Our Little Linda’s Defective Heart
WHEN our little Linda was born at the maternity hospital in Falun, Sweden, she had a very serious heart condition called transposition. It meant that the aorta, the artery leading from the heart to the body, and the pulmonary artery leading to the lungs had switched places. Thus the oxygen-rich blood from Linda’s lungs was only circulating between her lungs and her heart and was not being carried to the rest of her body.
How can a child like that survive? During pregnancy there are natural connections that stay open for a short time after birth. But then these openings begin to close up so that normal circulation can take over. During this brief changeover period, oxygenated blood can circulate through the body even in a transposition case.
Although Linda was born three weeks prematurely and weighed only 5 pounds 14 ounces (2.66 kg), she seemed quite healthy, apart from a slight bluish color in her face. The doctors at Falun were concerned about this symptom and transferred her to St. Göran’s Hospital in Stockholm for closer examination. They suspected a transposition. At the same time, Linda was given medicine to prevent the passage between the auricles from closing, and she was put in an incubator.
A “Balloon Explosion”
The examination confirmed our fears—Linda did have a transposition problem. In order to save her life, the doctors performed a balloon eptostomy, popularly called a balloon explosion. This procedure involves passing a special catheter up through the navel vein to the heart’s right auricle and then on to the left auricle through the hole that is still open in the wall dividing the two auricles. By then pumping up a small balloon at the end of the catheter and pulling it back through the wall between the two auricles, a large enough hole is made to supply the rest of the body with oxygenated blood. This method delays major heart surgery until the child is about nine months old.
Next we were told that the necessary operation could not be performed in Sweden without priming the heart-lung machine with blood. Because of our Bible-based scruples about the misuse of blood, we could not accept this procedure.—Leviticus 17:10, 11; Acts 15:28, 29.
What was our first reaction on hearing of this setback? It was one of despair. ‘What is going to happen to our darling little girl? Will she survive such an operation at all? Will such an operation even be possible without the use of blood?’ Nevertheless, we put our trust in Jehovah God throughout the ordeal, and we were sure that he would make a way out for us.—1 Corinthians 10:13.
The “balloon explosion” was successful. Linda’s blood was oxygenated in a satisfying way, and after a few days we could return home. We were very thankful about how things had worked out so far and really appreciated the kindness and understanding shown to us by the doctors and other staff members at the hospital. We also left with the chief physician a copy of the booklet Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Question of Blood, which explains the reasons for our refusal to use blood.
An Impasse
Then started the long wait to see how Linda would react. At first she seemed quite well and gained weight steadily. Then at four months her appetite started to decline. A new examination showed that she had a bulge on the wall of her heart. The time for the operation now had to be moved up. In order to build up her strength, she was fed by a tube through her nose.
We had planned to have the operation at Sweden’s Royal Caroline Hospital by a surgeon who had previous experience with several of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We advised him that we would not accept the use of blood, only to be told that the operation could not be performed without it. We decided to contact other hospitals.
Even though we were met with kindness and understanding everywhere, nobody seemed willing to perform the operation without blood. The general opinion was that it would not be possible to operate safely on a baby by using a heart-lung machine without priming it with blood.
A Warm Welcome in London
We contacted the National Heart Hospital in London to see if they would operate on Linda. Once again, we met with great understanding. The chief medical officer was positive about the operation, as they had already performed operations on babies without the use of blood. The operation would be performed by the famous heart surgeon Dr. Magdi Jacoub.
We were met by Witness friends in England, who drove us straight to the hospital where we were received with a warm smile. “Oh, this must be Linda from Sweden!” a nurse exclaimed before we even had a chance to introduce ourselves. Straightaway we felt that little Linda was in good hands.
Then came the first time we met Dr. Jacoub. We were extremely nervous, but he was both friendly and relaxed, which immediately gave us a feeling of confidence in him.
A Delicate Operation
During the time until the operation, Linda went through many examinations. Dr. Jacoub was kept informed of her exact condition. Then the day of the operation arrived, and she was wheeled off to the operating theater. Naturally we felt very apprehensive, since we did not know what condition Linda would be in the next time we saw her.
After anxious hours of waiting, we were informed that Linda had just come back from the operating theater and that we were welcome to come and see her. Our darling little Linda was alive! We were filled with thankfulness and appreciation. When we got to see her, she was just like a new baby—with red lips and rosy cheeks—in spite of all the tubes. We were deeply moved and just could not hold back our tears of joy.
Suddenly the doors swung open and in walked Dr. Jacoub. He looked serious. First he cast a piercing look at all the instruments. Then he looked at us, and his face turned into a broad smile. We understood that the operation had been successful.
After all these incredible experiences, it was time for my husband to return to his work in Sweden. I would stay on with our kind friends in England to attend to any further developments.
An Amazing Recovery
On the fourth day after the operation, the respirator was removed, and the next day I had the indescribable joy of holding Linda once more in my arms. Although she was in a lot of pain, it was not long before she smiled for the first time.
Earlier we had been told that it could take up to eight weeks after the operation before we could start thinking about returning home. Yet just two days after the operation, Linda’s blood count was back to normal. Her recovery was so rapid that one of the doctors exclaimed, “It’s amazing!” Yes, Linda’s recovery had exceeded all expectations. Then, one day the chief medical officer said: “That Swedish baby—I think we can send her home soon.” That was like music to my ears. In fact, we went home just 12 days after the operation.
We have lived through a harrowing experience, and yet, as we think back, we can remember many positive aspects. We are most grateful to all the medical personnel who showed such kindness, thoughtfulness, and understanding, especially concerning our views on the blood issue.
Apart from all the support we received from our friends in our home congregation, we feel deeply moved about the way our Witness friends in England helped us. We truly saw an international brotherhood, where love, care, and willingness to give a helping hand are a reality.
Most of all, our thoughts go to Jehovah God, who in a matchless way has sustained us. Often we prayed for guidance in connection with the very difficult situations we faced. On each occasion he opened a way out for us, and our strength was renewed. And often when we look at our little Linda, we give thanks for the skill and patience of the medical world, and especially do we give thanks to Jehovah God for the gift of life.—Contributed.
[Picture on page 19]
Little Linda after the operation