Walker's Mended Heart

On the outside Walker looks like a normal 18 month old, but his heart tells a different story. Walker was born on 1/4/13 and a day later was diagnosed with several congenital heart defects. He has Coarctation of the Aorta and right side dominant AV canal. Without intervention and surgery he would have passed away at just a couple of days old. Because Walker's left ventricle is so small he is considered to have a single ventricle heart and will undergo three major surgeries to reroute blood flow so his heart can function as a single ventricle. He had his first open heart surgery at six days old. After feeding issues it was discovered that he had a paralyzed vocal cord due to nerve damage from the first surgery. At two weeks old he had a g-tube (feeding tube) placed. Walker went home for the first time at four weeks old and planned to have his next surgery around six months of age. After a short stay at home Walker was in heart failure and back in the hospital at seven weeks old. At nine weeks old he underwent his second heart surgery. Walker was the smallest and youngest patient at Medical City to have the Glenn operation and spent another four weeks in the hospital and went home on continuos feeds through the feeding pump and on oxygen.

After arriving home he started physical, speech and developmental therapy to help catch up to others his age. After 10 weeks Walker was taken off oxygen.
Through a lot of networking and research Walker's parents sought out a second opinion from the top doctors at Boston Children's Hospital. The new plan is to give Walker a staged bi-ventricular repair. This will consist of two surgeries over the next year. These surgeries will give Walker two full size ventricles! The first surgery will be September 23. Walker will spend a minimum of two weeks, but could be up to three months in the hospital in Boston. Six months to a year later he will undergo the second operation giving him a whole heart!
This page is to first and most important ask for prayers but if you feel led to help with the financial burden of this expensive journey it would be greatly appreciated. All money donated will go to medical bills, co-pays and traveling expenses to and from Boston. Thank you so much for all the prayers and support!