February’s Heart Hero of the Month
Written by, Erin Bass
When Sam was one day old, on November 19, 2018, his pediatrician came into our hospital room for a routine newborn check and heard a murmur. She subsequently ordered an echocardiogram to rule out any abnormalities indicating that many babies, especially boys, have murmurs. Hours later, we received the phone call from our pediatrician that no parent wants to receive—there was something wrong with our new, perfect, beautiful baby boy’s heart. We were in a state of disbelief and were engulfed by despair, anxiety, worry, and heartbreak.
Within the hour, a cardiologist entered our hospital room and announced his presence by saying he was “here to meet SLAMMIN’ SAMMY.” The name stuck, and that cardiologist —
Dr. Fletcher from Children‘s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha — soon became one of the most important people in our lives.
Dr. Fletcher explained that Sam had a ventricle septal defect (VSD), but his was more problematic because it wasn’t just a hole—the entire wall that separated his right and left ventricle was missing. As a result, he had a maligned aorta and would require surgery.
He didn’t know what caused Sam’s congenital heart defect (CHD) but ordered us to undergo genetic testing so that the cardiology team could better understand Sam’s diagnosis. He left the room indicating that he would present Sam’s case to the cardiology team to create a plan of treatment.
Sam endured the next four weeks in heart failure on medicine to reduce fluid around his heart and daily weigh-ins. He also underwent genetic testing during this time. We received a call on December 11, 2018, indicating that the cardiology team at Children’s recommended Sam undergo heart surgery to repair his heart as soon as possible. That week was filled with appointments from various providers at Children’s, and on December 17, 2018, at four weeks old, Sam checked into the C.A.R.E.S. unit at Children’s Hospital for his surgery.
Sam was in surgery for four hours, and by mid-afternoon, we had Dr. Fletcher and his surgeon, Dr. Hammel, in our room letting us know that the surgery was successful. They were able to repair his VSD, and while in surgery found he had an ASD and a leaky valve, both of which were repaired. Dr. Hammel explained to us that when Sam’s heart formed, it only formed two chambers instead of four. Thanks to the amazing care from his team of providers, they were able to repair his heart.
Over the next week, Sam spent time in the NICU and eventually in the ward as he recovered from surgery. He was discharged on December 24, 2018, which proved to be the greatest Christmas gift we could have imagined.
We returned to Children’s in January for another echocardiogram, and his heart looked great. He continues to see his team at Children’s as they monitor his progress as he grows.
He continues to thrive and prove to us that he truly is a HERO.
Heart Heroes has been by our side throughout Sam’s journey. While in the hospital, we received a gift basket and a cape from them letting us know that there was a whole community of people supporting him through his journey. His cape is a symbol of his strength and resilience but also reminds us of the community of support that he’s wrapped in each time he puts it on.
We couldn’t continue to traverse this journey without the loving support of our friends, family, Heart Heroes, and the community. His sisters love him, our friends care for him, and our community supports him. Thanks to everyone that continues to be an MVP for TEAM SLAMMIN’ SAMMY!
