Tiny twin’s miracle surgery at Queensland Children’s Hospital the first of its kind

A tiny Gold Coast boy born 13 weeks early has survived a miracle heart surgery never performed before on a baby his size in Queensland.

A tiny Gold Coast boy born 13 weeks early has survived a miracle heart surgery never performed before on a baby his size in Queensland.

Little Lucas, who has a twin brother named Bailey, weighed in at just 2.02kg before the operation at the Queensland Children’s Hospital on Wednesday.

He was given only a 50 per cent chance of surviving the surgery on his closed heart valve.

Dad James Edwards said it was a “tough day” for him and mum, Casey.

Mum Casey with her twins Lucas and Bailey. Picture: supplied

“This is the first time in Queensland this type of operation has been done on a child of his size,” Mr Edwards said.

“They don’t normally do it on a baby his size due to the wire catheter they use to go down through the artery to the heart.

“Sometimes the wire catheter is bigger than the actual artery itself.

“It was very tough for mum and I. We had to do something even if we knew it was only a 50 per cent chance (of survival).”

Lucas recovering in hospital. Picture: supplied

The Ashmore family’s twin boys were born at 27 weeks gestation on February 1.

Casey was told early in the pregnancy she had Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS), a prenatal condition in which twins share unequal amounts of the placenta’s blood supply.

This results in the two foetuses growing at different rates.

Doctors discovered Lucas had next to no fluid when Casey went into early labour.

Due to his condition, Lucas had to be treated at the Queensland Children’s Hospital, where he remains while recovering from surgery.

Twins Lucas and Bailey were born at just 27 weeks. Picture: supplied

He will need to have another surgery scheduled, the timing of which will be determined by how his heart function has progressed.

Bailey is currently in the Gold Coast University Hospital special care unit.

Mr Edwards said despite having an amazing support network of family and friends who had stepped in to help, the past nine weeks had been hard on his young family.

He said cost of living pressures and costs associated with travelling to visit one baby in Brisbane, and another on the Gold Coast, had made things difficult.

Mr Edwards said his wife was also ineligible for paid maternity leave because she had been employed at her current job for less than 12 months.

“Casey had to give up work during the pregnancy. She had morning sickness that lasted 24 hours a day from about week four,” the dad said.

“At this time in life, it is really difficult knowing that costs are going up and this type of scenario is being dealt to a parent.

“We’re not the only parents suffering something like this.

“It is taking a toll - I’m at a point where it is very difficult.”

He urged others to support charities like the Ronald McDonald House Charities if they had the means to do so.

“Every dollar counts for the families that are struggling at this time,” Mr Edwards said.

A friend has also set up an online fundraising page to help the family cover ongoing medical and other costs.

To view the GoFundMe, visit here.