Baby born with SIX heart defects is thriving - despite doctors' advice to abort
Filed under: Advice And Health
Caters
A little boy whose mum was told to abort him because he had a record SIX heart defects has been hailed a medical miracle after making an incredible recovery.
Doctors warned parents Michelle and Darryl Lewis that their unborn baby was unlikely to survive and so advised a termination at 21 weeks.
But the couple, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, refused and Michelle, 32, gave birth to Riley. The tiny tot had surgery at just eight hours old, followed by four more operations – and then he started on his road to recovery.
He made such good progress that he was even well enough to be a pageboy at his parents' wedding just seven months later.
Although Riley will need to have further operations to replace heart shunts as he grows, medics are confident that Riley will be able to lead a normal life Michelle told her local paper: "The surgeons told us that it is nothing short of a miracle that Riley is here at all.
"Doctors told us having one heart defect was unlucky, but six was unheard of.
"They said he probably wouldn't make it through the pregnancy, and even if he did, wouldn't survive long after birth.
"We were devastated - but Darryl and I just turned to each other and we knew straight away there was no way either of us was going to give up on our baby.
"The rest of my pregnancy was terrifying - I lived in fear of something going wrong.
i
When I went into labour, Riley's heart stopped every time I had a contraction - we nearly lost him so many times.
i
The couple had no idea there were any complications with Michelle's pregnancy until their 21 week scan.
They were warned their unborn child was suffering from back-to-front valves, a large hole in the heart, as well as various conditions that made his arteries thick and made it difficult for blood to pump around the body.
Michelle said: "The doctors said our baby's heart was struggling to pump blood around his body, and he had so many complications he wouldn't live.
"They said they'd never seen anything like it - having so many conditions was totally unheard of.
"They took us into a little room and advised us to terminate the pregnancy - but there was no way we would even consider it.
"I was induced and went into labour on Christmas eve, and it lasted 15 terrifying hours before doctors decided to perform an emergency caesarean on Christmas day 2010.
"I heard this little scream and the nurses held him up for me to see before he was whisked away. I remember seeing his big beautiful eyes and just pleading that he would keep fighting."
Michelle added: "After his first operation, the surgeon came out and said to us he had no idea how Riley was still here - he said it was a real miracle."
Despite needing a further three operations in the last 12 months, doctors are amazed by Riley's progress - and say at 18 months old he is doing much better than expected.
He will need to have further operations in the future to replace shunts as he grows, but medics are confident that Riley will be able to lead a normal life.
Darryl said: "Riley is our little superstar. I look at him and Michelle every day and just think how lucky I am to have them both."
Triumph over tragedy
- Miracle baby survives six months of chemo in the womb<p> Mum Stephanie Papworth was 12 weeks pregnant when she was <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/pregnancy-and-birth/the-miracle-baby-who-survived-six-months-of-chemotherapy-in-his-mother-womb-after-she-refused-abortion/" target="_blank">diagnosed with breast cancer.</a> Determined to give her baby a fighting chance, she refused an abortion, and baby Gabriel endured months of chemo, but was born healthy. Stephanie has now also been given the all clear after 12 months of treatment, and is now enjoying life with her new son.</p>
- Daughter's love letters help mum beat breast cancer<p> When doctors told Laura Binder that there was nothing they could do to save her from breast cancer, there was one person who refused to give up on her. <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/mum/linzis-miracle-love-letters-daughters-letters-to-sick-mum-help-beat-cancer-remission/" target="_blank">Her daughter Linzi wrote her mum a letter full of love and support </a>every day during her seven months of treatment. The mum of two has now amazed doctors by recovering from the cancer which had spread to her liver, and says it’s all down to Linzi’s love letters: “She was determined that I wasn't going to die and I was going to get better. And her wonderful letters have helped a miracle happen.”</p>
- Brave Ellie plays football without arms and legs<p> Ellis Challis might have lost both her arms and legs to meningitis, but she certainly isn’t letting it slow her down. The brave six-year-old learnt to walk on prosthetic legs, <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/kids/girl-of-the-match-brave-ellie-plays-football-without-arms-and-legs/" target="_blank">and now plays football for her school</a> - showing all the boys how it’s done! "It is fantastic to see Ellie playing football. When she lost her legs to meningitis we never imagined that one day she would be playing football for her school team,” says Ellie’s mum, Lisa. “All the other children are able bodied, but she keeps up with all the other team members. To think that she has prosthetic legs yet plays football for her school is just remarkable.”</p>
- Six-year-old boy beats meningitis every year of his life<p> Brave Seamus Rafferty has beaten the killer brain bug meningitis <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/kids/seamus-rafferty-six-astounds-doctors-by-beating-meningitis-every-year-of-life/" target="_blank">six times in just six years.</a> The little lad has been left with epilepsy and a tremor in his hands, but has luckily escaped any brain damage. Since Seamus’ last recovery, doctors have discovered, and closed up, a small hole in his skull which they think had been letting the virus into his brain. They are hopeful that Seamus, and his mum, Caoimhe’s nightmare is now over.</p>
