About
“Sometimes the best thing and the worst thing that ever happened to you were the same thing, but at very different times”
— Doe Zantamata
New York Presbyterian Hospital, Morgan-Stanley Children’s Hospital New York (MSCHONY)
“There’s something wrong with your baby’s heart” - At 14 weeks our baby was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), a fatal condition without open heart surgery at birth.
This was the very surgery my husband was performing during his paediatric heart surgery fellowship in New York. How was this possible? Such a rare condition; such a rare physician. I couldn’t help but think this path had chosen us.
Sebastien was born blue with half normal oxygen levels and was rushed away for a balloon atrial septostomy within 20 minutes of birth. He remained in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) intubated until day two of life when he had his open heart arterial switch operation by Dr Paul Chai and Dr Emile Bacha.
We will be forever grateful to the team at MSCHONY for saving Seb’s life. With time this has journey redefined us for the better, both as individuals and as a heart family.
Paediatric cardiac surgeons, Dr Paul Chai and Dr Emile Bacha with our son Sebastien 6 months after they performed his open heart surgery
Media:
Helping our heartkids, Sunrise on 7
FOX5NY Live - Saving infants with heart defects
Cardiac surgeon confronted with heartbreaking irony - Daily telegraph
