Finn ’s heart: A journey into the unknown

Three-year-old Finn stands in front of the full-length mirror in his parents’ room, with his shirt off. “Mommy, look how cool!” he shouts, placing his finger along the long scar running down the middle of his chest. “That’s where I had my heart surgeries!” “That’s right, buddy,” Jenna replies, surprised because they’d never talked about his scars. “We always tell him he has a special heart. We don’t ever want him to feel different.” Finn runs off to play. It makes Jenna smile and sometimes cry to see her son so happy and full of life. Now 5 years old, Finn has had three open-heart surgeries to treat multiple complex congenital heart defects, and his journey is not over. “We are so thankful to Boston Children’s Hospital for giving our child life,” says Jenna. “Each day is a blessing.” A prenatal diagnosis and a move to Boston  Back in 2012, pregnant with her first child, Jenna was more excited every day to become a mother. At her 20-week prenatal checkup, the ultrasound technician couldn’t get clear images. Jenna wasn’t worried. She’d go back in a few weeks to try again. But at 29 weeks, a clear set of images revealed her unborn son had hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) with mitral valve stenosis and regurgitation. Doctors in South Carolina didn’t offer definitive advice. They talked to Jenna and her husband, Bo, for an hour about Finn’s complex heart condition, at various points recommending a heart transplant or palliat...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Christopher Baird complex congenital heart defect Heart Center hypoplastic left heart syndrome Wayne Tworetzky Source Type: news