Camdyn

By his mom, Erin

I remember going to the first ultrasound appointment and being so excited to meet my baby.

My husband and I were thrilled to look at the monitor and see our baby had ten fingers and ten toes, two arms and two legs, and a magical beating heart. But after looking at his heart for a long time, the technician sent a doctor into the room. With a big sigh, he explained to us that our baby's heart wasn't developing correctly. He referred us to Children's National for a fetal echocardiogram.

The next few days were difficult, to say the least. We had so many questions and no answers. When we finally went to Children's for the echo and met Dr. Mary Donofrio, we didn't know what to expect.

She met with us before and then spent a lot of time with us afterwards. Dr. Donofrio explained to us that our son had something called Tetralogy of Fallot. She drew us pictures of the heart and its defects, explained that he would need surgery, and answered all of our questions thoroughly. She had such a positive attitude, she put me at ease. I figured if she wasn't anxious, I shouldn't be, and that attitude has stuck with me to this day.

Our beautiful son, Camdyn, was born March 2, 2009. He spent his first three months at home, and seemed absolutely perfect. But I knew that soon that our little baby would have to undergo open heart surgery. As the time came closer, I just didn't know how I was going to handle it.

The day before his operation, his oxygen levels were low, so they decided to keep us overnight. The staff on the Heart and Kidney Unit were so attentive and kind. They made us feel completely comfortable and safe. Thanks to them, we were actually able to get some sleep that night.

The next morning, we walked Camdyn down to the operating room, and were met by the team in the hallway. The time had come for us to hand him over. All these people were responsible for the well-being and outcome of our precious baby boy and I didn't hesitate for a second. I felt completely confident in every single person standing there.

My husband and I kissed Camdyn a million times and then watched them wheel him around the corner. In the waiting room, I cried harder then I have ever cried in my life for about five minutes, wiped my eyes, and spent the next several hours walking the halls of Children's National. 

Finally it was over. His surgeon, Dr. Richard Jonas, told us Camdyn did great during the operation and explained what repairs he made to Camdyn's heart. Before we knew it, we were going to see Camdyn in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). During the next week, he went from having lines and tubes everywhere to acting like his smiling, cooing old self. It was truly miraculous.

The nurses, techs and doctors at Children's National were absolutely amazing. They were always professional, compassionate, and kind. Each person there touched us in ways that are unimaginable. There is no thanks that will ever be big enough. They gave our son the opportunity to live a normal, healthy, happy life.

Camdyn is now 15 months old. He started walking at nine months and has a personality that you can't help but love. He is a beautiful child with an amazing story. We are so proud of him! He has changed our lives in countless ways. He's taught us to live every second to the fullest and that life is truly precious.

Camdyn is going back for a second surgery to repair his pulmonary stenosis. Although the idea of going back for another surgery is hard, we know he will be in great hands. We anticipate a smooth recovery and a long healthy future for Camdyn.