Valentina’s Heart Journey

Valentina was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, basically half a heart. Without surgery, there’s a 0% survival rate. She will be one year old in a few days and has been hospitalized at Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI for her entire life. She had her first open heart surgery when she was just 2 days old, second open heart surgery at 3.5 months old, and third open heart surgery when she was 4 months old.

Throughout her one year in the hospital, she was on ecmo for 14 days, has had 200+ xrays, 27 chest tubes, 7 heart catheterizations, and got flown to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and was there for 9 days to have a procedure done by their lymphatic team, which is the best in the country. After coming back to Michigan, Valentina was finally able to start making steps forward. She got extubated and was able to breathe without a machine for the first time in months. 

Valentina works with physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists multiple times a week. If she continues to make progress how she has been, hopefully her time in the hospital will come to an end in the semi-near future and she will be able to come home for the first time in her life.

I’m currently staying at the hotel inside of the hospital so that I’m close to Valentina. Because of coronavirus, I’m the only person allowed to be with Valentina, which also means I have to drive back and forth to my house almost an hour away multiple times a week to see my other children.

With me not being able to work since before Valentina was born and being a single parent taking care of 3 kids on my own, I’m struggling to pay for essentials like food, bills, and preparing my house for when Valentina gets discharged. Any help is greatly appreciated and if you can’t help financially, please say a prayer for Valentina. 

Thank you❤️