Henry James Platt was born a little after midnight on January 1st (the first baby born in Duluth in 2026! ) He was immediately rushed to the NICU after having difficulties breathing. A few hours later Will and Melissa were given the news that he had Truncus Arteriosus, a rare and serious heart defect. Hours later he was flown down to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis. Henry has been in the cardiovascular intensive care unit since. He had open heart surgery on February 19th and will be getting a stent put in his left pulmonary artery within the next week. Henry is healing well after his first OHS, but will need many more throughout it his life.

Genetic testing was done for Henry and came back positive for DiGeorge Syndrome, a microdeletion on his 22nd chromosome. This explains his heart defect, calcium deficiency, and low T cell results in his newborn screening. There are many symptoms and complications that come with DiGeorge Syndrome, ranging from mild to severe. Only time will tell how severely he is affected, but the hope is his is a milder case.

Henry is doing well right now. The road to recovery following open heart surgery is long and hard, especially for a newborn, but Henry is strong, resilient, and such a fighter. He has the biggest personality and is always making his parents laugh. He is loved dearly by his mother and father and being well taken care of by his nurses, doctors, and surgeon. It is unknown how long he’ll be hospitalized, but every day he’s improving.

Will and Melissa didn’t have the benefit of knowing about Henry’s condition prior to birth, so they literally had to up and leave their life in Duluth overnight. Beyond the tremendous stress of having their newborn in the CVICU, there is a huge financial burden as well. On top of having to pay their insurance deductible, they also face a hefty bill for Henry’s flight down to Children’s. Neither of them know when they will be returning to work, because they don’t know how long Henry will be hospitalized for.

No parent in their shoes should have to worry about incurring medical bills. If we can help reduce even an ounce of financial stress for this family, I know they would be forever grateful. Please consider donating (no amount is too small!) Thank you.