Fuss, Anna

As with all of the Cherub stories, it is very hard for me to think back and remember those 9 months. It was horrible. My pregnancy went pretty normally, except it seemed that everyone thought that there was something wrong. My first visit to the doctor, the nurse seemed strange about it; my mother-in-law had a bad feeling. I felt unsure. So the way I learned about Anna’s CDH was because I was bleeding, and the doctor found that I had placenta previa. So I had to have a second ultrasound done at about 16 weeks, and that is when he found the hernia.

I pretty much fell apart for the next five months. I also learned that day that my husband had a brother who died of CDH at birth. So this was very devastating to the whole family. Besides being on an emotional roller coaster, going to two doctors twice a month, endless ultrasounds and tests, everything went normal. To my doctor’s surprise, I delivered a full-term baby. She cried when she was born and had better Apgar scores then any of my two other boys.

But she had this one big problem-- she had almost all of her organs in her chest. She was born with everything "up" except her liver. She had a displaced heart, and her one lung was not fully developed. The way my husband explained to my oldest about what was done during her surgery was that the doctors had to go in and put back all the pieces like in a puzzle. I thought this was a great analogy for a 5 year-old.

Anyway, she had her surgery done when she was 3 days old, was on a vent for about a week and a half, and left with O2 at about a little under a month. She had all of her hospitalization done at the Children's Hospital in Denver, which I am very grateful to. Her doctors and nurses were wonderful. Her one doctor, Dr. Kinsella, has pioneered the NO persidure. I would recommend that hospital for our CDH kids!!

Anna is now 18 months old. She has no problems so far, and she is the most beautiful little girl. She is walking, talking, throwing tantrums, laughing, playing, loving her 2 brothers. She's a daddy’s girl, how couldn't she be. But most of all she is my angel. And I am the happiest mom in the world with my 3 little ones. I would not change a thing.


Written by Anna's Mom, Karen Fuss (Colorado)
2001