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Hi
I’m Bentlee, but people call me Bennie!! I’m 8 months Old. On March 21 my parents took me in for a checkup to see how to make me GAIN weight!!! But instead of them hearing I just need to eat more they said they were going to run some tests, once they were done the Dr. told my Mom and Dad that my Heart was to Big, but this time not in a good way. I was rushed to Mercy Hospital in DesMoines through the ER and straight to the PICU after lots more touching and testing and poking my Favorite Cardiologist Dr. Mooradian (He’s my person) sat my parents down and gave them the news that I was in Congenative Heart Failure, I had VSD which meant I had what they kept saying was a GIANT hole between my bottom two ventricles of my heart, and found out later I also had a cleft in my mitral Valve which was causing a Lot of Regurgitation. He said I would staying in the PICU and wouldn’t be going home They hooked me up to Lots of machines and there were Tubes Everywhere, but the nurses and Dr.s took such GREAT care of me!!! I went in on Monday for a cardiac catheterization but they put me to sleep so I didn’t feel a thing!! With all the measurements and pictures they needed my Open heart surgery was scheduled for Thursday March 28, 2018. The days in between were hard Lots of bloodwork, X-rays, another echocardiogram, and meds.. but I Fought through it. Surgery day came and it was so stressful for everyone, they put me on bypass which included a blood transfusion and then went through my breastbone to fix my heart ♥Surgery went great...the patch was placed and was working wonders, they also fixed the mitral valve the best they could, they tried to take the breathing tube out but I wasn’t ready so had to put it back in... I also had to come out of surgery with an external pacemaker because my heart beat was being stubborn but luckily I was off that in 2 hours after!! When I was back in room they realized air was pushing out a pinhole in my lung and had to get a chest tube to release the air! After that I felt a little better and I fought hard to get my breathing tube out. I Hated it once that came out at 3am the next morning, I was off pain meds and fast asleep!! Then it was all downhill from there every day more tubes came out, still lots of X-rays and bloodwork and echocardiograms, but the following Monday April 1, 2019 I was on my way home!!! I went home on 3 meds twice a day to release fluid to help squeeze my heart, and try to control the regurgitation of my mitral valve! It’s gonna be a long journey but I’m a FIGHTER and I’m going to keep healing and show everyone what a Heart Warrior means! If your able to donate I thank you! If not I Still Love everyone the same, but tell my story and RAISE awareness!
Fast forward 4 years later to today May 2023….my heart is healed and I am proof that medical advancements from all the research that has been done proves that even the tiniest of hearts can be mended! It’s been a long journey filled with appointments, medications, x-rays, echocardiograms, tears, laughs, and we’re not done yet, but the best is yet to come.
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