Our beautiful daughter Jessica was born in September 2011 with a severe heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This was diagnosed at her 20 week scan and we were initially told that she was unlikely to be suitable for surgery. However, a pioneering in-utero operation at 28 weeks to enlarge a hole in her atrial septum was carried out and she was able to make it to term and get through her first open-heart surgery at just eight hours old. Jessica underwent five more surgeries during her life. Her final surgery - the Fontan procedure - took place in December 2017. She initially made a good recovery but sadly passed away suddenly on 14th April 2018 at the age of 6. This is the story of a little girl whose half a heart overflowed with love. She was, and will forever be, our little miracle and brought joy to all who knew her.

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Anticipating another surgery

We spoke to the cardiac liaison nurse at Southampton this morning. Jessica was discussed at the team meeting yesterday and the team have decided to put her forward for Fontan completion. It is likely that the surgery will take place towards the end of the summer.



We had anticipated that this would be the most likely outcome of the meeting but it’s still a bit of a shock to the system. We’ve gone from expecting to be another year away from surgery to being a few weeks away. Although we know that it has to happen at some stage, we’re still very scared and anxious. 


The last couple of years have seen big changes for us with regards to key professionals involved in Jessica’s care. The surgeon who carried out Jessica’s previous surgeries is now working in America and our lovely consultant at Oxford, Dr Archer, retired at the end of 2015. Although we know that the team in Southampton is excellent and Jessica will be in very good hands, it does make it a little more scary for us to be doing this all over again with a new team of doctors.


I will update again when we know more. If you could keep Jessica in your prayers, it would be very much appreciated.
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