On the day Lauren was born, doctors noticed she was struggling to breathe and showed heart abnormalities. She was soon diagnosed with pulmonary atresia - in her case, the valve that let blood out of her heart to go to her lungs was only half as wide as it should have been.
She required corrective surgery at one day old, and then an additional major surgery when she was five months old to rewire her heart to maintain proper blood flow through the years of growth to come.
Now 14, Lauren has been followed closely over her entire life by her cardiologist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Monitored every nine months with an echocardiogram and ECG, her team keeps a close eye on her heart so she can continue to play volleyball and maintain her active lifestyle.
In the next two years, Lauren will be entering a transition phase of her care to introduce her to new specialists and services in adult cardiac care in Calgary. Funded in part by proceeds from the 2016 CP Women’s Open in Calgary, this two-year program ensures young people are fully educated about their condition and empowered to recognize the signs of potential heart problems as they enter adulthood.
Researchers at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute believe there is potential to develop a routine blood test to provide earlier detection of congenital heart defects or other anomalies at birth so parents like Lauren’s can be prepared in advance. Identifying these problems sooner leads to better prenatal care and the opportunity for life-saving interventions.
“We’ve been so grateful for the care Lauren and our entire family have received on this journey,” says Traci, Lauren’s mother. “However, knowing ahead of time that we’d be walking this road would have made those early months so much easier to navigate. How wonderful that the CPKC Women’s Open is supporting this innovative research that has the potential to change prenatal care here and around the world!”