On New Year’s Eve of 2019, Sierra Landman learned she was pregnant with her first child.
“We were so excited,” Landman said. “Then we learned that something wasn’t right with our baby’s heart.”
Nevaeh Landman was born on September 10, 2020 at Madigan Army Medical Center with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and immediately rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where she would stay for the next several days.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is when the left side of the heart is not fully developed. It is a rare and serious birth defect. Babies with HLHS need surgery in the first weeks of life. They will have a series of surgeries to redirect blood flow through their heart.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. Every year, each NFL team nominates one player from their team who has had a significant positive impact on his community. This year, Russell Wilson was nominated for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, and at Seattle Children’s we wanted to say congratulations and share how much Wilson means to us. Read full post »
Tuesdays are 2-year-old Malachi Stohr’s favorite days. Every Tuesday, rain or shine, Whitney Stohr and Malachi bundle up and wave to the garbage men as they empty the garbage bins at the end of the driveway. Malachi and Whitney then take a walk around the neighborhood, following the big green truck along its route. Malachi loves garbage day, and so when Seattle Children’s found out, they got in touch with Waste Management to plan a special surprise.
“So much of Malachi’s life is scheduled around his medical needs,” Stohr said. “He spends many days in the hospital, in clinics, in therapy. We’re eternally grateful to have that level of care available to us. We are thankful to have such ready access to the services at Seattle Children’s and in our local community. But, at the end of the day, Malachi is just a typical toddler. He loves big trucks and watching the trash bins go up and down, up and down.” Read full post »
On May 7, 2018, Whitney Stohr slumped to the ground in the corner of her son’s room in Seattle Children’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Her son Malachi, who was born with a severe form of spina bifida, had undergone a tracheostomy days before. When he woke up after the procedure, his pain was so intense his body went into shock.
That night, Stohr remembers hearing beeps and alarms blaring in their room. Malachi wasn’t getting enough oxygen and his heart rate was dropping. Providers rushed in to perform CPR.
“I just crumbled to the floor,” Stohr remembers. “I was scared he wasn’t going to make it.”
That’s when a provider from the Medically Complex Care team knelt beside Stohr.
“She looked me in the eye and said, ‘It’s okay Whitney. We got him. He’s stable. He’s going to be okay.’ She told me that night that I needed to be strong for Malachi, and I haven’t stopped yet.”
The Stohrs have come a long way since then, and while Stohr has feared for her son’s life countless times, Seattle Children’s workforce members have been like a second family during the most challenging moments. Read full post »
Although children don’t typically fall seriously ill from the new coronavirus, doctors in Europe are now expressing concern that children with COVID-19 have developed mysterious symptoms that mimic those appearing with Kawasaki disease.
February 28, 2020 | Heart Center, ResearchComments Off on Marcus Joins Clinical Trial to Help Hearts Like His
Worry flooded Candice Andrews’ mind as doctors wheeled her newborn son away for open heart surgery.
“I knew about his heart condition since I was 7 months pregnant,” Andrews said. “However, it was still very scary knowing that someone was going to do surgery on my 7-day old baby.”
Andrews’ son, Marcus, was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and serious birth defect that occurs when the left side of the heart is not fully developed.
Fortunately, Marcus recovered well after his first of what would be three surgeries needed to treat his heart condition.
“Doctors mentioned how exceptional his recoveries were,” Andrews said. “We were so grateful, given how unknown the entire situation was for us.”
Although his first few years of a life were a bit rocky, Marcus remained relatively healthy as he progressed through childhood.
On July 10, 2018, Avery Crawford entered the world – a beautiful and seemingly perfect baby girl. Little did anyone know about the battle that was secretly raging in her tiny body as her heart struggled to do its job.
Avery was a miracle to her parents, Elaine and Jordan Crawford. Their 7-year-old son, Quincy, had always wanted a little brother or sister, but doctors said it wasn’t possible. Years went by and they began to lose hope. Then one day, out of the blue, their dream came true. Elaine was pregnant.
Just two days before he got sick, Adrian Peterson was practicing martial arts – a typical activity for the active 17-year-old who regularly biked, climbed and hiked. But that all changed in October 2018, when Adrian woke up feeling congested and nauseous.
“That was the only forewarning I got for what was to come,” Adrian said.
At first, doctors in Fairbanks diagnosed Adrian with the flu. However, about two weeks later, doctors at an urgent care center discovered Adrian had something more. He was sent to an emergency room with acute heart failure.
“My next memory was waking up while being toted over to an ambulance. I was told that we had to fly to Seattle Children’s,” Adrian said. “I fell asleep on the flight, and the next thing I knew I was in Seattle with an IV line in my neck.”
Adrian was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which is when the heart is severely weakened and it becomes enlarged.
“It was completely unexpected,” Adrian said. “All I knew was that I wanted to be healthy again.” Read full post »
After undergoing two heart transplants before she was 4 years old, 13-year-old Mya Garcia (above with her brother Marcel) is thriving today.
Mya Garcia, 13, has three birthdays. The first one celebrates the day she came into the world. The other two commemorate the days she was brought back to life.
When she turns 18 years old, her mother, Jamie Gonzalez, has a special gift for her miraculous daughter – a heartfelt letter to honor a day she was worried may never come. It’s a letter she’s been holding onto since her daughter was just 4 years old. She wrote it after Mya received the ultimate gift – a second heart; a third chance at life.
“I wrote her a letter to open when she turns 18 that shares in detail everything she went through after she was born, so she truly knows how hard she had to fight for her life,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t ever want her to take her precious life for granted.”
In 2006, three weeks before Mya was due to be born, an ultrasound revealed she had a serious congenital heart defect and her heart rate was dropping rapidly. Gonzalez was induced, and soon after Mya arrived, she was transferred to Seattle Children’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
“It was awful and traumatic,” Gonzalez said. “I just remember holding her tiny little hand hoping everything would be ok.” Read full post »
February 1, 2019 | Heart CenterComments Off on Mother Thanks Donor Who Saved Her Baby One Year Ago
A year ago, baby Titus Sickles was fighting for his life. In need of a new heart, doctors didn’t know if he was going to make it to transplant. Patiently and desperately, the family waited on the transplant list, watching as their newborn baby’s heart failed before their eyes.
“I knew he wasn’t doing good,” said Rena Sickles, Titus’ mother. “I totally lost it emotionally and said, ‘He’s sick of fighting and I can’t make him do it anymore. So, when he’s ready to go, we’ve just got to let him.’ That’s a really hard thing to to be okay with.”
Today, Sickles said you would never know by looking at Titus what he’s been through. He’s is a happy, healthy 1-year-old thanks to a gift Rena says she can never repay – a new heart.
“There are no words to express how grateful we are,” said Sickles. “It’s a miracle he’s here today. We make the most of every moment we have with him because we know they’re not promised.” Read full post »
On New Year’s Eve of 2019, Sierra Landman learned she was pregnant with her first child.
Although children don’t typically fall seriously ill from the new coronavirus, doctors in Europe are now expressing concern that children with COVID-19 have developed mysterious symptoms that mimic those appearing with Kawasaki disease.
Worry flooded Candice Andrews’ mind as doctors wheeled her newborn son away for open heart surgery.
On July 10, 2018, Avery Crawford entered the world – a beautiful and seemingly perfect baby girl. Little did anyone know about the battle that was secretly raging in her tiny body as her heart struggled to do its job.
A year ago, baby Titus Sickles was fighting for his life. In need of a new heart, doctors didn’t know if he was going to make it to transplant. Patiently and desperately, the family waited on the transplant list, watching as their newborn baby’s heart failed before their eyes.
