Anson’s Story
Garret and Melissa's son Anson was born with a heart defect, but with help from Methodist Children's Hospital they got the help they needed.
First-time parents-to-be, Garret and Melissa Avalos, were overwhelmed with joy when they found out they were bringing a son into this world. But that joy quickly turned into fear at Melissa’s 29-week ultrasound appointment. It was at this appointment, in San Angelo, Texas, where the couple learned there was something wrong with their baby’s heart.
“I heard ‘heart defect’ and I was immediately upset,” Melissa said.
Melissa was referred to the Methodist Children’s | Heart Institute for a fetal echocardiogram, which confirmed baby Anson had Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). TGA is a congenital heart defect in which the two main arteries of the heart are completely reversed from how the heart normally develops. Babies with a TGA heart defect are born with two separate paths of blood circulation, which doesn’t allow the blood to become enriched with enough oxygen before being pumped to the body.
“We were emotional and upset knowing our kid had to go through heart surgery right when he’s born,” Melissa explained.
Putting a plan in place
Anson’s cardiologist and the care staff at the Heart Institute immediately laid out a birth plan to put the Avalos family at ease. The plan included thorough and transparent discussions about TGA and the surgeries Anson would need to ensure he survived. It also required the couple move to San Antonio at 36 weeks so that Melissa and Anson could be monitored as they approached his due date. The hospital provided a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care and Cardiac Intensive Care Units to familiarize the Avalos family with the place they would call home for the next few months.
Mending the heart
Anson was born on June 28, 2017. He was very blue and his oxygen level was in the 60s. It was time for the cardiology team to put the plan into action. “They took off his oxygen mask and let me kiss him on the cheek. Then, they took him to surgery,” Melissa recalled.
The team performed a procedure to enlarge the naturally occurring connection between Anson’s atria. This allowed his oxygen-rich blood and oxygen-poor blood to be pumped to the correct side of his heart. This procedure was done to buy time so that Anson’s tiny body could prepare for the arterial switch operation.
When Anson was 11 days old, he was ready for this big surgery.
“The team at Methodist Children’s | Heart Institute has extensive experience in treating children with TGA and offers excellent surgical outcomes,” Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, Dr. John Kupferschmid said. “In this operation, the aorta and pulmonary artery are switched back to their normal positions. The coronary arteries, which carry the oxygen-rich blood that nourishes the heart muscle, also need to be re-attached to the new aorta.”
Following surgery, Anson’s heart showed immediate improvement.
“Immediately after we saw him, his oxygen levels were 99 to 100 percent. They had been 73 to 75 percent,” Melissa said. Recently, Anson developed supravalvar neo-pulmonary anastomosis stenosis. It required another cardiac surgery. Supravalvar pulmonary stenosis (SVPS) is frequently observed (17%-55%) after an arterial switch operation.
Thriving toddler
“He’s literally a normal kid,” Melissa said. “He got to come home three days after his second heart surgery and he was running around and jumping off curbs.” The couple says their little boy has high energy and it’s apparent on the football field. Garret is a football coach so naturally Anson is in love with the sport. After his dad’s games, Anson puts on his very own football helmet and loves to reenact the big moments from the game.
Lessons learned through Anson’s journey
Anson’s cardiologist says he shouldn’t have any limitations as he gets older.
Melissa says witnessing Anson’s strength changed their entire family’s outlook on life and the way they will tackle any future obstacles that they may face.
“Kids are so resilient. They can come back from anything. I also know we had an amazing surgeon, and that grew our faith immensely,” she said.
“It was the hardest journey we’ve ever been through as a couple and as a family, but the most beautiful.”
Melissa is currently pregnant with their second child. Although TGA is not hereditary, she will be having a fetal echocardiogram in San Antonio to make sure the baby is healthy.