Nathaniel ’s heart: One for the record books

As 3-year-old Nathaniel Wesley nervously watched the big machine move toward his chest, he spotted a familiar face: It was the cartoon character Barney — in sticker form. “Give Barney a kiss!” his parents urged, and he smiled at the friendly purple dinosaur while the scanner took images of blood flow in his lungs. Now 11, Nathaniel is no stranger to doctors, nurses or hospitals. Born with tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia — a severe congenital heart defect — he’s been a frequent visitor to the Heart Center at Boston Children’s Hospital for the past eight years. In this disorder, the heart and its valves and arteries develop abnormally, leading to a lower-than-normal amount of oxygen in the blood (cyanosis) and fatigue. Treatment typically includes cardiac catheterization and surgery. An unexpected path His parents, William and Joseph Wesley, weren’t initially aware of the seriousness of his condition, however. The couple, who began fostering Nathaniel and his two older sisters in 2009, were told that the then-3-year-old boy would require just one more cardiac catheterization and “then he would be fine.” But when they brought him to an evaluation with Dr. Naomi Gauthier, a New Hampshire-based pediatric cardiologist who also practices at Boston Children’s, they were in for a shock. “She told us Nathaniel’s case was much more complex than we realized,” explains Wil. “She said his is one for the record books.” Although Wil and Joe origina...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Cardiac Neurodevelopmental Program Dr. David Brown Dr. Janice Ware Dr. John Mayer Dr. Naomi Gauthier Heart Center tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia Source Type: news