The
doctor told mummy and daddy that I had two heart defects, ALCAPA
(Anomalous Left Coronary Artery From the Pulmonary Artery), which meant
my coronary artery was in the wrong place, and Mitral Regurgitation,
which meant blood was leaking from a valve at the bottom of my heart
causing blood to flow back into my left ventricle.
The doctor said the only treatment for these conditions was surgery that
was very specialised and the only place it could be performed was in
London. Mummy and daddy were very upset and I tried to make them feel
better by giving them lots of cuddles and smiling lots!
The next day me and mummy went to London in a big van with pretty blue
and red lights on it (the man driving it didn't put them on for me
though so I was a bit disappointed!). Daddy followed us in his car and
my brother, Dylan, stayed at my nanny's house.
Me and daddy on Ladybird ward 5th March 2008
When we got to London we were taken to a ward in Great Ormond Street Hospital called Ladybird Ward. Lots of nurses and doctors came and stuck nasty needles into my hands and feet but mummy and daddy were there to make me feel better with lots of cuddles. They slept next to my cot and the next day, 6th March 2008, more doctors and nurses came and so did my auntie Cassie.
The doctors told mummy and daddy that the operation I needed was to re-position my coronary artery to the correct place on my heart and was a very difficult and risky procedure. They were told I could die or might suffer from brain damage because I had to be connected to a special machine to take over the function of my heart. Mummy and daddy were taken to a special ward called Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (C.I.C.U) so they could see where I would go after my operation.
