{"id":197825,"date":"2019-03-05T17:17:13","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T23:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=197825"},"modified":"2019-03-05T17:19:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-05T23:19:29","slug":"illinois-picu-nurse-adopts-baby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/illinois-picu-nurse-adopts-baby\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois PICU nurse adopts baby she cared for in intensive care"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When a child is diagnosed in the womb with hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a serious condition in which the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped — parents are sometimes\u00a0encouraged to abort<\/a>\u00a0their child due to an expected shortened lifespan.\u00a0If parents choose life, either prenatal surgery or surgery very soon after birth is necessary to give that child the best possible chance at survival. Little Blaze was given a chance at life — the first miracle — and more miracles followed. When his biological parents found themselves unable to provide the care necessary for their son’s condition, Angela Farnan, a PICU nurse with no children of her own, stepped up to make a difference.<\/p>\n

According to a report from Good Morning America (GMA)<\/a>, Blaze had his first surgery at three days old, and another just eight months later. He may need a third surgery and possibly even an eventual heart transplant. In a post from OSF Healthcare<\/a>, pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Mark Plunkett explained that at least three operations are needed between birth and four to five years of age for those with the condition. The goal is to “redirect blood flow to the lungs and body with several connections.” Plunkett said,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s a very complex operation and is one of the highest mortality operations we perform. Most kids will go home after about a month or more. These are babies requiring intensive care and at-home monitoring.\u201d OSF noted, “If a family is unable to provide the intensive care the baby requires, they stay in the hospital or go into medical foster care.”<\/p>\n

This is the situation in which Blaze’s biological parents found themselves. They\u00a0were unable to handle the financial burden of caring for him, and transportation to and from the hospital — far from their home — was also extremely difficult. PICU nurse Angela Farnan reflected on<\/a>\u00a0her own thoughts regarding caring for medically dependent children like Blaze, stating that in-home care is\u00a0“not a 12- to 16-hour shift, it\u2019s 24\/7.\u201d So when Blaze’s parents came to her asking for help, she<\/a> “took Blaze into her care and had short-term guardianship, with permission from his parents. After his second surgery on March 20, Blaze’s birth mother presented Farnan with a tearful request to adopt their son.”<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0This brave surrogate mother saved a tiny boy from abortion<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n