Circle, my daughter, celebrates her first birthday on June 21, 2022!
On March 5, 2021, Circle was still in my womb. This was the first time for my husband and I entered into Hong Kong Children's Hospital. We went there with heavy heart and aimed to seeking help from Dr Barnabe Antonio Rocha and Dr Chow Pak Cheong, the saviours of my daughter’s life. Dr Chow told us that Circle was suffering from Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), in which the two major blood vessels of the heart were misaligned. If it was left untreated, the two blood vessels would be reversed and the heart would not be able to carry oxygenated blood to the rest of the body, possibly lead to death. This message means we still have hope. My husband and I felt relieved. I can still remember that after listening to the professional advices, all four of us were smiling as we stepped out the hospital.
Dr Cheng Kwun Yue’s attentive care during my private obstetrics and gynecology visits made me realise earlier that Circle was suffering from TGA, 16 weeks before delivery. I brought the referral letter to Queen Elizabeth Hospital immediately for amniocentesis and further tests. At that moment, I felt a dark cloud had surrounded me. Later, the doctor also suspected that not only did she have TGA, but also double right ventricular outlet. Dr Cheng explained that this condition would reduce the chances of success of the surgery from 95% to 50%. I was very lost at that moment, as there was not much information on the Internet. In the meantime, I could not find anyone who could tell me what to do. Fortunately, I found the Children’s Heart Foundation. Ms. Cheung, the social worker, introduced me two parents of children suffering from congenital heart diseases. They share with me their experiences about taking care of congenital heart defects children and recommend me to take the initiative to consult the doctors. Finally, on the 22 weeks and 6 days, I was able to meet with Dr Barnabe Antonio Rocha and Dr Chow Pak Cheong at the Children's Hospital.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Chow for his dedication and attentiveness to make proper diagnosis of the tiny heart of Circle during every antenatal echocardiogram examination. I couldn’t believe that he spent one hour and fifteen minutes in observing the movement of the valves of the heart on the screen. As I intended to take a look on the screen as Dr Chow did, I felt dizzy after ten minutes. Although many people may think that the surgeon is the most important person in a surgery, I am sure that the medical personnel provide pre- and post-operation support, emotional support and empathy are of utmost importance for the success. I appreciated that Dr Chow always took the initiative to answer my questions and even I kept repeating questions, he always reassured me with his professional knowledge, experiences and affirmative tone.
On Circle’s seventh day from birth, the seven-hour major vascular reversal operation was completed successfully. We thank Dr Barnabe Antonio Rocha for everything he did. Although my daughter’s heart was slightly swollen and slow heart beat after the surgery together with complications of pneumothorax in the middle of the operation, with all the might of the paediatric cardiologists, doctors and nurses from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, my daughter was able to be transferred from the ICU to the 3S cardiac ward in no time. Even though the manpower of the cardiac ward was tight and busy, all the doctors and nurses and healthcare workers have been working hard and taking care of this little infant for almost two months.
A minor post-operative incident was the rejection of one of the steel wires used in the surgery. At the time, her wound had been inflamed, stitched up and cleaned up, but 13 days after being discharged from the hospital, the wound opened up with pus again and we were back in the cardiac ward. Once again, I would like to thank Dr Barnabe Antonio Rocha for identifying the cause of the pus in her wound. After identifying the cause, we were able to get back home in time to celebrate my daughter’s two months celebration.
The infants with TGA are easily prone to pulmonary artery stenosis. It was inevitable that we had to go back to the Children’s Hospital for all sorts of tests and follow-up treatments. At Circle’s 10 months of age, it was difficult to get a clear echocardiogram image of her pulmonary artery. In her second echocardiogram, we were lucky to have Dr Chow’s good hand again. He helped us identify the pulmonary artery on the echocardiogram, which relieved our worries.
I hope that Circle will learn to be thankful and remember Dr. Chow has helped her going through difficulties. Psalms : ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’
I understand that doctors aren’t god. There are risks hidden in every surgery. Yet, there are only two ways to go. No matter which one would have a chance of success, we want to give it a try. No matter what the outcome would be, just do it without regret. I think the reason of the children with congenital heart diseases choose us as their parents because they trust our strength to take on the challenge. I am thankful for the experience I gained in these two months. It has made my family love and cherish each other more. At the same time, I would like to thank my husband for reminding me not to put too much pressure on myself during my post-partum recovery and video-calling me so that I could see my daughter while I stayed at home.
Dr Barnabe Antonio Rocha and Dr Chow not only saved Circle’s life, but also saving our family of four. We are eternally thankful for their immeasurable help. I hope that more and more young upcoming doctors will consider joining the paediatric cardiology department to save more children. In addition, I wish all the children with congenital heart disease will grow up healthily and happily.