| Houston was born on June 17, 2003. Shortly after birth, we found out
that he has multiple complex congenital heart defects. His heart condition
consists of Tricuspid Atresia, a Hypoplastic Right Ventricle and Transposition
of the Great Vessels. In short, this condition means that his tricuspid
valve never developed, so his right ventricle did not grow at all and is
non-functional. In addition, the transposition means that his heart is
twisted. Although he looked great at birth, his condition would have quickly
progressed if not found and he would have been a "blue baby." With a hypoplastic
right ventricle, he does not have the function in his heart to pump oxygenated
blood to his lungs. Untreated, this heart condition is 100% fatal shortly
after birth. Fortunately, we live in a day of modern medicine, and there
is a treatment. To make his heart work, he will have a series of 3 open-heart
surgeries in his first 2 years of life. After those surgeries are complete,
there is no definitive answer to what his future holds. One possibility
that he may face is a heart transplant. Until then, we just wait and hope
that modern medicine continues to advance and his heart can be saved! |
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