Tiny “Heart Warrior” Highlights the Need for Blood Donations

Babies undergoing lifesaving care for congenital heart defects rely on donated blood to survive?

At two-and-a-half years old, Bree Robillard has already benefitted from the miracle of modern medicine. Born with three congenital heart defects—a complete atrial ventricular septal defect (AVSD), left atrial isomerism and an interrupted inferior vena cava—Bree spent the early months of her life at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) undergoing lifesaving heart surgery and the corresponding care that kept her alive before and after. Children born with congenital heart defects are known as “heart warriors”.?

Bree’s mother, Ashley Robillard, Marketing and Event Coordinator at Calian, and her husband Kyle found out about Bree’s heart defects while Ashley was still pregnant. “When we went in for the anatomy scan, the ultrasound tech asked us to stay in the room afterwards. Then a doctor came back in and said they thought they could see a hole in our baby’s heart and referred us to CHEO for an echocardiogram,” says Ashley. “We were completely underestimating the complexity of it. We had no idea how hard it is to do an echocardiogram on an unborn baby—to find the baby’s heart.”?

Even though the echocardiogram didn’t provide clear images, the cardiologist was able to diagnose the AVSD. She informed the worried parents that Bree would need open heart surgery—preferably when she was between six and eight months old, to ensure she was strong and healthy enough to tolerate such an invasive procedure.??

But Bree’s heart defects were preventing her tiny body from growing at a normal rate. “When your heart's not working, it impacts so much more of your body,” says Ashley. The timeline was brought forward, and Bree underwent open-heart surgery at three months, followed by three more months in the hospital to address several other conditions related to, but not part of, her heart defects.?

Bree’s care included being on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a machine that pumps blood outside of the body to a heart-lung machine that removes carbon dioxide and returns oxygen-filled blood back into the body. ECMO allows the blood to "bypass" the heart and lungs, allowing these organs to rest and heal. ECMO requires a supply of donated blood. Patients on ECMO often need transfusions to keep up oxygen levels and to recover if there are complications.??

Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine and the amazing team at CHEO, Bree is a thriving heart warrior at two-and-a-half years old. She loves dinosaurs and buses and recently started gymnastics. “One of her favorite things to do is pretend she's a doctor,” says Ashley. “She has a toy doctor set and she likes to lay her dolls down and take their blood pressure and use her stethoscope to listen to their hearts.”?

But she will always be conscious of her heart health, not only because she underwent such intensive care at such a young age, but also because she can never take her health for granted. “The thing about surgery for congenital heart defects is that even though they're considered repaired, it’s not a cure. It’s just a fix,” says Ashley. “It's fixed so that she can live, but she has to have regular check-ups and she will likely need another surgery at some point in her life.”?

For the Robillards, living through this trauma has changed their perception of healthcare and highlighted the importance of blood donors. “You never think you or someone you know will be in need of blood, but that can change in an instant,” says Ashley. “Now when people ask what they can do to help, I always say ‘donate blood’.”??

Interested in knowing if you are eligible to donate? Visit blood.ca in Canada or redcrossblood.org in the US for more details. Canadian donors can also join the Calian Blood Team when they book their appointment. ??