It’s hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for Jennifer and Brandon New to hand their baby over to a team they knew would stop her heart. But it had to be done.
When their baby, Whitney, was just 10 days old, she’d been sick with some sort of respiratory issue a couple of times already. She never seemed healthy. She struggled to breathe.
Jennifer New knew something was wrong.
She took her newborn infant back to the pediatrician and heard words that didn’t stun her. She thought things would be fine. The doctor thought he heard a murmur in tiny Whitney’s heart.
Children’s Mercy was on the phone with her not long after.
Baby Whitney was going in for a check of her heart. Jennifer New still figured this was fairly routine, so much so she didn’t have Brandon New go with her. She took her mom. And thank goodness for that.
Jennifer New and Whitney were at Children’s Mercy that day until the sun was setting and most everyone else had gone home. There was bad news.
Whitney would need open-heart surgery. As soon as possible. It was that bad. But she would need to gain weight. She’d have to be 10 pounds. With as sick as she was, and her inability to keep food down, Jennifer New knew that would be tough.
Whitney had to have a feeding tube. Jennifer and Brandon New worked round the clock with feedings ever few hours, rocking and holding since Whitney was uncomfortable most of the time. Whitney got sick and that delayed things again. This went on for two more months. Her older brother James prayed to just be able hold his baby sister. But he couldn't, yet.
Finally, it was time. On Jan. 11, a Monday, Whitney weighed enough and was healthy enough she could have the surgery she so desperately needed.
Jennifer New remembers the morning vividly. With tears welling in her eyes, she can recount the moment she and Brandon New had to hand over their sweet baby Whitney.
“They call it the hugs and kisses hallway. Because they know...” her voice quivers.
The nurses know you are handing over your baby so they can go stop her heart.
Several hours went by. Many tears fell. And two very exhausted parents sat and waited with their own parents. Then, finally, news the surgery was over.
Their baby girl had two holes in her heart. The one on top of her heart was smaller, but the one on the bottom was the size of a nickel.
And now, three months later, after some rough patches at first, baby Whitney is happy and healthy.
Brandon New is a second generation cattle rancher. He works out in pastures tending to cattle. So it was quite the surprise when the doctor explained little Whitney’s procedure.
The top hole took simply a stitch to close. The bottom hole was so large it needed a patch.
“Bovine paricardium,” said the doctor.
Brandon New laughed.
“Do you know what that means,” he said to Jennifer New, who was sitting beside him.
Part of a cow’s heart was used to patch Whitney’s heart.
Whitney’s parents shared her story on social media and have been tracking where comments and prayers have come from on a map in their home. They have people sending well wishes from as far away as Germany. This is their map.
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