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My name is Caitlynn Miller. I am a spouse to a great man and a mother to two amazing little boys. On September 8th, 2020 my beautiful baby boy, Elias, was born with a congenital heart defect that will require heart surgery before he turns 2 months old.
We knew of Elias’ conditions prior to birth. Our anatomy scan was done at 18 weeks gestation where we discovered Elias’ congenital heart defect called vascular ring. To be more specific, Right sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery from Kommerell’s Diverticulum.
When Elias was born, he spent a few days in the NICU and was discharged after tests and doctors cleared him. At his one month cardiac appointment, we re-ran a few tests and discovered that his defect had gotten tighter. It is now causing his trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (food passageway) to be more constricted than what it was when we were discharged from the NICU. Elias showed no symptoms until recently. He has had a few “blue episodes” in his lower legs and feet because of the lack of oxygen and shows other concerning symptoms like stridor while eating, reflux and early signs of respiratory distress.
Since his ring has become more constricting causing him to now be symptomatic, we know that surgery is the best option for our son at this time. Elias is scheduled to have surgery on November 5th, 2020 where the surgeon will clip the ligamentum completing the ring and relocate his left subclavian artery to its ‘normal’ location. If things go well, he will be in the CICU for 5-7days, but has a long road to recovery.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our son’s story. We appreciate each and every single one of you. My family and I ask that you please keep our little baby boy in your prayers and know that your support means the world to us. We are so incredibly thankful.
We knew of Elias’ conditions prior to birth. Our anatomy scan was done at 18 weeks gestation where we discovered Elias’ congenital heart defect called vascular ring. To be more specific, Right sided aortic arch with an aberrant left subclavian artery from Kommerell’s Diverticulum.
When Elias was born, he spent a few days in the NICU and was discharged after tests and doctors cleared him. At his one month cardiac appointment, we re-ran a few tests and discovered that his defect had gotten tighter. It is now causing his trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (food passageway) to be more constricted than what it was when we were discharged from the NICU. Elias showed no symptoms until recently. He has had a few “blue episodes” in his lower legs and feet because of the lack of oxygen and shows other concerning symptoms like stridor while eating, reflux and early signs of respiratory distress.
Since his ring has become more constricting causing him to now be symptomatic, we know that surgery is the best option for our son at this time. Elias is scheduled to have surgery on November 5th, 2020 where the surgeon will clip the ligamentum completing the ring and relocate his left subclavian artery to its ‘normal’ location. If things go well, he will be in the CICU for 5-7days, but has a long road to recovery.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our son’s story. We appreciate each and every single one of you. My family and I ask that you please keep our little baby boy in your prayers and know that your support means the world to us. We are so incredibly thankful.