Amara Lee Cain HLHS
Donation protected
Amara Lee Cain was born February 28, 2017.
She has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). It is a congenital heart defect that begins during pregnancy. As the baby grows, the left side of the heart does not fully develop. Amara also has an atrial septal defect, which is a hole in between her left and right upper chambers of the heart. In babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left side of the heart cannot pump oxygen-rich blood to the body properly.
Amara was diagnosed with HLHS at about 20 weeks. The doctors continued to watch Amara's development, and after some time, informed her parents that their unborn daughter was not going to survive. Tisa was going to have to carry her baby full term.
Amara's parents made plans to spend as much time with their little girl as they could after she was born.
After Amara was born, her dad Courtney asked Amara's doctor to come back to the hospital and reevaluate her condition. The doctor said he thought Amara could benefit from a series of heart surgeries!!
The first surgery is called the Norwood. It is done within the first 2 weeks of life. Surgeons create a “new” aorta and connect it to the right ventricle. They also place a tube from either the aorta or the right ventricle to the vessels supplying the lungs (pulmonary arteries). Thus, the right ventricle can pump blood to both the lungs and the rest of the body.
The second is called the Bi-Directional Glenn Shunt Procedure and is performed between 4 and 6 months of age and helps reduce the amount of work the right ventrical has to do.
The third surgery is called the Fontan Procedure and is performed between 18 months and 3 years of age and corrects the mixing of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood in the heart.
(https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/hlhs.html
Amara has had surgery number 1 and is doing really well! She is healing and her parents are ready to finally bring their daughter home!!
All donations would be used to help fund any part of the surgeries that are not covered by insurance, and to help recover any lost wages the family suffers while supporting Amara in the hospital and during her treatment over the next few years. The family will also be using donations to buy all of the baby items they did not think they would be able to buy after Amara's initial diagnosis.
Anything you can give is so very appreciated.
She has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). It is a congenital heart defect that begins during pregnancy. As the baby grows, the left side of the heart does not fully develop. Amara also has an atrial septal defect, which is a hole in between her left and right upper chambers of the heart. In babies with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left side of the heart cannot pump oxygen-rich blood to the body properly.
Amara was diagnosed with HLHS at about 20 weeks. The doctors continued to watch Amara's development, and after some time, informed her parents that their unborn daughter was not going to survive. Tisa was going to have to carry her baby full term.
Amara's parents made plans to spend as much time with their little girl as they could after she was born.
After Amara was born, her dad Courtney asked Amara's doctor to come back to the hospital and reevaluate her condition. The doctor said he thought Amara could benefit from a series of heart surgeries!!
The first surgery is called the Norwood. It is done within the first 2 weeks of life. Surgeons create a “new” aorta and connect it to the right ventricle. They also place a tube from either the aorta or the right ventricle to the vessels supplying the lungs (pulmonary arteries). Thus, the right ventricle can pump blood to both the lungs and the rest of the body.
The second is called the Bi-Directional Glenn Shunt Procedure and is performed between 4 and 6 months of age and helps reduce the amount of work the right ventrical has to do.
The third surgery is called the Fontan Procedure and is performed between 18 months and 3 years of age and corrects the mixing of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood in the heart.
(https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/heartdefects/hlhs.html
Amara has had surgery number 1 and is doing really well! She is healing and her parents are ready to finally bring their daughter home!!
All donations would be used to help fund any part of the surgeries that are not covered by insurance, and to help recover any lost wages the family suffers while supporting Amara in the hospital and during her treatment over the next few years. The family will also be using donations to buy all of the baby items they did not think they would be able to buy after Amara's initial diagnosis.
Anything you can give is so very appreciated.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lorelei Sommers
Organizer
Littleton, CO
Tisa Kunkee
Beneficiary