Help Baby Braiden and his parents

Hello, My name is Cathy. I am doing a fundraiser for my Grandson Braiden and his parents.

Braiden was diagnosed with a moderate-sized subpulmonary ventricular septal defect when he was 13 days old. More commonly referred to as a hole in the heart. Subpulmonary means the hole is located just under his pulmonary valve. This allows small amounts of blood to enter into his lungs causing pulmonary over circulation. He also has two smaller holes - patent foramen ovale and patent ductus arteriosus. These smaller holes are formed in utero to allow blood flow to bypass the lungs. The ductus arteriosus typically closes within the first few days of life, while the foramen ovale typically closes within 6 months to one year of life. When Braiden was 12 days old he was brought to his pediatrician’s office for poor appetite and increased fussiness. This was the first time they said he has a heart murmur. They said this is not what is considered an “innocent” murmur. Due to this new diagnosis along with his poor appetite and irritability Braiden was sent to University of Vermont ER. He had a chest X-ray and EKG completed which were relatively normal and he was able to go back home that night. Braiden had a follow-up the following day at UVM Children’s Specialty Center Cardiology to have an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram takes pictures and shows how the blood flows through the chambers and valves of the heart. This is when he got the diagnosis is subpulmonary VSD. A Small VSD will typically close on its own but Braiden’s is moderate in size and is not surrounded by a lot of muscle meaning it is less likely to close on its own. The doctor said there was a 50/50 percent chance of him needing surgery within his first year of life. He is being treated with Lasix due to pulmonary over circulation. Braiden has an echocardiogram done once a month to monitor the size of the hole and the blood flow through his heart.

After his 3rd echo the doctor said he will need surgery within his first 6 months of life or sooner. Braiden has been below the first percentile for weight since he was a month an a half old. His heart is working extra hard to pump blood through his little body and he is burning extra calories. His cardiologist explained that he exerts most energy when eating - like running a marathon! He has had more X-rays, labs, and seen feeding specialists. Fast forward to today - Braiden is scheduled to have open heart surgery on January 5th at Bostons Children’s Hospital. He will be in the hospital for about one week. Between monthly trips to Vermont, weekly doctors appointments for weight checks, and now an upcoming trip to Boston, Braiden and his family could use all of the help and support they can get.

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