On a Wednesday afternoon, at just nine days old, Theo suddenly became extremely unwell. He became lethargic, his breathing became laboured, and his lips turned blue. His mum rushed him to the local emergency room in Echuca. Within minutes, Theo was sedated, ventilated, and prepared for transfer by the PIPER and Ambulance Victoria teams. 

After a 200km journey in the early hours of the morning Theo’s parents arrived at The Royal Children’s Hospital, where they were welcomed by calm and compassionate ICU staff. After being looked after by the PIPER team, their beautiful boy Theo was now surrounded by machines, lines and tubes. 

The next morning, they met with cardiologist Dr Bryn Jones, who explained that Theo had a serious congenital heart condition called “Coarctation of the Aorta”, a narrowing of the main artery to the heart, which causes the body to work harder to pump blood. Theo required urgent surgery to remove the narrowed section of his aorta and reconnect the healthy ends. 

While we waited for the operation, Theo was stabilised with various medications. At one point, Theo had eleven intravenous medications keeping him safe. 

On Saturday morning, Theo was wheeled down to theatre with his ICU nurse & anaesthesiologist. 5 hours later,  Mum & Dad were called back to his ICU room, where Theo already appeared so much brighter. The surgery was a success, and they expect no complications with his recovery.

Theo was removed from the ventilator the next day and slowly began taking in his surroundings with his bright little eyes. Just a few hours later, after five long days without being able to hold him, Mum finally got her cuddle. 

On the following Monday, Theo was transferred to the cardiac ward to continue his recovery. As the tubes and arterial lines were removed, Theo’s parents felt like we were getting their boy back. 

Less than a week later, Theo was able to go home, with ongoing follow up appointments as he grew. 

His routine follow up at the RCH two weeks later showed that Theo could come off the blood pressure and fluid medication, his heart was recovering ‘perfectly’. His next appointment was booked for six months. 

“We couldn’t be more grateful for the care Theo received by PIPER, his cardiology team and nurses during his 10 day cardiac journey.

The Royal Children’s Hospital nurtured our family every step of the way and will continue to do as Theo grows.”

Thank you to Theo’s mum Stephanie for sharing this story with the Good Friday Appeal.