When he arrived at the hospital, Dr. Monaco noticed that Louis’ situation actually was very serious; he was in cardiogenic shock, where his heart was not pumping enough blood for his body. Dr. Monaco performed an echocardiogram and, along with the team of doctors and nurses helping Louis, confirmed the diagnosis: Louis was suffering from tight neonatal coarctation, a severe narrowing of the aorta that was limiting the infant’s blood flow. That evening, Louis was taken by Life Flight to Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. “It happened extremely fast, too fast to react,” Chris says. “He was flown away and we couldn’t be there with him.” “It seemed surreal, and I was numb,” adds Louis’ mom, Ann. “It was fortunate that Louis’ local pediatrician acted quickly – and with the coordination of services, we were able to save valuable time,” Dr. Monaco says. “In a short span, we were able to diagnose him, transfer him and start him on medications – all in preparation of a life-saving surgery.” The first-time parents arrived at the children’s hospital at 2 a.m., rosaries in hand, and reunited with their son in the Kiwanis Heart Center in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). “He had 18 wires attached to him,” Ann remembers. “That was the hardest thing to see.” Director of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kamal Pourmoghadam, MD, explained to the new parents that, while Louis would need surgery to correct the heart problem, it would be a few days before his health improved to the point where he could withstand the surgery. “When we first met the surgeon, Dr. Pourmoghadam, he sat with us and in a very gentle tone, told us the details of the procedure and all that could go wrong including things that may affect Louis’ physical future. What also impressed us most about Dr. P was the fact that he would meet with us for sometimes an hour every day right up to the day of departure,” Chris remembers. “And it was a real team approach with the surgeon, the cardiologists and the physician.” “With the pediatric intensivist, pediatric cardiologist, a specialized nursing staff and myself, we had the staff in place to diagnose and stabilize him as well as to repair the problem,” says Dr. Pourmoghadam. After the operation – an intricate repair of a blood vessel on a walnut-sized heart – Louis spent four days in the heart center, where Children’s Miracle Network-funded equipment such as cardiac monitors aided the doctors and nurses. He then was transferred to a regular room in the children’s hospital to complete his recovery. Chris and Ann were there with their son often, and Ann stayed with him at night, sleeping on the room’s built-in daybed. “The staff in the pediatric intensive care unit was as much concerned for our well-being as they were Louis’ and allowed us to be at his side all the time, except of course during medical procedures,” Chris says. “The whole unit made us feel comfortable, and while the comfort level was great, the results were even better.” While Louis continued his recovery, Chris became more acquainted with the children’s hospital – and met families whose children were facing much more difficult diagnoses and treatments. “You think you have problems, then you meet others who are going through so much worse,” Chris says. “We realized we don’t have a problem. Louis’ problem was fixable.” “He did very well in the surgery, and we were very pleased with his progress,” says Dr. Pourmoghadam. Only 10 days after he was admitted, Louis was able to return home with his family, but not before Chris and Ann had taken CPR classes and felt comfortable caring for Louis after his surgery. “The doctors were wonderful. If we had a question or concern, they were right there,” Ann says. “And we were glad to come home to that environment, with a supportive family.” Since then, Louis’ health has continued to improve. He was seeing Dr. Monaco every other month for check-ups, but because of his progress, he now is scheduled for follow-up visits every year. “Louis really has done tremendously well and brings such joy to his family,” Dr. Monaco says. “He faced a serious heart problem at such a young age and battled through it. As he grows, we’ll continue to monitor him and make sure he continues to get stronger and healthier.” “With Louis, everything has come out absolutely perfect,” Chris says. “We had a happy ending.” Meet Louis during the annual Children's Miracle Network at Geisinger Celebration June 2 and 3 on WYOU 22. | 
