Annual Generosity
No matter the size of your gift, your generosity through our Annual Generosity program will make a difference in the lives of our families. Because of YOU, children like Lake will continue to laugh, grow and love with their amazing hearts.
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Before Lake was born, she was already a fighter. She was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect while still in her mom's tummy.
Lake's parents, Arden and Paul, were told at their 35 week sonogram that their unborn child, Lake, had a "broken" heart. By using fetal echocardiography technology, Lake was diagnosed with Ebstein's Anomaly and would need surgery almost immediately after she was born.
While this is not the news they were hoping for, they were lucky to live near Cook Children's Medical Center where they quickly met with the cardiology team to begin developing a plan for mending Lake's "broken" heart.
Once baby Lake was born, she was taken to Cook Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where she was put on a ventilator so her lungs could grow and get stronger before her surgery. While it wasn't the same as being at home, Arden and Paul were able to stay with Lake 24/7 because Cook Children's NICU has all-single rooms.
At 2 days old, Lake had her first open-heart surgery. She also suffered a stroke within her first week of life and ended up spending a total of 70 days in the NICU. But that would not be her last hospital stay. In fact, over the next couple years, Cook Children's Medical Center became somewhat of a second home for Lake and her family and Cook Children's Heart Center staff members became like family.
No one ever expects to hear that their child has a heart condition. But when you do, it's good to know that some of the finest doctors in cardiac care are only a heartbeat away at Cook Children's. Children like Lake rely on us to provide the best care possible, and we rely on YOUR support to help us bring specialized programs, like cardiology, to our area.