Meet Cameron
CAMERON’S STORY
Leading up to our twenty week anatomy scan, we had no idea anything was wrong with our baby; not even a slight inclination - no clue. My OB was super cautious with my pregnancy due to our many miscarriages and uterine surgeries. I had every blood test imaginable. Roughly ten minutes into the twenty week ultrasound, the tech got very quiet and teary eyed (we went over my history in great depth and I was outwardly VERY excited about my pregnancy). She touched my arm and said, “I’m sorry, this is not good for your baby. I’m going to get the doctor and I’ll be back.” I could hardly breathe. I was in shock. I was numb and alone as my husband couldn’t be with me because of the COVID restrictions. The tech finally came back into the room after what seemed like hours and told me that I should probably call my husband. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t function. How could I deliver more bad news to my husband? How could this be happening? This is my 9th, NINTH pregnancy. We can’t lose another. The doctor finally arrived and told me (and Josh on FaceTime) that our baby has a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). I had never heard of it. The only question I could ask was if my baby is going to die. His response was a very cold, “more likely now than if he didn’t have this diagnosis.” I don’t remember another word he said. Instead, I turned to Dr. Google for information- BAD IDEA!! For a full week and a day I cried inconsolably and googled any information I could find. Nothing was positive, nothing, not a single word. I had accepted our baby was most likely going to die, UNTIL; we met our INCREDIBLE surgeon. She said his diagnosis was less than ideal but with the proper care and equipment, it’s not a death sentence. In fact, after a very long road, his survival rate is 90-95%. She went on to diagnose our son with a left sided CDH. His diaphragm never closed properly. The hole in it permitted his stomach, intestines, and part of his liver to rise into his chest cavity, pushing his heart all the way to the right side of his chest. This prevented his lungs from developing - Cameron only had 24% normal capacity in his right lung.
We live in Connecticut, an hour and a half from the only hospital in the surrounding area that was equipped to handle CDH. To be safe, I planned on moving to Boston at 37 weeks. Well, Cam had other plans. At 36 weeks and 3 days (Nov 21, 2020) my water broke at home in Connecticut. That was the longest, scariest drive of my life. I arrived at 9 cm dilated and Cameron came shortly after. He went directly on a ventilator and was swept off to the Children’s Hospital next door. Cam was repaired three days later. His surgery lasted roughly 5 1/2 hours. He was extubated on Christmas Eve (33 days old). Unfortunately Cameron re-herniated on January 19th. He was rushed into emergency surgery. His second repair lasted 5 hours. CDH babies are so resilient. He was extubated 6 days later and is thriving. Today is February 25, 2020 and 97 days inpatient. We were told this morning that we are going home next week!! We are so joyous that our two year old will finally meet his little brother and that Cameron will finally experience what’s it’s like to be part of a family.
To follow Cam’s journey, please visit:
https://m.facebook.com/Camerons-CDH-Journey-115075506992528/
About the Fore Hadley Angels in the NICU Fund
Support and proceeds for the Fore Hadley Angels in the NICU Fund will go towards assisting current and future families like Yonatan’s, by providing financial contributions to assist families with the costs associated with extended, long distance travel and living arrangements. Costs that are often a must to ensure the proper specialty care for CDH babies.