Millie was a heart warrior to the end
Yarmouth youngster loved by all, inspired many
Even before she was born, we were falling in love with Baby Millie.
As she underwent her first heart surgery one month before her birth, while still tucked safely inside her mom Caroline’s womb, people held her — and her parents — in their thoughts and prayers.
And they did the same for every surgery (and there were many) that followed.
A courageous heart warrior is how we would come to know Millie Grace Robertson.
On May 2, Millie, the daughter of Yarmouth residents Caroline and Derek Robertson, lost her battle. She was just over 16 months old.
“It’s a miracle,” Caroline said around the time of Millie’s first birthday. “We were sent home to wait for Millie to die and she proved everyone wrong.”
Millie was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The rare heart defect affects normal blood flow through the heart. Then she was diagnosed with a second congenital heart disease called pulmonary vein stenosis. The doctors explained the veins from Millie’s heart to her lungs would start to restrict until eventually they disappeared and the blood flow would stop.
That second diagnosis came in the first few weeks of her life.
Early on in Millie’s life doctors told her parents to create a bucket list and do as much as they could with their little girl. It was a list that included many of the things that other families might take for granted — meeting a dog, having a sleepover, watching movies together.
But Millie’s contribution to the list was the best one of all — she fought to live.
And live life she did, despite the numerous trips back and forth to the Hospital for Sick Children (a.k.a. Sick Kids) in Toronto and the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.
The list of surgeries and medical treatments she endured was lengthy, and dedicated doctors and nurses always did all they could to keep the little girl alive.
Millie amazed the medical professionals. She proved the doctors wrong so many times that her mother said the doctors referred to it as “the Millie factor” when briefing new doctors.
Sharing Millie’s story
In our Tri-county Vanguard newsroom, we wanted to tell Millie’s story. For a family struggling through the emotional burden, we felt they shouldn’t have to worry about the financial burden, too, and we shared ways that people could provide support.
And then with every medical roadblock that Millie conquered, we found ourselves cheering her on and wanting to share her successes with our readers as well.
And the family also wanted to create awareness and understanding about the heart conditions Millie suffered from.
And so Caroline Robertson shared Millie’s life on social media. As the family made memories, they shared these memories. As Millie reached milestones, these were shared, too.
Saying goodbye
In her final weeks of life, Millie underwent several surgeries after a needed procedure to repair more of the damage to her heart. Sadly, there were complications – an infection, blood clots and times her heart stopped and she had to be put on life support.
Millie spent much of her life inside hospitals, but that isn’t where her life ended on May 2. Instead, she spent her final time at Emily’s House, a hospice for sick children, with family and friends.
“She got to be rocked by mom and dad, surrounded by sunlight and family,” her mom explained through tears in a social media posting. Millie loved music and had songs sung to her.
“Everyone felt lighter and happy to have Millie out of the hospital and in a place that felt peaceful,” her mother said in a social media post. “We took her upstairs to be with mom and dad. They had a bed and a bay window for us to sleep in. That’s just like our home.”
Millie took her last breaths lying between her mom and dad while they sang to her and found the strength to tell her it was OK for her to stop fighting.