On December 4th, Izabella Rey Rivera underwent open heart surgery to repair a congenital heart defect that effects 1 in 300,000 babies.  For roughly a month prior Izzy Rey wasn't behaving like a normal 6 month old baby.  She was congested, lethargic, overly tired, losing weight, and having trouble breathing.  After visiting the pediatrician  weekly and making numerous phone calls over the course of a month, one of her doctors ordered a chest x-ray.  On December 3rd, the x-ray revealed an enlarged heart.  Izzy was rushed to the ER where she was assessed, and it was determined she needed to be seen by a pediatric cardiologist immediately.  Izzy and her mom, Kelly, were flown by a Life Lion helicopter to Hershey Children's Hospital.  Upon arrival Izzy aspirated and coded.  The team on stand by resuscitated her and moved her directly to the PICU for further assessment.  The cardiac surgeon needed to immediately perform open heart surgery to place Izzy on an ECMO machine that would take over the function of her heart and keep her alive.  The cardiologist ran an EKG and echocardiogram on her and found she had a Congenital Heart Defect.  Izzy was diagnosed with ALCAPA (Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery).  Her left coronary artery was attached to her pulmonary artery and not her aorta, this was depriving her  left ventricle of oxygenated blood.   She was slowly dying from a prolonged heart attack.  On December 4th she had her second open heart surgery that lasted five hours, and the doctor was able to repair the artery.  Izzy's left lung was completely deflated during this trauma and needs to re-learn how to maintain air.
     Izzy has been a "warrior princess" through every step.  She was successfully removed from the ECMO machine and breathing tube.  She continues to make great strides in her recovery.  She will remain in the PICU at Hershey Children's Hospital for roughly a month.  Every day is a new step toward recovery.  She still has a long road, but is the strongest little girl we know.  Her next steps are to be evaluated for her ability to swallow, nursing from mom, removing the feeding tube, monitoring her heart 24/7, and decreasing medicines.  The hope is to have her home by the new year.  If she continues to show such amazing strides in her recovery she will exceed all expectations!
     Izzy's mom and dad, Kelly and Pete, are both teachers.  Currently Izzy requires around the clock care.  Izzy has two older brothers at home missing their baby sister.  Kelly and Pete have both needed to take time off of work to be with their children.  Kelly is currently living with Izzy in the hospital, and Pete is driving back and forth daily.  The drive is an hour away from their home.  They have a lot of family support, but unfortunately FMLA time means limited pay to sustain their family.  All of their focus, energy, time, and love is directed toward the positive healing process for Izzy.  Their family is in need of help now to get them through this challenging time in their life.  A month without pay makes supporting a family of 5 extremely challenging.  The funds received will be used toward household bills, gas, food, and to help provide a few Christmas gifts for their boys.  The Rivera Family deeply appreciates all of the love and support everyone is blessing them with!