personality come out has been the most interesting thing to watch. To see this little baby, who could barely breathe a year ago, grow and become his own little person, is my new favorite thing to do,” Kayla said.
“Elijah will continue to have cardiology appointments to monitor his heart, but today he is doing amazing,” Kayla said. “I am so thankful for my little boy and his heart story.”
Pediatric Cardiology at University Health
Learn more about the life-saving pediatric heart care at University Health.
