Making more aware of invisible illness
MARK TAYLOR/Taranaki Daily News
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By JAYNE HULBERT
Sometimes Cheryl Craig forgets her son Cameron has a serious heart condition.
Cameron looks like any other two-year-old boy, that is until you see under his shirt. The scar that lines his chest tells the story of the heart condition Cameron was born with – hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
"They say a heart child's illness is invisible, and it is," Mrs Craig said.
But despite looking and acting like any other toddler, Cameron has undergone several major operations and other more minor procedures. He might be on daily medication for the rest of his life. Still, he's already beaten the odds. At birth, doctors gave the Ratapiko twin a 60% chance of survival.
In hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the left side of the heart – including the aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve – is underdeveloped. The left side of the heart is the part that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body.
When Cameron was born his mitral and aortic valves were abnormal, so he needed help to keep his blood flowing.
"He's really come a long way. Things are different now. A year ago I didn't know what the future was going to be; things are much more normal."
Mrs Craig, who is co-chairwoman of support group Heart Children Taranaki, said Cameron would have his next major operation at the end of 2006.
Eventually, Cameron could be a candidate for a heart transplant.
Cameron's twin brother Michael was also born with a congenital heart defect, called pulmonary stenosis. Michael's condition, which may right itself, is mild and is monitored by doctors.
This week is Heart Children New Zealand awareness week. The charity wants to raise more than $500,000 and is keen to set up a Paediatric Cardiac Research Fellowship.
This year 600 New Zealand babies will be born with a heart defect.
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