At three years old, Quinn is feisty, mischievous and fiercely independent. Her dayhome provider is quick to say Quinn is destined to become a lawyer. With such a big spirit, you wouldn’t know she was born with “half a heart.”
Quinn has a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome – her left ventricle was underdeveloped, leaving it unable to pump blood. She has undergone three heart surgeries at the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton – her first at just 36 hours old – to reroute her circulatory system using only the right ventricle. It will eventually mean a heart transplant for Quinn, though it’s hoped that won’t be necessary until adulthood. After every heart surgery, Quinn has recovered at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, which has become like a second home.
While three major open-heart surgeries are daunting enough, Quinn has had other complications, including intestinal issues and a prolonged battle with low oxygen saturation that required oxygen support at home and, until recently, often led to a hospital stay if Quinn developed what most would consider even a mild illness. Recently, she was diagnosed with epilepsy.
The family has developed strong bonds with her care team at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. “We know them well, they know us, and we have absolute trust that they will make the best decisions for her and our family,” says mom.
Because of her condition, treating Quinn can be challenging – she has very small veins and something as simple as starting an IV can present a major challenge.
Quinn has refused to let any of this medical stuff slow her down. Her third and final surgery in September brought her oxygen levels to more than 90 percent, giving her the energy to match her big personality, says mom, Michelle. And she no longer requires oxygen support at home!
“We are so grateful to have such an experienced team close to home,” says mom. “Thanks to them, we still have our same feisty, joyful girl today, and I am not sure this would have been the case if we had been anywhere else.”
She loves to sing and dance – mom says the highlight of the week is her toddler ballet class – and her favourite things in life are her older brother, anything and everything pink, and Doritos. Having this level of expertise and care so close to home has allowed Quinn’s older brother, Sutter, to lead a normal life with mom and dad ever-present to support him, too.
