JoAnn Ruiz Perez

We went for our 20 week gestation measurements and notified by our OB that our baby had CDH, and would be referred to maternal fetal specialist. On our visit, we learned indeed she had LSCDH and her heart was on the right side. And to get more depressing news was the specialist advised myself, spouse and my mother that there was no research in the U.S., and we would have to have lots of money to travel to Brazil for this type of research. As any parent who has received such news, I went into research mode that day.....only to find out that there was indeed research in the United State's and in my state (Texas), we made the phone calls, got referrals to Texas Children's Hospital and were seen by specialists and surgeons for consultations. Through that we had a fetal echocardiogram and a fetal MRI, and learned baby girl, whom we named April Gabriella Perez, was not a candidate for the research in utero surgery because she has a mild to moderate case of LSCDH. I am now 27 weeks and asking for prayers as our due date gets closer.