Gaetano's Story
“Our journey with CHI at Crumlin started when I was still pregnant with our son Gaetano.” Elaine, Gaetano’s Mum
When Elaine was 21 weeks pregnant with Gaetano, she and her partner Jack received the difficult news that their baby had a serious heart condition. Guy (Gaetano) was later diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, this condition causes heart defects which require surgical repair. Gaetano was treated in CHI at Crumlin at the Children’s Heart Centre. The couple had their first meeting with Professor Orla Franklin, Fetal and Paediatric Cardiologist in CHI at Crumlin, when Elaine was 24 weeks pregnant. They had further check-ups throughout the pregnancy and Guy’s condition was diagnosed by Professor Franklin during this time. Prior to Guy’s birth a visit to CHI at Crumlin was also arranged for Elaine and Jack.
“The visit to the hospital was really helpful. At that time we were preparing ourselves for the possibility that our baby would need to be transferred to CHI at Crumlin immediately after birth. Being in the hospital and the Children’s Heart Centre took the mystery and some of the scariness away, but it was also surreal and upsetting to think that our little baby would have to go through so much. The Children’s Heart Centre where Gaetano was treated is a state-of-the-art facility. There is a lot of space, rooms for parents and a parent’s kitchen. I thought that I would be spending a lot of time there and it was great to know what to expect and to familiarise ourselves with the hospital and the ward.
When Guy was born there was no big rush to CHI at Crumlin, his breathing and his heart were the main concerns, but his oxygen saturation levels were good and he was breathing well on his own. Within an hour of being born he was brought to the Special Baby Care unit in the maternity hospital and monitored there. He was then monitored every week for the first 16-weeks in CHI at Crumlin and when he was four and a half months old, he had his heart surgery. The condition that he has affects four areas, the surgery was to repair these areas, including a hole in his heart. Before the surgery, every question that we had was answered, we were talked though everything and knew exactly what would be happened and why, it was so reassuring.
Guy spent a total of 11 days in hospital, his surgery, and his recovery after went well. He is still attending for check-ups and is doing great. Crumlin and all its fantastic staff have been a big part of our lives over the last six months, we will really miss seeing everyone and will be forever grateful for all that they did for Guy. They not only cared for our baby, but they minded us too. We can’t sing their praises enough and this is why we want to do the fundraising for CHI at Crumlin. We want to help to keep that service going for other families. It’s to give back and help in any way.” Elaine, Gaetano’s Mum
