BARTLETT, Tenn. — It’s not every day we hear about newborns needing life-saving heart surgery, but a Bartlett family knows all about it as the clock was ticking to get their baby help.
Two-year-old Addie Mecwan is joyful, energetic, and doesn’t mind telling you what she loves to do.
“I like to run and I like to read,” she said. “And I like treats.”
She also loves being a big sister and being the center of her family’s attention.
Addie’s parents, Vivian and Taylor, said it’s hard keeping up with her because almost nothing slows down their strong little girl.
“For Addie, for sure, just strength. She always trying to go. She’s always exploring. She’s always climbing something or falling and running, getting back up. She’s just resilient,” Taylor said.
From the moment Addie was born, her parents instantly fell in love with her.
“I fell in love with that little girl as soon as I saw her. I don’t think I cried as hard as I did when I first saw my daughter,” Vivian said.
Right after Addie was born on December 20, 2020 everything seemed perfect. But one of her doctors noticed during a routine Congenital Heart Defect test there might be a problem.
“He said everything is going to be okay like it’s surgical, but everything is going to be okay, and I think everything came crashing down at that point,” Taylor said.
Their cardiologist consult discovered Addie had what’s called a Ventricular Septal Defect, sometimes referred to as a hole in the heart.
“One thing that he said that still sticks out in my mind is she’s going to go to Le Bonheur, and there’s a great team that will take care of her,” Vivian said.
Addie was taken by ambulance to Le Bonheur that same day and placed in the NICU. Her oxygen level had dropped to about 85 and things were getting worse as doctors and nurses started performing tests.
“Through the ECHOS, they saw the VSD. A doctor used the term huge, and when a doctor uses the term huge at Le Bonheur, that’s terrifying,” Taylor said.
It was terrifying because Addie, who was just a few days old, had two holes in her heart that would need repair.
“I was like, they’re going to fix her, and everything will be okay. I just had confidence in Le Bonheur at that point,” Taylor said.
On Christmas Eve, Le Bonheur surgeons performed open heart surgery and installed a temporary pacemaker. The operation was a success. Now, Addie is doing so well and only goes to Le Bonheur for checkups.
“They really did save her life because 25 years ago, we wouldn’t still have her. she wouldn’t be running around. I use the term resilient to describe her and that’s just what she is,” her father said.
Addie’s parents said she is resilient because Le Bonheur’s commitment to children instilled in a team of doctors, nurses, and staff is second to none.
“The support structure that we had at Le Bonheur, people that we didn’t know who actually came and took care of her, Taylor, myself, our little girl, it was definitely an effort by everybody to make us feel at ease,” Vivian said.
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital is a hospital that’s dedicated to children like Addie and their parents.
“Thank you and that’s all we can say,” Taylor said.
“And from the bottom of my heart, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If it wasn’t for them, if it wasn’t for Le Bonheur, I would not have my child,” Vivian said.
Today, Addie Mecwan proudly shows off where her pacemaker is located. Her heart beats stronger every day because of Le Bonheur, a hospital that’s all heart and a little girl who already is thankful for its legacy of love and exceptional care.
If you’d like to support the life-saving work at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, scan the QR code, text “Go Jim Go” to 71777 or click here to donate.
You can also join us on News Channel 3 from 6 -7 p.m. Wednesday for our Go Jim Go Telethon to raise money for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
