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You don’t have to be a doctor to save lives. When you contribute, you’re right there with Nemours on the front lines, helping to provide outstanding pediatric patient care, support prevention and education programs, and fund the research that leads to better treatments and even cures.
Lucy had the first of three heart surgeries when she only two weeks old. Today, she is an active and healthy 12-year-old.
Shortly after Lucy was born, she was taken in for her two-week checkup. Her pediatrician detected an unusual sound when he listened to her heart (a heart murmur) and told Lucy's parents to take her to Nemours Cardiac Center immediately. Within days she underwent the first of the three-stage Norwood procedure for hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
In this condition, the structures of the left side of the heart (the left ventricle, the mitral valve and the aortic valve) are underdeveloped and unable to pump blood adequately to the entire body.
Lucy underwent the second stage at 7 months and third and final stage at 13 months. Now an active, healthy 12-year-old, Lucy takes horseback riding lessons and plays volleyball, and is a voracious reader and honor roll student.
“We loved the way the Cardiac Center is designed to allow us all to be together throughout her stay,” Kirsten says. "Even now when we go back to visit it feels like family."
Recently, life-saving equipment such as temporary pacemakers and an airway cart were purchased for the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit with funds contributed by our donors. Michele Derderian, RN, cares for patients in the Unit.
“Sometimes children develop a heart rhythm abnormality during surgery. A temporary pacemaker helps them. If the problem doesn’t resolve on its own, a permanent pacemaker may be implanted. Pacemakers are also used for older children who have cardiac arrhythmias due to illness or prior surgeries,” says Michele. “We are grateful to have these additional pacemakers available.”
Respiratory therapist Denise Sebzda also works with young patients in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. She frequently uses a new airway cart made possible by donor support.
“In an emergency situation, it’s important to have everything right there on the cart, so you are not hunting for equipment or supplies when every moment counts,” she says. “The airway cart has a fiber optic light that allows us to better visualize the airway and helps us bring these children through life-threatening crises.”
You can also positively impact children’s health for years to come by remembering Nemours in your will or estate plans. There are many ways to do this, including some that offer significant tax advantages or even provide income for you or your family.
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