Ivy Rose Ellery diagnosed with serious heart condition will require open heart surgery in Melbourne
First-time parents Brooke Guildford and Morgan Ellery rushed their five-week-old vomiting baby girl to hospital, only to receive a life-altering diagnosis.
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Two brand new parents will have to race their baby daughter across the country to receive lifesaving medical attention.
Gawler couple Brooke Guildford and Morgan Ellery received the heartbreaking news their precious five-week-old baby, Ivy, had a heart defect and would require open heart surgery in the coming months.
The young family are preparing the now 9.5 week old and will have to relocate to Melbourne for two weeks for the operation scheduled for February.
“I cried, I was just so shocked,” Ms Guildford says.
“Ivy had been vomiting all day and we went to hospital because I was scared she would be dehydrated. The ED nurse asked if anyone had told me she had a heart murmur, I said ‘no’.
“We stayed in there for almost a week while they investigated, did ultrasounds and X-rays, and found the hole in her heart.
“When she was feeding she’d get very fatigued and would have to take deep breaths in-between, so maybe looking back on it, that’s not normal?”
Ivy was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot and with a double-chambered right ventricle, which will require the help of specialists at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.
“We’re putting an extra scoop of formula in every bottle so she can gain weight, before we were feeding on demand but now it’s every four hours or earlier,” Ms Guildford says.
“She has to be four to six months old before she can have the surgery so they’re just keeping an eye on her and if she turns any bluer in colour, we’ll have to go quicker.”
The childcare worker and her fiance will be in Victoria for a minimum of two weeks for the surgery and will be without an income while Ivy recovers.
“My maternity leave will finish up at the end of January and I won’t be able to go back until after the surgery and Ivy has time to recover, so it’s a bit stressful,” Ms Guildford says.
“I don’t really want to go back too soon, especially after a big surgery, I want to spend enough time with her to help her recover.”
A GoFundMe has been organised by their friend Aidan Oliver, to raise money to support the family in Victoria, their medical bills and then recovering at home.
The Angle Vale Soccer Club, where Mr Ellery is a life member, is also raising money for the young couple and donated $5000 to their cause.
You can donate here.
Originally published as Ivy Rose Ellery diagnosed with serious heart condition will require open heart surgery in Melbourne
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