www.anellerichardsonphotography.com
Tiny
Light Hunter is a little boy with a big smile. He seemed perfectly
healthy for the first ten days of his life. Then, at one of his first
checkups, his pediatrician detected a heart murmur and sent him to the
local children’s hospital for further tests the next day. Hunter’s
parents Laurie and Denis weren’t worried, as their newborn seemed to be
fine apart from not gaining weight.
But to Laurie and Denis’ shock, caregivers of all kinds came pouring into their room at the hospital. As Laurie says, “The
next thing we knew they were drawing a diagram and telling us Hunter
needed to be admitted to the NICU immediately and prepped for surgery.
They were not sure how quickly they would be able to operate but it
couldn't wait.” Little Hunter had coarctation (narrowing) of the aorta
and had already lost his pulse in his groin area. Laurie remembers,
“One of the most terrifying moments of our lives was having to hand him
over to the medical staff for surgery. How do you say goodbye to your
newborn baby?”
The
surgical team removed part of Hunter’s aorta and patched it up. His
heart was clamped during the operation, and a line was put inside his
arm at the elbow as his veins were too small for regular IV’s. Hunter
came through the ordeal better than anticipated and was able to go home
after four days instead of the expected two to three weeks.
Today,
Laurie and Denis help raise money for the hospital that gave their Tiny
Light an excellent chance for a long and healthy life. And Hunter is
busy smiling non-stop and flirting with all the women he meets!
Written by Jayne Akizuki
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