Joseph had been born with a condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome or with a non-existent left side of his heart.
Siobhan said, “They came to tell us that the prognosis wasn’t good. He had something called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Something, we’d never heard of.”
“Most children with this do not fare very well and we were actually told that we were going to lose Joseph that day he was born.”
But six years later, baby Joseph has undergone numerous surgeries and defied all odds to survive. His mom says it was all possible because of medical technology and lots of love and prayer.
Joseph was operated on for open heart surgery at six days old and then again as a six-month-old and a four-year-old. Continuously in and out of the hospital, the little boy braved all medical treatments and complicated surgeries and is a healthy six-year-old today. He is also big brother to three other siblings.
Siobahn says, “He is as fixed as he can be. Nobody can tell us what the future might bring, we are just hoping he stays as healthy as he is now.”
“I want people to know that getting a heart defect diagnosis in your child is not the end of the world. There are surgical options and a lot of interventions and a lot of families that can help and want to help.”
– Atula, Staff Writer
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