- Miracle baby was worth every penny<p> This is the longed-for baby who cost her parents <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/01/08/our-miracle-baby-cost-us-40-000-but-she-is-worth-every-penny/ " target="_blank">£40,000 to bring into this world</a>. Baby Alice is Karen and Gary McLaren’s pride and joy, following six failed rounds of IVF. The couple’s fertility treatment was so costly, that Gary’s dad actually sold his house to help fund the couple’s bid to be parents. After the safe arrival of little Alice, the couple say every penny was worth it.</p>
- Baby boys born at 24 weeks are most premature triplets to have survived in Britain<p> Meet Max, Harvey and Lucas, three very special little boys who are the <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/02/24/baby-boys-born-at-25-weeks-are-most-premature-triplets-to-have-survived-britain/" target="_blank">most premature triplets ever to survive in Britain.</a> The boys were born at 24 weeks and five days, weighing less than 2lb each. After three months in hospital, 12 blood transfusions and an operation to repair a tear in Max’s stomach, the three boys are now finally at home with their proud parents, Rachael and Ashley Udell.</p>
- Medical miracle Ryan is first baby to survive being born with his heart outside his body<p> Ryan Marquiss wasn’t ever expected to survive when he was <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/kids/medical-miracle-ryan-marquiss-is-the-first-baby-to-survive-born-with-heart-outside-body/" target="_blank">born with his heart outside his body</a>. But the gorgeous little boy fought through the incredibly rare birth defect, and went through 12 major operations to catch up with his peers. Although he might require a heart transplant in the future, at the moment he’s thriving, so much so that his story has been reported in medical journals around the world.</p>
- Twins after nine years and 16,000 miles on fertility treatment<p> After spending a whopping <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/08/10/twins-after-nine-years-70-000-on-fertility-treatment-and-travelling-16000-miles/" target="_blank">£70,000 on fertility treatment</a>, Rachael and Mark Sadler are finally parents to twins Rebecca and Hazel. The couple reckon they clocked up over 16,000 miles during years of fertility treatment in a bid to be parents, but say every moment of heartache and every penny spent has been worth it now they have their gorgeous twins.</p>
- Twin Finn recovers from brain damage by copying his brother<p> When four-year-old Finn was diagnosed with a brain tumour, he made a <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/01/25/twin-finn-amazes-doctors-by-copying-brother-to-recover-from-braiin-damage/" target="_blank">remarkable recovery by copying his twin brother, Kian</a>. Finn has amazed doctors and his parents by over-coming mental and physical problems to be developmentally equal to Kian in every department!</p>
- Conjoined twins see each other for the first time<p> This is the incredible moment conjoined twins <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2011/09/15/the-look-of-love-conjoined-twins-joshua-and-jacob-spates-see-each-other-first-time/" target="_blank">Joshua and Jacob Spates saw each other for the first time</a>, following pioneering surgery to separate them. For the first six months of their lives, the two boys were conjoined at the base of their spines. Following 13 hours of surgery, the lads can now live independent lives and have been hailed as medical miracles.</p>
- Mum survives four heart attacks and a stroke while giving birth to twins!<p> New mum George Cormack <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/04/18/mum-survives-four-heart-attacks-and-a-stroke-while-giving-birth-to-twins/" target="_blank">amazingly survived four attacks and a stroke as she gave birth to her twins Oscar and Connie</a>. George almost died when her heart stopped after a bilateral stroke as she gave birth to her first twin, Oscar. Doctors put George in an induced coma to help her recover, and when she finally woke up, she spent three months battling to get back to health, getting to know her twins, and learning to speak again.</p>
- Mum-to-be refuses lung cancer operation to save unborn baby<p> Mum Daniella Jackson <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/05/15/mum-to-be-refuses-lung-cancer-operation-to-save-unborn-baby/" target="_blank">was left with a heartbreaking choice</a> when doctors discovered she had a cancerous tumour growing in her lung. She was advised to abort her growing baby when she was five months pregnant so doctors could urgently operate on the growing tumour in her left lung. But abortion was never an option for brave Daniella, and she was determined to wait until she gave birth to start treatment. A month later, the new mum underwent a four-hour operation to cut out the tumour and remove half of her lung, and is now making a slow recovery at home with baby Rennae.</p>
- Baby joy for mum who suffered 14 miscarriages, a stillbirth and the death of her two-week-old son<p> Maria Pridmore <a href="http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2012/03/06/miracle-mia-baby-joy-for-mum-who-suffered-14-miscarriages-a-stillbirth-death-of-son-two-weeks/" target="_blank">lost 16 babies over 13 years.</a> This included the stillbirth of daughter Shannon, and the death of her two-week-old son, Kia. Maria and partner John are now celebrating the birth of their healthy daughter, Mia Shannon, who was born by emergency Caesarean.</p>
Share this article
7 Comments