Heart surgery as a chance for a normal life - we support Inga!

The girl you are looking at is Inga - a nine-year-old dreamer, beloved daughter, best sister, dearest granddaughter, and adored niece. However, her childhood and young life is overshadowed by a very rare heart defect - Ebstein's anomaly.

On the day of her birth, we were told that she would probably not survive the night... The greatest joy in life - the arrival of our child into the world - was intertwined with a huge fear of whether Inga would manage... Despite the doctors; prognosis, our daughter turned out to be incredibly strong and won her first battle. Inga survived the first night and several subsequent nights connected to the ventilator. We already knew then that she is an exceptional little girl.

We passed the next days in the cardiology ward, where Inga was awaiting palliative surgery (which does not repair the heart defect, but allows it to continue working). Inga was 10 days old when she had to fight another battle - this time on the surgery table. Doctors inserted a systemic-pulmonary anastomosis. Our daughter's life was saved by a three-millimeter tube, which was supposed to be last until the proper surgery. The postoperative wound took a long time to heal, but after six weeks our Joy came home.

Ebstein's anomaly is a heart defect that is unpredictable. Doctors say every case is different. We didn't know what to expect. After two months it turned out that contrary to the worst prognosis Inga is able to cope on her own and the thin tube inserted during the surgery is no longer needed. Since then, Inga has grown to be a curious, reflective and sensitive girl. She doesn';t live in the shadow of her disease - she accepts that not everything is possible and although she is different from her peers, she seizes the day & and that is what makes her unique. Her disproportionately large heart contains huge amounts of love - for her family, loved ones, friends, for life in general... She has big plans: she wants to be a paleontologist, a writer or a space explorer. We just want her to be...

Unfortunately, the "shadow" doesn't let up for a moment. It is in bad test results, doctors; anxious eyes, in us, parents, in our fear, it takes energy and destroys. We have been living with fear for Inga's life for 9 years. We cannot wait any longer... Inga's heart cannot wait either, it is too enlarged and the tricuspid valve regurgitation is huge. In search of help for our daughter we visited many specialists in Poland and discussed many possibilities. Unfortunately, in our country there are no cardiac surgeons who specialize in this heart defect, because it is too rare and every heart affected by it looks different.

However, Inga's life can be found across our western border... In Munich, where the Ebstein Center exists, children with this defect are successfully treated. The method used there gives hope for normality: a walk in the park, laughter during family gatherings, learning, friendship and love, without fear for tomorrow.

Unfortunately, the operation in Munich costs a lot. Without financial help of many people of good will we will not be able to fulfill our biggest dream, we will not be able to save our Happiness. Will you help us?

Inga's parents - Natalia and Krzysztof