The 2-year-old toddler who survived nearly 450 days with a mechanical heart will finally return home thanks to a family who said yes to organ donation in the most difficult times.
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“When I got the call, my daughter started shouting with joy: ‘We have a heart for Eliam!’ […] I think I fell to my knees on the ground, ”says the boy’s father, Jimmy Asselin, with emotion.
Photo Chantal Poirier
Éliam, 2, surrounded by his father, Jimmy Asselin, his mother, Sabrina Mercier Laplante, and his big sister, Maélie, 5, during a celebration in his honor Monday morning at the CHU Sainte-Justine.
Balloons, stuffed animals, mascot and tears of joy, the atmosphere was festive on Monday morning in the intensive care unit of the CHU Sainte-Justine, where a small celebration was organized in honor of Éliam, 2 year.
Parading in his high chair on wheels, his eyes heavy from his nap which had just ended, he seemed to be unanimously accepted by the floor staff who have worked with him for the past 15 months.
The toddler, who has spent most of his life between four sanitized walls, received his new heart two weeks ago. The operation lasted 13 hours.
Finally home
In the next few days, his parents will finally be able to bring him home.
“The first thing I want to do is take him outside. Lay it in the lawn, ”says the dad, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
The baby was born in July 2020 with congenital atrioventricular block, a condition that caused her heart to beat at only 45 beats per minute, instead of the usual 140 to 160 beats for newborns.
His illness led him under the knife for the first time in the first 48 hours of his life, to install a very small pacemaker. Since then, operations have followed one another.
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“Gone are the wires. I’m going to find it weird not to be attached to a machine anymore ”with the little one in her arms, says her mother, Sabrina Mercier Laplante.
Every day a risk
With 443 days when he was connected to the heart of Berlin, he is the Quebec patient who has spent the longest period on this mechanical pump located outside the body which circulates the blood instead of the organ.
A record that his parents hoped not to beat. Because every day on the pump put him at risk of complications that could arise without warning.
Photo Chantal Poirier
Shortly before, he slept soundly in his mother’s arms.
“We are so grateful to this family who said yes to organ donation. Eliam will be able to go home. We’ve been waiting for this for so long, ”she said, struggling to finish her sentence, son in her arms.
“Despite their tragedy, they were able to restore life. It saved Eliam […] He almost did not come out of intensive care, ”continues the dad, his eyes wet in turn.
Their biggest fear was that he would not go to the transplant, his mother had previously confided to the Log. “It wasn’t easy, but it ended well. Just to be able to get up in the morning the whole family together … We will be able to appreciate all the little moments in life, ”she breathes.
Photo Chantal Poirier
Pediatric cardiologist Nassiba Alami-Laroussi, director of the transplant program at Sainte-Justine.
Gratitude
The frenzy was still felt Monday at pediatric cardiologist Nassiba Alami-Laroussi, director of the transplant program at Sainte-Justine.
“The waits for an organ are getting longer and longer. […] No matter how well we put the teams in place, if we don’t have the contribution of the donor families, we couldn’t save lives. These acts touch us a lot, ”she said, thanking the families.
Because there are few deaths among children and rare are those who meet the criteria to become donors.
Obviously, Éliam will have to continue the regular follow-ups at Sainte-Justine, which will gradually fade over time.