Christopher

 

Christopher was born with a congenital heart defect. His two main arteries that leave the heart were switched. Blood from his lungs couldn't get to the rest of his body and vice versa. Christopher's parents are both physicians. His mom, Erin, is a pediatrician who completed her residency at Phoenix Children's. Below she tells us what it was like having a child who needed the services of the very doctors she had worked with.

 

What was it like having your son's surgery at Phoenix Children's?

I had done part of my residency with Dr. Teodori [a Phoenix Children's heart surgeon], in the NICU, and with the intensivists. It was like coming home. If we were going to be in a hospital, we wanted it to be here.

 

How old is Christopher now?

He's six months old, and so is his twin sister, Corinne.

 

When did you first know something was wrong?

At 18 weeks when I had my first high-resolution ultrasound.

 

How did you take the news that something was wrong?

I ended up calling a child life specialist at the Hospital who referred me to a great family who also had twins; and one baby had a congenital heart defect. We talked for three hours. It was nice to talk to someone. I was in a unique position … at least I felt like I was. It was reassuring to know that other people had gone through the same thing and had succeeded.

 

How old was he when he had his heart surgery?

He was a week and half old. The surgery went wonderful and he did beautifully. He was home a week after his surgery. It was amazing.

 

How is he doing now?

Great. He's such a good baby and so laid back. He's the chilled out one. But he's got a temper too. The two are just now starting to regard each other and pull toys out of each other's hands.  Twins are a lot of work, but it's awesome.