Card-AG - The Cardiologycal Working Group of the University Pediatric Clinic Münster

Helen - The courage give for pictures

Parents report

Being approx. 8 months between these pictures.

Our daughter Helen was born on 30.12.2002. A serious cardiac defect was diagnosed a few hours later: TGA. The big arteries at the heart were mixed up. Unrecognized this life-threatening fault leads to death within hours. It can fortunately be cleared by an operation with growing routine and increasing answer-to-seize ratio for approx. 15 years, if the child provided is tall and heavy enough. This was the case with Helen. She was got at life and prepared for the operation for 9 days with a strong medicine. They tried to stabilize all health functions so well, to be able to send her to the operation as healthily as possible. At the 9th living day she had an operation (8 hour "hell" for the waiting parents.), the thorax kept open at first was closed on 17th. As of 19th she needed no longer artificial respiration, on 22nd she was transferred from the intensive care unit 19 B to the child cardiology 18 B, we could take her home at the 47th living day.

There were complications again and again: When she already was at home, she didn't had any voice, one diaphragm didn't collaborate correctly at the breathing, she couldn't drink correctly yet. But, for her 5 life month, everything has seemed to be all right. Neither the cardiologists at their check-ups nor we can state any problems in the weekdays. She seems to develop quite normally! Our story has really ended well!

Dear parents,

You just go through very hard times. And you have other parents around who also go through very hard times. Try to keep your hopes high. Decrease your fears e.g. by asking questions after the things which you haven't understood yet. There is somebody someplace in this clinic that knows the answer. Please assume that all sisters, male nurse, woman doctors and doctors really want to help your specific problem. As a rule, if a wish isn't immediately fulfilled or a question isn't immediately answered, this is due to the hectic rush of the weekday. Understand and don't think that you are just treated badly now. Come back to the request or the question for some time later and you will get your answer. Regard the "professionals" as your partners.

We wish you much strength and power and all best.

... that's me today

Helen is doing very well. She is an extraordinary strong person with all pros and cons which will result out for that for the parents. On one hand we are of course very proud that she is such a tough girl - on the other it is often extreme exhausting because she also gives us a hard time. Her older sister really needs her two years advantage to keep up with her. There are situations where we need to remember that she was in urgent need for her tough behaviour which was most probably the reason that she was able to survive the first three months - and we should be grateful for this. Today her tough start plays no role any more in our daily life. Since she is obviously completely fit we have an absolutely normal living with her with almost no thoughts about her heart. There is only one thing even after 3 years: This is when we meet someone to talk we have immediately something to talk about Helens story. This seams to be some kind of getting done with this for ourselves. Despite of this there is no impact of hear disease on our life. The routine control check-ups show no reason for any kind of problems. Helen is going since one year to the Kindergarten and every summer we spend our weekends and also 3 weeks summer vacation with our two daughters sailing which is very nice for our family.

Helen Helen Helen

Dear Tobias,

You spend a lot of time and energy despite your normal job in the Card-AG. We adore you. You are one of this silent heroes for us which is often not visible in public but makes life the way it should be: A warm place of humanity and security. Many thanks for this. We wish you power, success and fun to keep on going with this.

Many loved greatings from Gesche und Nils, Thea-Lilli and of course Helen Löschenkohl