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Her heart had been pushed all the way over to her right chest wall, and both of her lungs were severely underdeveloped—her left lung was nearly nonexistent, and her right lung was equally small. The doctors informed us that Scarlett’s chances of surviving after birth were less than 20%. We were crushed. But amid the heartbreak, there was still a glimmer of hope—we knew that Scarlett was a fighter, and we were determined to give her every chance to survive.
Over the course of my pregnancy, Scarlett was closely monitored. I underwent 27 ultrasounds, two non-stress tests each week, two fetal MRIs, and a fetal echocardiogram. We met with numerous specialists who carefully explained that CDH has a range of severity. Unfortunately, Scarlett’s case was on the severe end of that spectrum. The reality of her condition was grim, but we didn’t give up. After consulting with several hospitals, we made the difficult decision to leave our home in Knoxville, Tennessee, and relocate to Cincinnati, Ohio, where we could get the specialized care Scarlett needed.
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