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So much can change in just a moment.

A blink of an eye.


It all started with a routine checkup. Lorelei was a little jaundiced, so at just 9 days old, we went in to re-test her biliruben levels. At the checkup, the Pediatrician listened to her heart…she heard a heart murmur, asked me about if they had heard this at the hospital, and then let me listen to it to…she was not too concerned, and she said I should not be concerned. BUT we needed to do some routine test, like checking her blood pressure before we left the office that day, and she’d see me in a couple of weeks at the next well child check up.

The nurse was sent in, and from the look in her eyes, as she did the test, and then re-preformed it, I could tell something was not normal. But no words were exchanged, but my mom radar was peaked.

Shortly there after our pediatrician returned. I’ve gotten to know her well, we’ve been with her practice for almost 8 years now…and I could tell something was really not right. She told me from the test levels, that something was not right, she told me, that Lorelei’s tests were not quite normal, and was going to give a couple of the local cardiologists a call for a second opinion. She knew they’d probably want to see us in the next day or two, to follow up with her heart, and then sent me over to the hospital to do blood work for her jaundice/billiruben levels. She said she’d be in touch after she consulted with the cardiologists.

I went to the hospital did the blood work, and started to head back to my good friend Diana’s house (she had my other 3 children, and I was going to pick them up). Right as I pulled in the driveway, my cell phone rang. It was our Pediatrician. As she talked, I am pretty sure I went into shock. She informed me she though our sweet new little tiny baby had a Coarcial Heart Defect, which would require immediate surgery. She asked if I could get up to SLC to Primary Children’s Hospital quickly, I replied yes I could. I don’t remember too much of the rest of the conversation, but she asked if she could call my husband, or if I knew how to get to the ER at Primary Children’s Hospital. She informed me that if Lorelei was to have a defect, that this was a good one to have, and that Lorelei was born so big and healthy, was a good eater, was gaining weight that there was a great outlook for her. I love our Pediatrican and was grateful for the reassurance she gave me in that moment.

The next few hours were a blur. I called Toph who was with his boss, carpooling home, and was going to meet me shortly at our house. I called my mom, tears streaming down my face, explained the situation, she rushed out the door, to relieve Diana of my children, as we were not sure how long we were going to be at the hospital. Then I called Diana, I was sitting in her driveway, I couldn’t go into her house, and let the children see me this way, she rushed out gave me a hug. Then she graciously sent me on my way, kept my children, and made dinner for our family that night.

I rushed home, grabbed a few essentials, then sat in our car at the end of the cul-de-sac impatiently waiting for Christopher to arrive. (I may have called him like 12 times wondering how close he was, if I could drive and meet him closer, etc).

Once he arrived, I drove as safe and quickly as I could. Christopher began to look up information about Coarcial heart defects on my phone (we discovered what coarcial meant: Basically she had a narrowing of the main valve in her heart), he gave Lorelei a priesthood blessing (how grateful I am for a worthy husband who was able to give her a blessing in a moment of need), and then make a flurry of phone calls, including to our Mom’s.

It was a long drive, and I did alot of praying.

We arrived at the ER, were quickly checked in, and the testing began. I don’t remember the order or exactly which/what tests were performed, but I do remember thinking how tiny she looked when she had all the probes hooked up to her body. There was barely enough room for them on her tiny little chest. There was also an immense feeling and sense of gratitude that we had such a great hospital nearby, more gratitude that our pediatrician had caught this early or before anything more extensive had happened, and gratitude for family and friends who were praying of us, and helping us.

The tests began, the first test was the blood pressure test that was done at the pediatrician’s office. And shockingly the results were completely opposite of the previous test.

(Christopher took these picture with my phone)

It was at this point, the doctors began to doubt that she had a Coarcial, but proceeded with the testing, wanting to find out why there was a murmur, and do more test to make sure it definetly wasn’t a Coarcial. A battery of tests began. The final test that was performed was an echo-cardiogram.

We headed thru a maze of hallways, and prepared for this test. It is like a ultrasound of your heart. And it wasn’t until I actually saw the pictures that I was reassured that our little girl was going to be okay, I felt I was able to breath again, and feel more calm (although I am not sure Christopher would tell you I was calm at all…). What a sigh of relief, thru these pictures, we were able to see that there was no Coarcial.

Also, with this echo-cardiogram we also discovered that the reason we heard a murmur was due to a few small holes in her heart, that were between her bottom two chambers. The Cardiologist informed us that these holes are in a muscle wall, and most likely heal up, and go together on their own. We were asked to return in a few months time to do further testing to make sure that they had healed up, and to continue checkups with our pediatrician. What Great News.

We returned to the ER to find my mother in law there, (yes we have wonderful family!) and the reality of everything beginning to sink in. What a whirlwind of 5 hours it had been.

What had just happened? With the news that our daughter was in no immediate danger, my mind began to race….was the testing that had happened at the pediatrician’s office that sent us racing off, been incorrect? Or had a miracle occurred? I don’t know if I will ever know the answers to those questions. But either way I do know that thru this ‘short adventure’ I became aware again of my Heavenly Fathers love for me, and my family. My testimony of the power of prayer and priesthood blessings was again strengthened, and again, I was again reminded of how blessed I am to have four healthy children.

We were discharged from the hospital, an after dinner in the cafeteria with my mother-in-law, Toph, Lorelei and I returned home late that night, to our home, where our children were all asleep, and well taken care of by my mom. And over the next few days, we were again showered with love, meals, support, prayers, phone calls, emails, and more from our family and friends.

A powerful reminder again that We lived a blessed life.

7 replies on “So much can change in just a moment.”

Oh Emily! I am so grateful she is okay! I started to cry as I read your post. My heart strings were tugged as I thought of how panicked you must have felt. Grateful she has such a righteous and worthy father to give her a blessing. Truly you have witnessed and Christmas miracle! Love you!

I loved my brother Brian’s comment on what to think about the one diagnosis at one hospital and a different one at the other:
“You don’t know whether to sue the doctor or write an Ensign article!”
=)

Oh my goodness. How horrible. I am so relieved to know that all is well now. There really is nothing worse than watching your child lay helpless in a hospital bed.

What a whirlwind of an experience!! I’m so sorry that you had to go through that, but what a blessing that she’s going to be just fine and didn’t need surgery! My little niece had a hole in her heart and when she was about a week old and when she went to see a specialist about it, suddenly the hole was gone.

I’m so glad you have family and good friends surrounding you, who are there for you when you need them most. I hope everything goes smoothly from here on out for you and sweet Lorelei!

Love Toph’s comment.

What a crazy story. What a nutso time for you. I am so glad that Loralei is alright, that you are able to breathe again, and that you have felt, yet again, the Lord’s love in your life.

Blessings on you all!

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