Mum shares her heartbreaking story to help raise awareness for a childhood condition affecting 8 babies every day.

Patty shared her baby boy’s story with Mouths of Mums to raise awareness for Heartkids and to let other families know that the only thing that has kept her going has been her faith first and for most, and a sense of compassion for other families who might currently be going through it themselves. She wants to let those families know they are not alone.

Baby Josiah Navarrete was born on 23 August 2018. Patty says he was her miracle baby.

“I am a mother of four, beautiful, healthy girls. In January 2018 I found out I was pregnant with our 5th child.”

Patty says from day one she started suffering pregnancy side effects.

“This pregnancy felt so different I kept telling my husband that I feel so different, so either we are finally having a boy or something is really wrong.”

In February at 9 weeks doctors told her that something was wrong with her growing babies heart. They told her it was likely she would suffer a miscarriage.

Patty explains, “With that sad news I went home to tell my husband.  He looked at me and said let’s pray God has the last word.”

Patty said the Doctor’s couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong with her baby, but they always gave her the worst case scenario that her baby would not make it outside the womb and that she would most likely lose him before she was 6 months pregnant.

Baby Josiah arrived

“Holding on to the faith I have and the support from my church, 6 months 7, 8 months passed and then guess what? We delivered a baby boy in which he was right away diagnosed with CHD heterotaxy among other health complications in which he would be needing multiple surgeries.

There are different forms of heterotaxy syndrome. All usually involve heart defects of varying types and severity. In addition, organs such as the stomach, intestines, liver and lungs may be in abnormal places in the chest and abdomen.

Patty shares that little Josiah was in the NICU for three weeks and doctors advised her that he would be needing more than one surgery.

“To the doctor’s amazement we got discharged after 3 weeks with follow-ups required with cardiologist and multiple doctors.”

According to them, Josiah diagnosis was the same, but he was strong enough to withhold from any surgeries for the moment.

Patty said, “My heart was full, we were finally going home. Every doctor’s appointment from this point on was great. Doctors couldn’t believe how good he was growing, how good he was passing every little milestone. I kept on praising God and all his glory for this beautiful son he gifted to me, the cardiologist would say this little guy is a fighter.”

Their world was suddenly shattered

Patty shares with us that one morning baby Josiah fell unconscious, it happened so fast.

One minute he was the happiest little adorable boy, then he was gone, just like that that.

On the morning her husband told her he was not breathing or crying. She went into a panic and called 000 while trying to do CPR on him but getting no response. Baby Josiah was slowly turning blue. Waiting just minutes for the paramedics seemed like hours, explained Patty.

“My son passed away at 4 months old in the hospital from cardiac arrest.”

Patty now wants to help raise awareness for Heartkids and CHD – “I want to say how important it is to have all the knowledge you can of this disease and to the parents going through all the emotions, the battles you fight, and the endless sleepless nights, you are not alone.”

“There are so many of us heart mums (and dads!) out there. My precious son lost the battle but he sure triumphed spiritually because I know he is resting in gods arms.”

He will always be loved and never forgotten he had a heart of steel.

Help us raise awareness

Did you know eight children are born every day in Australia with a heart defect? Sadly, every week four precious lives are lost.

Childhood heart disease, otherwise known as CHD or congenital heart disease, remains one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented health related issues in Australia.

It is the biggest cause of death of babies under 12 months of age, yet has no known cure.

February is Show Your Heart Day, held annually on Valentine’s Day, to raise much-needed funds to provide support for Aussie kids with childhood heart disease as well as fund vital medical research.

So show your heart this 14 February to join the fight against childhood heart disease!

HeartKids is encouraging everyone to support its #8toomany #showyourheart campaign so that CHD stays firmly on everyone’s radar.

Join the fight against childhood heart disease HERE!

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