Baby born with HALF a heart survives surgery at just 4 days old

A baby with only half a heart has finally been allowed home after he survived risky open-heart surgery at just four days old.

Reggie Aslin was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a rare defect which means half of his heart did not form properly.

After spending six years trying for a baby, his parents Lee and Michelle, 35 and 34, were given the devastating news at their 20-week scan.

Doctors said Reggie had just a 50 per cent chance of survival and would need three major operations on his heart and was unlikely to survive beyond his teenage years. 

But the brave couple decided against an abortion and he was born by on September 1, weighing 9lbs 12oz.

At just four days old, Reggie underwent open-heart surgery to 're-plumb' his heart - a gruelling, nine-hour operation that left him with a huge scar down his chest.

This week the new parents were able to take him home to Grimsby, Lincolnshire. 

'At one point a few months ago I was wondering whether I would ever get to take my little boy home,' said Mr Aslin.

'We didn't know if he was going to be breathing when he was born or if he was going to get through the operation - but he did.

'After the surgery, we got told that Reggie could be in hospital for three or four months but he has recovered really really well.

'We were feeling a little bit nervous bringing him home but he is doing everything for himself. He is a little heart warrior. He is a little miracle.

'We are just so excited and are looking forward to spending his first Christmas with him at home.'

The couple spent six weeks at Leeds Royal Infirmary before they were given the go-ahead to bring Reggie home last night.

At four days old, he had the first stage of the Norwood procedure, a high risk, three-step surgery which gets the right side of the heart to do the job of the left side.

It 'rewires' the right ventricle to pump red blood to the body, while the blue blood is allowed to flow directly to the lungs.  

'The first operation is always the most dangerous one because it is the longest and most complex, so that was the biggest hurdle,' said the lifeguard.

'Because he has pulled through that, we have got all the confidence in the world that he will pull through the others.

'He has been through more in his few weeks of life than I have in 35 years. He is definitely a little fighter.'

MrsAslin, who also has a 13-year-old daughter, Katelyn, said it was heartbreaking to learn about his defect at the 20 weeks scan.

She said the family were now focusing on the future and hope advancements will be made to improve his survival chances. 

'It means so much to have him here and however long we have with him, whether it's two months, a year, 10 years or beyond, we are just happy for this bit of time,' she said.

'We are going to give him as much love and as many memories as we can. He will have the best life he can ever have.'

'We are hoping that in the next 19 or 20 years, something else will come out to help him,' she added.

'If he doesn't want to fight any more that is his choice - it isn't anyone else's to make.' 

Read more at 'Reggie's Story' on Facebook. 

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter