The day Jack was born, he was a little bit stubborn entering the world. He needed some intervention to help him make it through, and experienced an injury.
Taken down to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for monitoring, Jack’s expert nurses noticed something odd – Jack was breathing a little too quickly. Thanks to the NICU team’s close monitoring, they caught an underlying trouble. Jack had a congenital heart defect – the left side of his heart didn’t properly develop. As his mom, Alex shares, “We were getting ready to go home. Without the team catching his odd breathing, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Children’s caught the problem in the nick of time. The NICU immediately began a medication protocol to keep his heart valves open and pumping his blood correctly.
His diagnosis was just the beginning of Jack’s journey. With three life-saving surgeries under his belt, Jack sees his Children’s Hospital Cardiology team every three months for monitoring. His family trusts their team’s careful monitoring and their detailed knowledge of Jack and his needs.
With the help of his whole Children’s team, Jack’s heart is tested and protected as he continues to grow.
Today, Jack is a busy five-year-old who enjoys gymnastics lessons with friends and making crafts with his family!
None of Jack’s journey would have been possible without the careful monitoring and expertise from his NICU team that first night. His family will be forever grateful for the NICU’s vigilance.
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