Granddaughter
We had always considered our family to be pretty lucky health wise. We just assumed that nothing bad would ever happen. When our daughter and son- in-law announced to us that they were expecting a baby we were very happy. Tami was feeling great and the pregnancy was going fine until the day she was having a routine ultrasound and the technician found something wrong with the baby's heart. From then on our world seemed to be turned up side down. Her doctor was called in and letters like CHD and TGA were being discussed. What in the world were CHD and TGA? We had no idea. Well we were soon to find out. CHD is congenitive heart disease and TGA is Transposition of the Great Arteries. We had never heard of anything like this before. Do you know how hard it is to tell your kids that everything will be all right when you yourself are scared to death? Tami and Bryan were sent to Iowa City to meet with the doctors and have more tests done. We all hoped and prayed that they would get good news and the baby would not need surgery. No such luck. Their little baby would need open heart surgery. The arteries in her heart would have to be switched in order for her to live. After many months of making trips to Iowa City, Kennedy was born. To look at her you wouldn't think there was anything wrong with her. That's what is so scary. Up until a few years ago babies died from this because they didn't know what it was. Kennedy was in distress right after she was born and was taken to the NICU. Her mom and dad didn't see her for 2 hours while the doctors worked to stabilize her. As new parents we take so much for granted we hold our new babies, feed them, change them, and show them off but not everyone is that lucky. Tami and Bryan couldn't do any of this. When Kennedy was a week old the doctors felt she was strong enough for surgery. That was the longest, quietest day of our lives. Everyone silently prayed that Kennedy would be all right. Thanks to the amazing doctors at the University of Iowa Hospital Kennedy came out of surgery great. Her heart is not perfect but it is repaired. Since her major surgery she has had another surgery for pyloric stenosis and may be facing another heart procedure. We are praying that she is doing so well she will not have to have anymore done. Little Miss Kennedy, as we call her, has taught us so much. We no longer take things for granted. Her cute little smile gives all of us strength everyday. If she could go through what she did and still be the happy little ray of sunshine then we should be able to handle what ever comes our way. It is our hope that people will read our letters and become aware of diseases like CHD and TGA so more research can be done and hopefully in the future other families and babies will not have to go through what our family has.
Sincerely,
Carla Till (Kennedy's Grandma)