If
you saw 2-year-old Harlie tearing around her Olpe, Kansas, home after her brothers, you might
not realize how much she's already been through in her young life or how amazing it is that she's
able to do something as normal as play with her siblings. There was a time, however, when her future hung
in the balance.
Tears were the first clue Harlie's body wasn't getting enough blood. Less than two weeks into Harlie's life,five hours of
nonstop crying prompted her parents, Jacque and Randy, to take her to Children's Mercy South. Tests revealed inadequate
blood flow and, eventually, the cause—Harlie was missing her left ventricle, one of the heart's four chambers and an essential
part of proper blood circulation.
Two surgeries and months of recovery later, Harlie is enjoying exploring the world around her.
"She's a little spitfire," says Jacque. "She's up and down the stairs, all over the house and totally keeps up with her brothers.
No one can believe she has a heart condition after they've been around her."
Harlie is doing well—at 14 months of age, she was a month ahead of schedule in terms of development. Her family has peace
of mind knowing that a special team of providers at Children's Mercy is keeping a close eye on her developmental progress and
is ready to help if any problems arise.
WHEN GROWING UP NEEDS A HELPING HAND
Sometimes, solving one challenge identifies
another. In recent decades, surgeries to treat
children born with heart defects have improved
so much that 85 to 90 percent of young congenital
heart disease patients like Harlie will survive
to adulthood, according to the Society for
Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.
That is the good news. The troubling news is that
many of those children will face developmental
delays or disorders due to the effects of defect
treatment, insufficient blood flow, or the conditions
or genetic abnormalities that caused the defect.
The Children's Mercy Cardiac Neurodevelopmental
Clinic (CNDC) is on a mission to help young congenital
heart disease (CHD) patients reach their full potential by
providing the developmental care too many often lack.
Shifting the Focus
from Surviving
toThriving
Harlie Wellnitz's heart isn't whole, but her life is as full as any toddler's.
Harlie Wellnitz
4 Safe & Sound Winter 2015
