antibiotics and be feeling much better tomorrow. While we were all a little scared we knew she was in the best hands possible and hoped she would be feeling more like herself in 24 hours. The night went well and early the next morning they told us that she would be free to go by the afternoon, but before discharge she would just be getting a quick check up from the pediatrician on call. We packed up all our things in the adorable wagons provided by the hospital in hopes to heading out shortly. The doctor came in and began listening to Harper’s belly sounds, lungs and heart rate with his stethoscope. Being a nurse myself I know that listening to the heart usually only takes a minute or so and this was going on much longer. He asked Harper to lie down and then stand up all while listening to her heart. We were all a little confused but went along with what he asked. He then quickly stood up and told us not to be alarmed but that he would prefer to have the cardiac team come down and listen to Harper’s heart before we head home. The doctor stated that he was hearing an extra heart sound that concerned him a bit and he felt we should investigate further. To say that my husband and I were shocked was an understatement. She had come in for something pretty “routine” and before discharge we are being told she is having heart trouble, we were worried and confused. This was May and by August and after seeing top notch cardiologist it was determined that Harper had ectopitc atrial tachycardia. In other words, her heart was beating at a rate of 100-150 beats per minute at all times, when a normal 3 year old heart should be between 60-80. Her heart was constantly beating as if she were running a race. Throughout the summer she tried several different medications to bring her heart rate back down to normal. A couple weeks before she was to start preschool in August her cardiologist called and said they were seeing no improvement at all with her on the medication and that she would need to come in for heart surgery the following week. On top of this devastating and scary news were had recently found out we were having a third baby, building a new house and take care of a three and one year old. Throughout all of this we remained ever hopeful as we knew this was all in God’s hands and all we could do was trust that he would guide the hands of the surgeons and our precious tiny angel. The day came and she was taken back kicking and screaming into the operating room. We had to wait five hours while she was in surgery and it felt more like a lifetime. What a helpless feeling when your three year old’s tiny heart is in the hand of many other people. We were given constant updates throughout the surgery and soon we were able to come back into recovery where she was. That was probably the hardest part since she had to remain lying down and completely still for 4 hours. The cardiologist came out and gave us the outcome of the surgery. While in the operating room he was unsure if he would be able to cure the problem within her heart, there were many things that could go wrong. The area of her heart that was affected was the opposite side of where he had gone in and if he were to cross over into that section it could have caused her to have a heart attack. He was shocked and surprised when he located a small hole in the center of Harper’s heart. It was with that hole that he was able to place his tool through and fix the area of Harper’s heart that was causing the fast pace. We had done many tests prior and nothing had showed that small hole in her heart. It was that small hole that made all the difference. The doctor felt very confident that he was able to correct the area and that Harper should be just fine. We were cleared from the hospital the following day and sent home with our little champ. We know that what occurred in the operating room was nothing short of a miracle and God made the way for her to be healed. The hole is something that no one including cardiologists that are the best in the country could detect and it was the defining factor that fixed her heart. Later in other scans they would not see the hole again. While we always kept our faith in our Lord and Savior we were given first hand a miracle to see and further our need for him. Harper was recently dismissed from her cardiologist in January and he said she is “cured”. We have and will continue to serve our God and be grateful everyday for the miracles he has shown in our life.
