This browser does not support the Video element.
Baby with rare heart defect given life-saving surgery
A doctor with Cook Children's in Fort Worth helped to save the life of a newborn whose family was turned away from other hospitals. Baby Anna Claire is now a thriving 9 month old.
FORT WORTH, Texas - A North Texas hospital is being credited with saving the life of a newborn baby from Georgia.
After being turned away from numerous other hospitals, the Beavers family found a doctor in Fort Worth who agreed to help treat their daughter’s rare condition.
Rare Heart Defect
Sarah Ellen and Zach Beavers live in Athens, Georgia. That’s where they received baby Anna Claire’s frightening diagnosis before she was even born.
"Her left ventricle was never formed or was just every small. And because it was so small that led it to never develop," Zach Beavers said.
Aside from Anna Claire’s rare heart defect, she was also diagnosed with a genetic disorder known as Turner Syndrome.
"When we first found out, I don’t think we knew the severity of it and the rarity of it," Zach Beavers said.
The couple soon discovered there were no specialists in Georgia with the skills to handle what Anna Claire needed.
"None of them knew what the combined two conditions created, what kind of complexity that created," the new father said.
Life-Saving Surgery
The family began searching for a doctor outside of Georgia who might be able to help. That’s when they found Dr. Vincent Tam at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth.
"In the last 20 years, we’ve done a lot of the Norwood surgeries with very good results and some of the kids have had Turner Syndrome," said Dr. Tam, a pediatric congenital heart surgeon.
A week later, the hopeful family traveled to Fort Worth.
Anna Claire was born on April 3. She underwent open-heart surgery that lasted more than five hours when she was just a day old.
New 'aggressive' flu strain emerging as health threat: Where it's spreading the most
A highly contagious and aggressive flu strain is sweeping the nation this season.
Thriving Baby Girl
Today, Anna Claire is just shy of 9 months old and is a thriving bundle of joy.
Her family is back in Athens, but occasionally returns to Fort Worth for follow-up visits with Dr. Tam.
"It feels great. I mean, as a doctor, this is what we want to do. We work every day to make kids better," the doctor said.
"It’s all just an answer to prayer and we truly believe she is a living and breathing miracle. So, we have really experienced that and are grateful for every bit of it," Sarah Ellen Beavers said.
"As hard as this year has been, we’re really grateful to end the year the way we’re ending it with such a smiley, joyful baby girl," Zach Beavers added.
Doctors tell them that Anna Claire will need another surgery when she’s somewhere between 3 and 5 years old.
From that point, the hope is that new developments with treatment will give her the best chances for a long life.
The Source: FOX 4's Dionne Anglin gathered information for this story from Cook Children’s Medical Center, as well as interviews with the Beavers family and Dr. Vincent Tam.