Meet Raleigh

When Raleigh was 2 months old, he developed respiratory symptoms that worried his family. His mom, Eva, brought him to Nationwide Children's Hospital Urgent Care where doctors suspected heart failure. When an X-ray showed Raleigh’s heart was enlarged, he was immediately sent to Nationwide Children's Emergency Department. Additional testing revealed he had severe dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber, is both enlarged and not pumping well.

Medication was the first course of action for Raleigh. It quickly became clear that he wasn’t improving, and his heart was not responding to the medication.

The next option was to support Raleigh’s heart mechanically. His parents and care team decided they would proceed with an operation that would put him on a ventricular assist device (VAD) called a Berlin heart. The Berlin heart would assist and take over as Raleigh’s left ventricle and allow proper blood circulation throughout the body. The procedure would help him grow while they waited on the long-term solution, a new heart.

After 246 days on the transplant list, eating, developing and playing while supported on his Berlin heart, Raleigh and his family received word that he would receive a new heart. Raleigh’s parents experienced a flood of emotions. “It was so overwhelming and so happy,” Eva shares. “But also, a lot of feelings for our donor and their family and the pain that they must be experiencing.”

Raleigh’s surgery was a great success, and his recovery went smoothly.

“He did really well with his post-op,” recalls Eva. “You could just tell his little spirit started perking back up, which was nice to see.”

Raleigh will be on immunosuppressant medication for the rest of his life and will return to Nationwide Children’s regularly for labs and blood work. Since surgery, he has been enjoying bath time, long walks, helping his parents garden and uninterrupted naps. “When you go through something like this, it just shifts your whole perspective on every day and every moment,” says Eva. “You have to just enjoy it and be grateful for it because it's not promised.”