Matthew, Our Heart warrior

Hi My name is Nhi. Matthew's favorite aunty and I'm raising a fund to help my nephew family with some medical bills they about to go through after the surgery December 8th 2023. Here is a little story of our warrior Matthew.

When mom was 20 weeks at her pregnancy, she found out that I was going to born with complex heart defects.Today, at 26 weeks, they found out more about my health’s conditions. I’m going to be born with a syndrome called “ Heterotaxy syndrome “.

A syndrome that causes my inside parts malfunctions and not in the places they needed to be like a normal baby; no spleen, stomach is wrong place, intestine is short, liver doesn’t have a pouch for filter. Most importantly, it causes my heart to have 4 big problems; a whole in between 2 side chambers( AVSD), double outlet right ventricles (DORV), Total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR) which means blood vein through heart that pumps blood for whole body going in the wrong side,

Valve from lung to heart is smaller than normal.

Mom and dad were heartbrokens. They love me so much even though they haven’t met me yet. Still they decided to keep me and nurturing me.

Weeks 33 of mom’s pregnancy:

Dr. Moga is the surgeon who will do the surgery on my heart. He wanted to fix the first and very important issue within 24 hours right after the delivery, the Pulmonary vein, or else there will be no blood go through heart and go to whole body, if so, I might not make it.

Second surgery is to fix the DORV ( double outlet right ventricle ) at 4-6 months old. What they’ll do is split the double outlet to one for each side as Normal heart supposed to be.

Third surgery is to patch the whole in between 2 chambers of heart.

At 1 year old, Forth surgery is the put a band in valve going from lung to heart as they found out that valve is smaller than normal.

One of the worst news were for that many surgeries I will need up until I’m 5 years old, survival chance is only at 50%.

Mom and Dad once again were heartbroken after heard that new news. It was definitely tougher for mom than dad. We’ve been together for 33 weeks, she never thought that she would hear something like that might happen to her very first child.

All they know were they have to keep going.

Mom was so strong she walked out of that room as calm as she can be. She knew that she has to fight for my life and so on.

Miracle happened Matthew was doing so good up until 5 months so doctor decided its time for his first open heart surgery. Please send prayer for our little one to have a successful surgery and fast recovery. Thank you everyone