Heart Surgery for Nora Jane

Anthony Family Story:

Richard and Hannah Anthony have a one-year-old son named Henry, and are welcoming their baby daughter Nora Jane into the world near the end of February.

The Anthony family has had more than its share of ups and downs this year.

So Richard and Hannah were apprehensive when their midwife asked to meet with them together after Hannah’s 20-week scan. They were stunned as the midwife explained their baby girl has a rare heart condition. Nora Jane has an interrupted aortic arch, along with a myriad of other heart issues that will have to be surgically addressed.

An interrupted aortic arch means the aorta did not form completely. The aorta is the heart's arch-shaped main pipeline, carrying oxygen-rich blood to the body. In an interrupted aortic arch, there is a gap where part of the aorta is missing.

The Anthony family will travel 8 hours away to Orlando, Florida, for a minimum of a six-week stay for Hannah to deliver Nora Jane. Immediately after Nora Jane is born, they will take her to a separate hospital where she will stay for the first week of life. During that first week, she will have open heart surgery to correct the interrupted aortic arch, the hypoplastic aorta, the hole between ventricles, and the leaking tricuspid valve. She will need at least a four-week recovery.

Funds will go to help the Anthony Family with the medical expenses, the minimum six-week stay in Orlando (including food & transportation), and their six-week loss of income while both parents are in Orlando.

Your gifts and your prayers mean everything to this family—and to their little baby girl. Thank you for taking care of them as they take care of her.