After waiting 218 days, 8-month-old Elodie Carmen Baker received a new heart last week. Elodie, who was diagnosed with a rare heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy at around 2 months old, spent over 200 days on the waitlist for a heart.
After waiting 218 days, 8-month-old Elodie Carmen Baker received a new heart last week.
"We're just so proud of her. Just [her] smile and the joy, just unwavering excitement for every single day – really, it's inspirational," added Collin Baker, Elodie's dad. "She has made it just so much easier to keep fighting every day."Dr. Anna Joong, one of Elodie's doctors and the medical director of the pediatric ventricular assist device program at Lurie Children's, shared that Elodie's recovery "has been remarkable.
Joong explained that while some children with dilated cardiomyopathy can see improvement over time, others become sicker and need additional support, like IV medications or a VAD. Older kids can sometimes go home with VADs while they wait for a new heart, but for infants like Elodie, the pump can't fit inside their bodies.
"She had her first open-heart surgery at 3 months old, which is when the VAD was placed," added Kate Baker. "But because of her age, she learned to sit, she was starting to crawl, she was starting to crawl to stand and it was amazing that she was able to do all of those things while supported on this device. ... She's going to go home and be on track with all of her peers, which is super exciting.
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