Little Alexander’s heart is begging for help! We support his fight for life!

It’s hard for me to speak or write about it, and it’s even harder to catch a breath… I never would have thought that one day I would need to create a fundraiser for my beloved child… Unfortunately, life is unpredictable.

During a prenatal ultrasound, my doctor noticed that Alex’s heart is abnormally formed.He quickly sent us to the Warsaw clinic to obtain an echocardiogram. We believed to the last moment that his disease was a misunderstanding… Unfortunately, the examination results made it very clear—complete atrioventricular canal (CAVC) defect, and aortic coarctation with hypoplastic aortic arch. 

Our hearts shattered in one moment. We had never been that frightened before… The test results sent shivers down our spines every time we looked at them. It was the worst period in our lives, full of fear and uncertainty. 

The doctors could not predict what was going to happen. Such a complicated defect can take many forms. Before the birth of our child, we had been constantly told that we would not find out the diagnosis until the delivery, so we didn’t even know if our baby survives… All we could do was wait and have faith… 

Our little son was born on 6 November 2019. Unfortunately, due to his heart defect, he had to stay in the hospital for the next 28 days, where the doctors prepared him for his first surgery. First, Alex had to gain some weight and undergo multiple tests (including the genetic ones). 

After a couple of weeks, a day of surgery came. We can still remember the horrible noise of the elevator and the blue door of the ICU. We were terrified! Fortunately, the surgery, despite being extremely complicated, was successful. We could finally see our baby again. It was painful, though. Our little son was lying down, fighting for life, with a tangle of tubes, catheters, and cannulas in his tiny body, and we couldn’t do anything to help him… We had to keep on waiting. 

In the following days, his condition started to improve and for the first time, we were able to take him home. We were extremely happy, but deep inside we knew it was momentary… 

We were right. When Alex was six months old, his health problems reappeared. He started to experience fatigue while eating, he was sweating, panting, and had heart palpitations. He was admitted to the hospital again. This time, he had to undergo heart surgery. It turned out that he had another heart defect… 

We experienced another nightmare. After a 10-hour surgery, some serious complications occurred. Despite his condition being extremely severe, we still could not visit him, this time due to the pandemic. Alex spent four weeks in the ICU, fighting for life alone…

After a month, he returned to the cardiology ward. Unfortunately, an irregular heartbeat reappeared. The echocardiogram showed that the patch that had been used to correct the defect had split, and our son had to undergo another surgery immediately! It was the last straw… I can still remember the cardiologist saying “This baby has bad luck”.  

We had to trust the doctors again and let them take care of our child. The surgery was successful. Unfortunately, our son suffered from sepsis soon after the treatment. We were devastated again, but Alex showed great perseverance. He was brave. He defeated sepsis. A couple of weeks later, we finally went back home. 

Since then, there has been a requirement to regularly perform an echocardiogram, due to Alex’s poor heart condition. Currently, he’s been suffering from severe mitral valve regurgitation. 

Alex sweats and experiences shortness of breath during any major strain. In Poland, the doctors suggest a mitral valve repair surgery, using an annuloplasty. If we decide to go with that, in the future Alex will have to undergo a risky surgery called mitral valve replacement, and other complicated treatments… 

While we were searching for a different solution, we came across a clinic in Boston, USA. After the consultation, we were offered a treatment option that gives hope for a better life for Alex! Remarkable doctors suggested a solution for the mitral valve defect! Unfortunately, the cost of the treatment is huge… We cannot afford it. Currently, we’re waiting for a cost estimate, however, we already know it’s going to be expensive…

We do not have a choice, we need to ask you for help! We wish Alex had a normal life—had fun with his sister, rode a bike, played football, and followed his dreams. Without a healthy heart, it won’t be possible, though. 

The Parents