Vera's Heart Victory

At the beginning of this year, Brandi & Logan Conner found out they were having another precious baby girl named Vera Rose. A few weeks later, they found out through blood work that Vera had Trisomy 21 also known as Down Syndrome. When Brandi was 7 months pregnant, they found out that Vera was in fluid overload and that Brandi had to go through an in utero shunt procedure to save their baby girl because her heart and lungs were full of fluid. A week later, they found out she had to go through that same procedure again but this time, a shunt couldn't be placed because Vera moved while they were trying to place it on her side. The following week, they found out that Vera had stopped growing and was on the verge of reverse blood flow which meant that it was no longer safe for little Vera to be inside the womb. At 31 weeks and 6 days, Brandi was admitted until she delivered which ended up being only 2 days later at 32 weeks exactly.
August 4th 2017 at 5:34am, very early in the morning, Vera's heartbeat could not be detected and they had to do an emergency c section to get her out immediately and they had to put Brandi under to do so. It was all very traumatic, but little Vera came out within 2 minutes weighing 3lbs and was kicking everyone in the OR. Taken immediately to the NICU, she then had duodenal atresia surgery at 3 days old, which is a surgery to correct her bowels as they didn't form properly which prevented her from swallowing well. She also had a breathing tube placed which came out after a few weeks. Vera had a lengthy stay of 53 days in the NICU which came with many ups and downs. She developed a chest infection from fluid that wasn't able to get drained in utero. She also developed pulmonary hypertension due to the large hole in her heart called a Ventricular Septal Defect and underdeveloped lungs. This means that there is a large sized hole in the two lower chambers of the heart. VSDs allow blood to pass from the left side to the right side. This means that oxygen rich blood can mix with poor oxygenated blood and as a result oxygenated rich blood is pumped to the lungs instead of outside the body. Right now she is taking heart medication to keep fluid down around her heart and lungs. Some VSDs can close on their own but since she has to take medication for her heart and her heart is in failure already; she has to have it repaired at only 4 months of age. Her open heart surgery will take 5-6 hours and they say that her recovery will be about 2 weeks. This surgery will take place on Tuesday, December 19th. They will unfortunately be in the hospital for Christmas. That being said , feel free to send them a Christmas card to lift their spirits I know it would mean the world to them. Brandi, her husband Logan and daughters Lila and Vera have been through so much this year. They are a family of super heroes because they handle every obstacle with the utmost strength. So much strength in fact, that it's very difficult for them to ask for help even being on one income and struggling hard financially on top of everything else. Their hospital bills have reached a hefty $700k and are still growing soon to reach $1M after Vera's life sustaining heart surgery. Life has forever changed for the Conner's. They still have a long road ahead , and they will continue to fight so hard for their little girl and her health. Anything at all will help them, and words could never express our gratitude for everyone's love, prayers, and support during this difficult time in their life. We have no doubt in our minds Vera is and always will be the toughest little fighter ready to handle any obstacle life throws her way, with the most amazing family right there fighting with her.