Hannah Lynn (Dilated Cardiomyopathy)

Hannah Lynn was born on July 12, 2006 in Baton Rouge, LA.  After five months of being a happy, perfectly healthy baby girl, her appetite dramatically decreased.  On December 15, 2006, we took her to the pediatrician to find out what was wrong.  Expecting to learn that she had a minor condition such as an ear infection, we were shocked to learn that her heart was racing at 212 beats per minute.  Her pediatrician sent us straight to pediatric cardiologist Dr. Michael Brumund for immediate evaluation.

Upon arriving at the cardiologist's office, an echocardiogram was promptly taken of Hannah's heart.  The silence in the room was deafening. Her left ventricle was extremely dilated or enlarged, and her shortening fraction was measured at less than 1% (normal being around 40%).  This basically meant that her heart had almost no function at all. Hannah was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, and was then immediately admitted to Our Lady of the Lake PICU. Although the experience was shocking and terrifying, we immediately began to pray that God would restore her heart to its normal, healthy condition.

Over the course of the next few days, Hannah's condition deteriorated slightly, if that was even possible.  She was placed on a ventilator and given paralytic medication so that her heart would not have to work so hard.  The decision was made on December 17 to transfer her via helicopter to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans, LA, where more intense treatment was available. We will never forget watching the helicopter fly overhead carrying our precious cargo, and wondered how many angels surrounded it.

Hannah was stabilized after being given tons of medications, a blood transfusion to increase her hemoglobin levels, and an IVIG treatment to boost her immune system.  Her doctors in New Orleans began talking about possible treatment options, including ECMO and heart transplantation surgery.  A week later Hannah was listed as a status 1A for a heart transplant. Although we were glad to have an option, we always felt very strongly that a transplant was not God's will for Hannah. This would miraculously prove to be true in a matter of weeks.

A heart catheterization procedure was performed to rule out any possibility of structural anomalies, and four biopsies were taken from the right ventricle for analysis (taking samples from the left ventricle was too risky).  The cause was still unknown after the tests. A few days later Hannah was taken off the ventilator.  She began breathing without assistance, and her blood oxygen levels rarely fell below 98%. By the grace of God, Hannah began showing improvements in her function little by little.

Hannah continued to improve over the next week, and was eventually moved out of the PICU into a normal room on the pediatric floor.  She was discharged from the hospital on January 8, 2007 with an improved shortening fraction of 9% to 13%.  To her doctor's amazement, Hannah was removed from the transplant list altogether that February. Our exact prayers had been answered. Hannah was a true miracle!

A few months later, Hannah was admitted into PICU at OLOL once again, this time with a very irregular rhythm and heart rate, which jumped into the 270s. At this time she was diagnosed with Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia. With a powerful new medication, we would witness an amazing miracle unfold over the next year: Hannah's heart returned to normal. As of this date, her heart function and size are in the normal range. In fact, her medications will cease in April 2008, and we are truly believing that she will encounter no further complications.

So what are the statistics for a patient going from status 1A on a transplant list to never needing one, all in a matter of 6 weeks? Zero, with the exception of Hannah. Praise God!