Download 2011 Harrisonburg March for Babies Ambassador Family: Kyle

2011 Harrisonburg March for Babies Ambassador Family:
Kyle & Christie Huggins and twins Blake and Lauren, of Harrisonburg
In the spring of 2007, Kyle and Christie Huggins found out they were expecting twins.
In September, they found out that one of the twins, Blake, had a severe heart defect called
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Correction of this defect would require at least three major
open-heart surgeries over a period of less than three years.
The same day that they received the diagnosis, Christie went into preterm labor.
After three days of being in the hospital trying to stop the preterm labor with a drug called
magnesium sulfate, Christie contracted aspirated double pneumonia because of the side effects
of the drug. Because of dangerously low oxygenation levels, she was emergency transported to
a larger facility, where she also discovered that she was anemic. Due to her illness, it took six
days on a ventilator for her lungs to heal. Shortly thereafter, she was released to go home to
be on bed rest the rest of her pregnancy.
On November 13th of 2007, at thirty-five weeks gestation, Christie had a scheduled
appointment at Vanderbilt Medical Center. While on the interstate traveling to her
appointment, she again went into labor. Shortly thereafter, by emergency c-section, the twins
were born.
Blake was first at five pounds and nine ounces, but then was whisked away by a team of
doctors and nurses to Vanderbilt Children’s located two buildings away. Lauren was born two
minutes later at four pounds thirteen ounces and taken to the well-baby nursery.
At a little less than two days of age, Blake was taken for his first major open-heart surgery
called the Norwood. The surgery was a success, but Blake had many complications that led to
being on ECMO for two days with an open chest. In addition, he was placed with a Nissen and
G-tube, which was followed by months of instability.
The cardiologists decided Blake needed his second stage operation early and in March of
2008, Blake under-went the Glenn operation. And again, Blake provided the physicians with
many complications, including dual vocal cord paralysis due to a damaged nerve from a
collection of procedures.
Not long after the vocal cord paralysis was found to be temporary, Blake and Lauren finally
went home together at a little over five months old. The family had to live in as much isolation
as possible to protect Blake from respiratory illnesses or any common disease that would
compromise his body until he could have his third and final surgery, the Fontan, which was
scheduled for the summer of 2010.
To assist and help improve Blake’s delayed developmental issues, Christie resigned from her
career in the summer of 2009. A month later, the family moved to Harrisonburg, VA where Kyle
took a new position as a marketing professor at James Madison University.
In December of 2009, Kyle and Christie received a sweet surprise of expecting a new little
baby. In the spring, they found out the baby was a boy, and that he, too, had Hypoplastic Left
Heart Syndrome, something extremely rare for a family to experience more than once.
Tragically, this baby, Tristan, was not a candidate for any pre or post-birth procedures. It
was confirmed by the cardiology teams at both the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt
University that Tristan’s form of HLHS was fatal. His heart tissues were already dying, the left
ventricular wall lost its motion, and the blood in his heart had reversed and was reversing
through his entire body.
Tristan made his appearance on May 2 of this year. He was absolutely beautiful; however,
his tiny heart failed him immediately. He gave his parents five sweet cries and twenty-three
minutes of his sweet warmth.
Four weeks later, Blake had the Fontan at Vanderbilt with complications that led to a pacemaker placement. He came home a little over a month after the Fontan and is currently still at
home dealing with a minor left-sided plural effusion problem (fluid build-up on his lungs)
controlled by diuretics.
Blake is finally eating by mouth and is supplemented as needed by the G- tube. Overall, he
is doing much better and the family no longer has to live in so much isolation.
No family should have to endure the devastation of birth defects or premature delivery.
There are no answers yet as to why Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome occurs.
Thousands of families affected by all sorts of heart defects, birth defects and prematurity
are without answers or solutions. With the March of Dimes research, we are getting closer and
closer to finding the answers as to why these misfortunes happen and how to improve the
chances of all babies.
Please support the March of Dimes as a leading researcher and supporter for families living
in NICU units, fighting for the lives of their beautiful newborns.