{"id":261362,"date":"2022-01-29T13:47:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T19:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=261362"},"modified":"2022-01-27T00:11:44","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T06:11:44","slug":"baby-trisomy-18-beating-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/baby-trisomy-18-beating-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby with Trisomy 18 is beating the odds with the help of special doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Karla and Gavin Duerson were parents to five children when they got pregnant with another baby. During the pregnancy, doctors began to realize the child would likely have Trisomy 18, often believed to be a life-limiting disorder, and warned the Duersons that their daughter might not survive. But the Duersons insisted their baby be given every chance to survive. Doctors’ refusal to give up allowed their daughter to live longer than anyone expected \u2014 and it’s helping to pioneer treatment for other babies with Trisomy 18.<\/p>\n

In a press release<\/a> for the University of Kentucky, Karla Duerson explained how their journey with baby Wylie began. \u201cWe did an anatomy scan at 20 weeks, and they detected some problems with her heart and benign cysts that don\u2019t cause problems themselves, but can indicate that there may be a genetic problem,\u201d she said. A non-invasive prenatal screening revealed Wylie would likely have Trisomy 18, and other soft markers made the likelihood even higher, but doctors said they wouldn’t know for sure until after Wylie was born.<\/p>\n

The Duersons were referred to UK HealthCare\u2019s Kentucky Children\u2019s Hospital, part of Kentucky Children\u2019s Hospital\u2019s Joint Heart Program with Cincinnati Children\u2019s Hospital, where they met Dr. Louis Bezold, chief of pediatric cardiology. Bezold said Wylie would likely be born with holes in her heart, but they would wait until she was strong enough to perform surgery to repair them.<\/p>\n

This, in and of itself, is unusual. Often, children with Trisomy 18 are given nothing more<\/a> than palliative care, because doctors often present the condition as fatal and not worth treating. If the condition is detected in the womb, parents are frequently pressured to have an abortion.<\/p>\n

READ:<\/strong>\u00a0Mom of daughter with Trisomy 18 fights to change the message for families like hers<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are parents that are having to advocate for themselves and send their children\u2019s medical records all over the country looking for a surgeon who is willing to do a surgery on a baby who has Trisomy 18,\u201d Duerson said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re literally less than 10 minutes away.\u201d<\/p>\n

A multi-disciplinary team began working with the Duersons in preparation for Wylie’s birth, including the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), which works on helping children with serious illnesses see an improved quality of life. \u201cWhile there is no cure (for Trisomy 18), there are some medical things that we can do to help support their body,\u201d said Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, director of PACT. \u201cMost people think palliative care is end-of-life care, but really, it\u2019s about kids with serious illness and how we help them live each day the best they can. So, it\u2019s really about living.\u201d<\/p>\n