Meet James!
James - 13 months
James turns 2!!
James at 9 months old!
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James was born on 18 February 2003 at 9.39am.   Our paediatrician, Phil,  checked him out and said, "Look, he's perfect!!" ... just the words every mum and dad wants to hear.  And he certainly appeared perfect to me!  But within a couple of minutes, things started to change.  Phil told us that James was a "little blue" and just needed a little oxygen ... not uncommon in newborns as their lungs can be a bit "sticky" and can take a couple of hours to work well.  So James was lying on my chest with a tiny oxygen mask on ... but he didn't get any "pinker".  Phil whisked James off to the special care nursery where he was placed in a humidicrib and given more concentrated oxygen.  At this stage, we still thought he'd just be in special care for a few hours.  As I had had a caesarean, I wasn't going anywhere, so I was stuck in my hospital room, with James in the SCN ... and I'd only seen him for a few minutes after his birth.

By that same afternoon, Phil suspected a heart condition and organised for James to be transferred to the John Hunter Hospital for further tests.  It was at the John Hunter that James was diagnosed with TRANSPOSITION OF THE GREAT ARTERIES ... and without major surgery, he would not survive.

James's story .......... with all the details!

Giving birth to a child to suddenly find they have a life-threatening condition is a little like I imagine being dropped into the middle of hell.  What is once all normal, calm and worthy of celebration, suddenly becomes a world of fear, tears, perhaps even terror ... and all of it an enormous learning curve.  With some conditions, like Transposition, you don't have time to figure out what to do ... you must simply take the advice you are given and run with it, otherwise your child will die.  So when the cardiologists say to you, "We must operate on your child's heart ... there are risks ...", you have no choice but to accept that information, to accept that it is the RIGHT procedure ... and hope that it all works out OK.  (And, you'll be pleased to know, it usually does!)

This website is for the information of our family and friends, and hopefully, if you are the parent, family member or friend of a "heart baby" it might provide you with a little comfort.  This page is NOT intended to give you any medical advice.  You MUST seek the advice of your own medical practitioners.  All links are provided to give you a bit more information only.
James Story!
Transposition of the Great Arteries
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