Grayson Easley
"When a child is born, you just expect him to be healthy and never imagine that he could have a serious condition that would threaten his life," says Carrie Easley, Grayson Easley's mother.
But just 18 hours after his birth at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Grayson was transported to Children's Mercy where cardiologist Stephen Kaine, MD, performed an echocardiogram and found that Grayson had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and unable to pump enough oxygenated blood to the body.
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"We've been nothing but thrilled with Children's Mercy. We credit them with saving Grayson's life." |
Grayson's parents, Matt and Carrie, were reassured by cardiac surgeon James O'Brien, MD, and cardiac nurse Lisa Barth about the procedures and outcomes that were to come. It was only a little over a decade ago that HLS was considered fatal, but thanks to medical advances and the availability of comprehensive treatment centers such as Children's Mercy, the future for children like Grayson is full of hope.
At 11 days old Grayson underwent the first of three surgeries, referred to as the Norwood procedure, to reconstruct his heart.
"HLHS is the most complex of heart lesions and most challenging to manage," says Dr. O'Brien. "However in the past 10 to 15 years there has been remarkable progress in the care of the kids with these heart conditions and the survival rate into adulthood has dramatically increased."
In between the first and second procedure Grayson's parents made sure to keep a close eye on his oxygen saturation and weight gain and come in for follow up visits.
"We are so thankful that Children's Mercy is so close to home. This is very convenient when it comes to his checkups. Our whole family is thankful to all the staff that has helped Grayson be a strong as he can be," says Carrie Easley.
At 8 months, Grayson had his second procedure. Since then he has continued to improve and has met his developmental milestones on time. His oxygen saturation is still only about 75%, but Grayson has learned to accommodate.
In the spring, Grayson will undergo his third surgery. Although the success rates are good, the Easley's realize that Grayson's heart condition will be life-long and there is still a chance that he may eventually need a heart transplant.
But for now, Grayson is a happy child, who enjoys playing with dinosaurs and trying to keep up with his brothers and sisters.
"We've been nothing but thrilled with Children's Mercy," says Carrie Easley. "We credit them with saving Grayson's life."