A pioneering operation has saved the life of a toddler who suffered from a life-threatening heart condition.
One-year-old Joshua Newman was born last year in Essex, England three months prematurely, and within his first two hours outside the womb he suffered four cardiac arrests.
Joshua suffers from a congenital heart condition and was born with two holes in his heart and an aorta that was narrower than normal.
An operation to widen the aorta was an option but doctors feared Joshua would be too young to survive it. Shortly after his birth, the little one was transferred to the specialist Royal Brompton Hospital in London, where it was hoped he could recuperate and gain weight in preparation for the operation.
However over the coming weeks Joshua suffered another cardiac arrest. Surgeons decided to go ahead with the treatment despite Joshua’s age and weight.
“The anaesthetist at the time said they couldn’t give us any survival odds as they didn’t have any for the type of operation on a baby so small,” said Joshua’s mother Suzy to the Daily Mail. “We were told the words that no parent ever wants to hear - they might not be able to bring our precious baby back.”
Thankfully Joshua survived the surgery, though the complications continued when it was discovered Joshua would need further treatment to fix the holes in his heart.
Now though, after two surgeries, the little boy is well on the road to recovery. “‘A year on, he’s doing amazingly well - he’s strong willed and determined, as he has always been,” said Suzy.
