Images Captured by Carmen of Cormack Photography
Meet Tiny Light Megan. She
loves to cuddle her toys and laugh. Her smile is so bright it brings
light not only to a room, but to everyone in it.
While
still in her mother’s womb with her twin sister Amber, doctors
discovered Megan was missing a heart valve. Upon delivery, doctors
confirmed she was missing a left pulmonary heart valve which cannot be
replaced. At just five days-old, Megan went in for her first surgery. A
band was placed on the artery between her heart and lungs to control the
amount of blood flow and pressure to her lungs from her heart. The
biggest challenge with the band was that it had to adapt as Megan grew.
During this surgery, surgeons also removed the center of her heart to
create one large chamber from two small chambers. This was done to
ensure she would survive to grow enough to be able to have another
surgery called the “Glenn procedure.”
In
October, Megan underwent surgery for the Glenn procedure, redirecting
oxygen-poor blood from her head directly through her lungs. The initial
band on her artery was removed at this time. This little fighter has one
more surgery to endure. When she grows to 12 kilograms, she will need
the Fontan procedure. Her cardiologist believes this should be Megan's
last surgery for many years. By the time she is in her early 20s,
medicine and technology will have advanced far enough so that a surgical
procedure will be available to give her a normal heart.
Megan
has proved to be a very determined young girl by persevering through
countless checkups. As she continues to grow, she remains happy, smart
and inquisitive. Megan’s parents want their tiny light to just be
herself. Their entire family has been brought closer together and her
parents credit this support as being the most amazing part of their
journey with her. As a message to others, they say, “Have faith and
believe...it will all work out in the end.” They would also like to say a
special thanks to the people at the Ronald McDonald House for letting
them stay there and meet other parents going through similar situations.
"These conversations help put things into perspective and then you
realize that the situation isn’t as bad as it seems.”
Story by Stephanie Bond
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