Five-year-old’s amazing survival after lifesaving surgery
IF THERE is one family who knows just how precious life is, it’s the Merritt Family.
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Kristie and Steven Merritt, parents to Imogen, 5, Bryson, 13, and Presten, 16, have created a tight-knit family unit since becoming parents and it’s something they value every single day.
But that close bond was forged through a lot of pain, and their fair share of challenges.
In 2014, barely a day old, their youngest child “Immy” was found to have a heart murmur and three months later was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot, which has caused four defects in her heart.
At just eight-months-old she had open heart surgery.
The family were told Imogen wouldn’t meet her teenage years if she didn’t have the surgery.
Mrs Merritt remembers the day she watched her baby go in for surgery like it was yesterday, but knew it was for the best.
“We noticed a huge change in her once she had the surgery so we knew that was the right thing that needed to happen,” she said.
Imogen’s condition was particularly nerve-racking for the family for one devastating reason.
Before Imogen, Mrs Merritt suffered a miscarriage, and lost her son at 19 weeks gestation.
Watching her daughter wheeled into the operating theatre after experiencing such an earth-shattering loss was “incredibly hard” for Mrs Merritt.
“We’ve been through a lot in our life, and losing a baby halfway through my pregnancy – you never stop worrying about your children,” she said.
“We knew we had to be strong for the two other little boys at home while we were going through Immy’s surgery.”
Mrs Merritt said she remembers her daughter being carried into surgery by three staff, and she recalls watching the moment Imogen opened her eyes after surgery.
She was discharged eight days later.
At five-years-old, Imogen is living a relatively normal life for a girl who was told she might not make it to her teens.
“She’s talking beautifully, she’s reading beautifully, she’s doing everything she should be at prep,” Mrs Merritt said.
“She knows all her sight words so she's coming along in leaps and bounds.
“It’s something to be proud of.
“She’s been through a major surgery in her little young life so she definitely puts a smile on everyone’s faces when she walks into the room.
“She’s a blessing.”
Out of all the challenges the family has experienced has emerged a sense of gratitude for life and family.
“To even know that we’ve been through major milestones and major situations, I know that there are families who are doing it a lot tougher,” she said.
Families in Toowoomba have the chance to join the rest of the country in the annual HeartKids Two Feet & A Heartbeat charity walk on October 18 to help raise funds for kids affected by this lifelong condition.
