The heart of a fighter

Sunday, January 28, 2007
Jason E. Silvers/Herald-Tribune Dr. John Fox, a physician at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, listens to Elijah Doherty's heart during a routine check-up on Thursday at Mercy Health Center.

By Jason E. Silvers

Herald-Tribune

Last month, Shane and Chrystaleah Doherty received the best Christmas gift any two parents could ask for -- having their small infant son there with them to share the holiday.

The couple's second son, a 6 pound, 7 ounce baby boy named Elijah, came into the world on the morning of Nov. 28, 2006, joining his older brother, 15-month old Brayden. He was born At Mercy Health Center via an emergency C-section, Chrystaleah said, and she and Shane were expecting a normal delivery and a happy, healthy baby. What they weren't expecting was their son to have hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that leaves the baby's left heart ventricle underdeveloped and about half the size of an average baby's left ventricle.

In this situation, the ventricle must work even harder to pump blood to the rest of the body. With no known history of heart problems in his family, Shane said, this came as quite a shock to him and to Elijah's mother.

"It's not something we expect to see in our family again," Shane said.

In addition to visits to Mercy, Elijah has since made trips to Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Mo., where he was officially diagnosed with the heart defect, and Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. He has undergone five different surgeries in the last eight weeks to correct problems with his heart, including his first open heart surgery that took place on Dec. 5.

The shunt -- or relief valve -- that doctors put in Elijah's heart now allows for blood to flow to the lungs. He also takes aspirin to help thin his blood, causing it to flow more easily and avoid dangerous clots and blockages.

Elijah, who is now almost eight weeks old, is doing well and appears to be battling through the health problems that have plagued his young life. Despite this fact and because of his heart problem, the baby also keeps his parents in a constant state of worry and fear, for which they have at least a temporary solution.

"We drink a lot of coffee and pray a lot," Shane said.

Other than the heart problems, Elijah also suffered from severe acidosis, in which lactic acid began to pool in his kidneys, causing them to begin to fail. Shane and Chrystaleah said they were beginning to wonder where and when help would come for their baby.

That help came in the form of Dr. John Fox, a doctor of internal medicine and pediatrician at Mercy Health Center. Elijah's parents and other family members credit Fox with saving the infant's life.

"Dr. Fox is Elijah's hero," Shane said. "He knew something was wrong and he stepped in."

After Elijah, who was only a few weeks old at the time, came back to Mercy Health Center from Children's Mercy, Shane said Fox stepped in and assessed the situation, and knew the steps needed to save the baby's young life.

"If it wasn't for him (Fox), we wouldn't have that baby," Elijah's grandmother, Deb Womelsdorf, Fort Scott, said. "Elijah could have died."

Womelsdorf said before Fox arrived, Elijah's hands and feet were cold and he had a weak pulse. Fox had Elijah hooked up to a heart monitor, and began helping the baby with his breathing. He was doing everything that needed to be done, Womelsdorf said.

"He was putting the puzzle together, although he didn't know what the picture was," she said. "He had no doubts. He didn't skip a beat. He went above and beyond the call of duty."

Fox said when he first analyzed Elijah's condition, he thought the problem to be common and possibly infection-related, and that Elijah had a decent chance to survive. The first step, Fox said, was to clear Elijah's airway and get his circulation and respiratory system working well again. A very pale Elijah was initially not responsive to Fox's efforts and was not getting proper blood flow from the waist down, Fox said.

Fox said he has found himself in similar situations when working with children, and that he enjoys seeing the family happy after a tough battle.

"I did what I would do for any kid in this situation, what needed to be done," Fox said. "I understand the family's appreciation, but I was just doing my job. It could have been a lot worse."

While Elijah still has two more surgeries on the horizon, most likely within the next couple of years, Elijah may have just faced his toughest obstacle, Fox said.

"He's out of the woods in a lot of ways," he said. "The heart surgery was a major challenge. He just got past the biggest hurdle."

While Elijah was in the hospital, doctors and nurses constantly checked on him, as the family waited more than six hours in the hospital, hearing periodic updates on his condition. The family was informed that Elijah had about a 5-percent chance to live before Fox's arrival.

If not for Fox's actions, Elijah could have died within 24 hours after they took him home, Shane said. Elijah's heart monitor flatlined at one point, and the family went in with a fear of the unknown.

"We thought this could be the last time we see our baby alive," Shane said.

Chrystaleah said her first reaction after hearing of her baby's condition from doctors was one that left her speechless.

"Honestly ... death," she said about her first thoughts. "We didn't think he was going to make it. We didn't know what the next thing was going to be."

Shane said this is when prayer started to play a major part in their current situation.

"We were going to need a miracle," he said.

The family's prayers were answered as the heart surgery was a success. Shane said doctors told him that the surgery had been a textbook procedure, which is precisely what the family had prayed for. During their time of trauma, Elijah's kidneys had also started to fail. Fox took the pressure off the baby's heart and stabilized his condition. Through the many ups and downs during the procedure, Elijah's young body fought the odds.

"He's a fighter," Chrystaleah said.

Shane said when they were finally able to hold their infant son, he could hear Elijah's heart beating faintly against his finger. Elijah came home Monday, Jan. 22, and has since been able to stay at home with his family, thanks to his own fighting spirit, a family who never gave up, and a focused and dedicated medical staff. His parents, who stayed in the hospital with him through it all, are glad to finally have their baby home.

"It's kind of like walking on water, because you see all of these other kids dying around you," Shane said.

Elijah could experience heart problems later in life, but major advances in medical technology over the next several years should continue to give him a fighting chance.

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