Heart Full of Hope

Celebrating February as American Heart Health Month

Joanna Hargett and her husband, James, were on a whirlwind trip across North America during vacation when she discovered she was pregnant with her third child.

After Joanna and her family returned home to Brady, Texas, she went in for her first prenatal visit and ultrasound. Her motherly instincts kicked in during the sonogram, and she knew something was not right.

Joanna was referred to maternal-fetal specialist Dr. Lissa Melvin with the Center for Maternal and Fetal Care at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio and learned that her baby had a condition known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare and complex heart defect that happens at birth. The condition causes the left side of the heart to be underdeveloped, leaving the right side of the heart to do all the work.

Knowing there was a chance that Maddy might not survive, she did what any mother would do: plan. She knew for sure that she wanted to have Maddy to baptized, so Joanna enlisted a chaplain’s help and spoke to Child Life Specialists about what steps she would need to take if the worst-case scenario came to fruition.

When the delivery day arrived, Joanna had her first C-section and was not sure what to expect.

As soon as Maddy was delivered, nurses rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where the chaplain baptized her.

She was born on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, and less than a week later, she had her first surgery performed by Dr. Victor Bautista-Hernandez, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

“When I first met with Maddy’s mom months before delivery, we had a long and frank conversation regarding her daughter’s severe condition,” said Dr. Bautista-Hernandez. “Maddy not only had one of the most complex forms of congenital heart diseases, but also one of the worst anatomic subtypes. Out of the four valves of the heart, she had two completely closed and non-functional, and one with significant leakage. In addition, her ascending aorta and aortic arch were very small (only 2 millimeters at most), which significantly complicated the surgery.”

“Despite the challenges, Joanna and James wanted their daughter to undergo surgery with our team at The Children’s Hospital and that determination remained over time,” the surgeon added.

“The day of the surgery is what everybody looks at, but you need a talented team of health professionals to get one of these patients through,” said Dr. Bautista-Hernandez. “The excellent care provided by our maternal fetal medicine (MFM), pediatric cardiology, ICU teams, and all others led to a well-preserved newborn going to the OR in excellent condition and having a speedy and uneventful recovery.”

“There were hundreds, if not thousands of people praying for Maddy,” said Joanna.

Eight hours later, Maddy made it through surgery, and Joanna vividly remembers how she reacted when she first saw her daughter. “I just broke down and cried so hard. It was one of the hardest moments of my life,” Joanna said.

Joanna sat at Maddy’s bedside and prayed the rosary every day. She remembers going to see Maddy and holding her hand. As Joanna started talking to her newborn daughter, Maddy looked up and stared into her mother’s eyes.

“At that moment, I knew it was going to be OK. She is here. She knows me. I know her. I finally felt like her mother and not a spectator on the sidelines,” said Joanna.

On February 11, after spending 85 days in the NICU, Maddy was released home to be reunited with her two older sisters. She will need to be seen at least once a week and then back again in four months for another surgery.

She has been doing well and has experienced only minor issues like acid reflux, arrhythmias, and is fussy about eating, but otherwise, she is progressing well. Doctors are hoping the G-tube they inserted will help with that, and Maddy will soon be on her way to a full recovery.

Through it all, Joanna’s faith, while shaken, helped to see her and her family through. She said she is grateful to the team at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio for all their support.

“Maddy is a symbol of God’s faithfulness and will forever be my rock,” said Joanna. “God’s will has been manifested throughout our entire journey, and I know without a doubt, it will continue to unfold throughout Maddy’s life.”

To learn more about helping little hearts like Maddy’s heal, visit ChildrensHospitalSAFoundation.org.