Moray baby ‘smashes’ recovery after open heart surgery at just 13 months old
An Elgin couple have shared their huge pride in their “tenacious and stubborn” daughter who underwent lifesaving open heart surgery at just 13 months old.
First time parents Kirsten and Kevin McAloon said they were scared that Brianna, now 15 months old, would not survive the operation and called that day the “most difficult day of both our lives”.
However their daughter, who ranked in the lightest one per cent of babies when she was born, made it through her surgery and is now making a strong recovery.
Now, after their experience, Kevin and Kirsten were keen to celebrate the “insane” resilience shown by tiny Brianna and to spread awareness of congenital heart problems.
One in every 110 babies is born with a congenital heart defect.
Some of these require no medical intervention, but others need surgery immediately after birth.
Due to Brianna’s small size, she spent around ten days in hospital after her birth being carefully checked by doctors, who discovered she had a hole in her heart.
The parents were told their daughter would need a "procedure" on her heart in future, but it was one doctor’s comment which made the seriousness of the situation sink in.
After a scan, the clinician said Brianna’s case was "serious, but it's not tragic".
Kirsten said this comment "absolutely blindsided" her and Kevin, leaving them with a "tummy drop feeling".
However, weeks later, the couple learned that their newborn daughter had a rare congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot - which occurs in only around one in 3000 babies.
This serious condition involves four separate issues with the heart and places infants at risk of running out of oxygen or heart failure.
Children with this condition were historically called “blue babies”, due to a symptom caused by low oxygen levels.
At the next cardiology appointment after the diagnosis, the parents were hit by another shock upon learning that their daughter would require open heart surgery.
Faced with the prospect of a drastic operation on their small baby, Kevin and Kirsten asked doctors if there were any alternatives.
Kevin said: "The answer from the doctor was pretty stark: 'Without it, I'm certain she wouldn't survive her childhood.'
"They have to open her chest, they have to open her ribs up, they have to stop her heart, you know?
"I was watching a programme recently, were a surgeon said open heart surgery is something that walks the precipice between life and death, because you have to stop a heart to give it life."
The parents said that the leadup to the operation was filled with “doubt and uncertainty”, with both fearing a “terrible” outcome.
Kevin said that, while doing simple activities like pushing Brianna on a swing, he struggled to avoid thinking: "What if, in a couple of months, she's not here? What if this is the first time we'll do this - and the last time?".
The surgery could not take place until Brianna reached a weight of six kilogrammes, a milestone the couple struggled to achieve.
But, even after hitting the target, the family’s wait for a surgery date continued.
However Kirsten received a phone call one Tuesday morning, asking if the family could get to Glasgow by 10am the next day.
The date for Brianna’s surgery was set for just six days later.
"Suddenly you're fuelling up the car and you're going," Kevin said.
“We were waiting and waiting and waiting for that call, but it still gets you by surprise.”
Kirsten added that it “just felt unfair” that her daughter had to face the operation, but said they wanted to focus on "positivity” rather than looking for sympathy from others.
When the day of the operation arrived, Kevin recalled the devastating moment he had to leave Brianna with the anaesthetist thinking: "What if that's the last time that you're going to see her alive?".
However, after a painful wait, Kirsten said hearing that the open heart surgery had been successful was "such a weight off of our shoulders" and made her “super proud” of her daughter.
"Both of us thought it would go amazingly well and she would be a complete rockstar and smash it," she added.
"But also we were really scared that it could go terribly wrong.
"Now that she's on the other side, I think to myself: 'Of course she did so well, because she's so tenacious.’”
Kevin added: “And stubborn.”
"How someone so small can be so tough and resilient and strong is insane to me,” the dad added.
"I was so worried about how small she would be, and how strong her body could be to deal with the surgery.
"But she smashed it."
Throughout their experience, the parents both said that support and positivity from family, friends and strangers had been a massive help to them.
Kirsten found that sharing her own perspective on social media helped her process her feelings, leading to an outpouring of support from other mothers.
She added: "I had mothers reaching out to say: 'Motherhood is hard enough.'
"And it was so relieving to know that you weren't making this thing so much bigger in your own head - it had a place.
"The support was just amazing, to have everyone saying something positive and thinking positively about her surgery and for her future.
"And we do both think that, in a way, so much positivity being sent her way was a part of her getting through it so well."
Kevin said he had also been overwhelmed by the response and warmth towards his young family’s experience.
"It's something that a lot of people can relate to. If their child had to go through something like this, they would find it really tough,” he added.
"And especially since, to look at Brianna, you wouldn't know there was anything."
The parents paid tribute to the "absolutely amazing" staff, including the "pretty amazing" consultants and healthcare workers.
Kevin and Kirsten thanked teams at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, the PICU and Ward 1E, for their expert care.
They also praised the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity and Crossbasket House for providing comfortable and convenient accommodation during their time in Glasgow for Brianna’s operation.
Brianna has also received a keepsake of her bravery from the charity Beads of Courage, which provides children with beads to mark each procedure and overnight stay they undergo.