Austin's Story 

See Austin's 2009 Miracle Kid video (WYOU)

Today, 3-year-old Austin – with all of his energy and curiosity – seems to go through doctors’ appointments with flying colors, showing no signs of any problems that would slow him down.

That’s how it was supposed to be when he was a newborn, too, his parents thought.  Especially one appointment – just a check of 7-week-old Austin’s heart after his pediatrician heard a heart murmur.

Shannon and Joel remember that it turned into much more for their son.

“The doctor did an echocardiogram, then said, ‘can you excuse me for a moment?’” Shannon remembers of that day, sitting in an exam room at Geisinger-Pottsville. 

The Janet Weis Children’s Hospital pediatric cardiologist providing outreach discovered that the young boy was suffering from a variant of hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a serious heart defect. 

Arrangements were made for an ambulance to take Austin immediately to a nearby helicopter pad. Life Flight® was on its way to transport the infant to Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville.  There was no time to wait.

“He was this teeny, tiny thing that flew up in this big, massive helicopter,” Shannon says, remembering how she could only watch from the ground as he left. 

Austin was immediately taken to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), where the news wasn’t positive: Austin was in severe congestive heart failure.  The defect was preventing the blood from flowing properly, and he would need a three-part surgery to correct the problem.

“Austin had a complex abnormality that required complex reconstruction,” explains Kamal Pourmoghadam, MD, director of cardiothoracic surgery at Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.

If it weren’t for a still-open connection in his heart – one that typically closes after a child is born – he likely would not have survived as long as he did.  It’s a circumstance that his parents know was the most fortunate of his young life.

“They said that it was the only thing that kept him alive for those seven weeks – that the opening never closed,” Shannon says.  “If it would have, there wouldn’t have been anything we could have done.”

“He was very lucky it stayed open, otherwise he would have had inadequate blood flow to the rest of his body,” Dr. Pourmoghadam says.  “But because of that open duct, he came to us much later than another child with his problem would, and that meant his body was weaker – which can mean more difficulties with recovery.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Joel says.  “Usually, this all happens when a child is two days old – but with Austin, he was two months old.”

Austin soon was taken into surgery to re-do the plumbing of the heart.  The operation took about six hours, then Dr. Pourmoghadam prepared the parents for what they would see when they reunited with their son: he was recovering, but still would be attached to a number of wires and monitors. 

Austin’s chest was left open, with a clear patch covering it, in case an emergency would require immediate access to his heart.  And his parents wouldn’t be able to hold him at any point in the next few days, while his body recovered.

“You had to get used to all the wires, but the first time I was able to hold him again, I never wanted to let him go – ever,” Shannon says.

Austin shocked everyone with how well he recovered.

“They said recovery time is typically about three weeks, but Austin bounced back after only about 10 days,” Joel remembers.

He continued to grow stronger and, at 6 months old, was ready for the second part of the surgery – another success.  His recovery after that procedure was so quick that the final step was even moved up.

“I was delighted with the way he recovered, especially considering his weakened state when he arrived,” Dr. Pourmoghadam says.  “It’s really a credit to his parents.  Shannon and Joel did an amazing job, and Austin was able to continue this same type of quick recovery throughout the process.”

“In a sense, he got himself through it,” Shannon says.  “He was never going to be the sick kid recovering from heart surgery.”

Now Austin is a healthy, happy and active toddler who likes to play with his sister, Kaitlyn.  He still returns to Geisinger-Pottsville for follow-up care, including regular echocardiograms, and will continue to take medication – but there’s little evidence of how seriously ill he was. 

With no restrictions, Austin’s possibilities are endless – just like his energy level seems to be.  And that’s fine with his parents.

“He’s everything a little boy should be,” Shannon says.