A year has come and gone. Our little Cherub is going on 15 months. She's a survivor and reminds us everyday. Almost 2 years ago, our prayers were answered and we were finally having the baby we prayed so much for. By the time I was 36 weeks pregnant, we were devastated to find out that our little angel had CDH. We were living in S. Korea while my husband fulfilled his military duties. So far from family and what is familiar. The language barrier was even more unbarring while medical staff tried to explain the issue to us.
About a week later, my mother and sister would arrive. We did all we could to learn about CDH and find a hospital in S. Korea that would be able to take care of our baby. Between TriCARE (military medical insurance) and being in a foreign country, trying to get the hospital took some convincing. Getting military doctors to sign off on a referral was easier than expected.
Once at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, we were in good hands. I've never seen a medical facility work so efficiently. Take a number, get an MRI. Take a number, get blood test. Take a number, get a ultrasound. By the end of the day of my first examination, I'd already had several ultrasounds, blood tests, MRIs, and was scheduled for a C-section for 38th week of pregnancy.
The medical staff at Samsung was amazing, always trying to make sure we understood what was happening with our daughter. Once she was born, she was immediately intubated and taken for examination. Tests and more tests done to determine the severity and her strength to endure surgery for repair.
Sometimes we felt hopeless but prayed and prayed for her to recover and go home with us sooner than later. Ten days in the NICU and she'd even impressed her doctors, who had encountered CDH before. Finally she was home, off the feeding tube, off ventilators, off all machines and tubing. All she had for the next week was a bandage, covering her incisions from the laparoscopy surgery that repaired her diaphragm with only stitches.
Now almost 15 months after her birth, all that remains are photos and memories of the horrible birth defect that turned our lives upside down. He scars are almost invisible, but we will always remember.
