Longest 24hrs of mum’s life waiting on her girl’s heart op

Ellie, 4, thriving after health battle

A MOTHER has spoken about the “longest 24 hours of her life” when her beloved daughter went through heart surgery.

Ellie Lyons had the major operation at 18-months-old, after first showing symptoms of health issues at just two weeks.

It emerged she had a hole in her heart and mum Aoife Toin and her partner Robert were then by her side as she went under the knife.

Dubliner Aoife said: “We found out Ellie had a condition called pulmonary stenosis – a restriction of blood flow in the heart. Ellie’s heart was pumping extra hard to get blood around her body.

“They asked me if she had other symptoms like sweating, breathlessness, blue lips or looked very pale and we recognised those symptoms. She was my first and only child so I didn’t really know what to expect.

“We needed to build her up for surgery and when she was 18 months she was brought in. They were hoping to go in through the groin so she wouldn’t need open heart surgery.

EMOTIONAL

“I was feeling OK up to the point when she was put under anaesthetic and when she went to sleep she looked so tiny, I was very emotional.

“They implanted a device in her heart and the muscle has grown over it so she’ll have that for the rest of her life.

“The blood is pumping properly now and her heart doesn’t need to work as hard. I knew how difficult it would be for both of us to see her like that – with low energy, surrounded by machines and wires.”

Ellie was then faced with a complication when she had an arterial bleed, which forced her to stay in hospital for another 24 hours.

Aoife added: “I was trying to comfort her and hold up her dad who was in shock. But I knew she was on blood thinners and that’s why she was bleeding so much. She stayed in hospital for 24 hours, although it was the longest 24 hours of my life and then we went home.

“For a year after the surgery she was on blood thinners and tablets to stop her having a heart attack.

“Six of us in my family were trained to give her heart medication.”

Now Ellie visits the hospital once a year for a check-up but has come on leaps and bounds. Aoife said: “Four years later I can’t believe Ellie has started school. She’s come on so well, she’s absolutely thrived. Ellie will be more active now she’s started school and she’ll be running around with her friends.

“We don’t know when or if she’ll need surgery again, so it’s a relief to know the hospital are keeping a close eye on her.

“She loves visiting the cardiac team in the hospital. She tells everyone she has a special heart.

“Ellie was so excited to start school and had such a great first day. Sometimes I just watch her running around and I can feel my chest swell with pride. She’s just incredible. She really is.

“When you’re in the hospital with your child you can’t imagine making it to this moment when she’s in her little school uniform and heading off for her first day.”