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At 22 weeks pregnant with her fourth child – and first daughter – Michelle left her supermarket human resources job early to go to the hospital for a routine prenatal scan. Her husband, Ernesto, offered to go with her.

“It’s fine,” Michelle said, encouraging Ernesto to stay at work. “They’re just verifying the baby’s OK.” (The couple requested that the ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ not use their last name for privacy reasons.)

On the exam table, Michelle smiled at the ultrasound images of her baby girl’s tiny feet and hands. Then the doctor hovered the probe over the heart. He paused.

“Something seems a little different with the heart,” he said.

He told Michelle that she needed to see a specialist. She began to cry, fearing that she’d done something that harmed her baby.

Two days later, after another ultrasound, a fetal medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles told Michelle the baby had a congenital heart defect. This fluke of nature – a condition that affects nearly 1% of births each year – meant that the baby would be born with an underdeveloped right side of the heart, which would compromise its ability to pump blood.

Michelle and Ernesto were distraught. They were also relieved there was a solution, even if it would mean three surgeries over the first few years of the baby’s life.

At Michelle’s 38-week checkup, her OB/GYN determined she had low amniotic fluid, which can be dangerous for a developing baby. Michelle was sent straight to labor and delivery at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, right behind CHLA.

Aaliyah was born that afternoon, her fingernails and face tinged blue. Paramedics rushed her via ambulance to CHLA’s newborn and infant critical care unit.

Testing confirmed Aaliyah had the defect seen on the ultrasound: hypoplastic right heart syndrome. But doctors also discovered another critical problem: Her left ventricle was failing, too. They weren’t sure why.

At one week old, Aaliyah’s heart continued to deteriorate. Neither ventricle was effectively pumping blood. She was in heart failure. “Aaliyah doesn’t have much time,” doctors told Michelle and Ernesto. “Prepare for the worst.”

The couple called the hospital chaplain and had Aaliyah baptized. Soon after, a transplant coordinator and social worker showed up. Aaliyah needed a heart transplant to survive.

As the family waited for a donor heart, Aaliyah’s best chance of survival was a ventricular assist device, or VAD. The device keeps blood circulating, essentially doing the work the damaged ventricle can no longer manage.

There was just one problem. With two failed ventricles, Aaliyah needed two VADs. But at just over 7 pounds, she was too tiny for even one. Typically, VAD patients need to be at least 11 pounds, cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. John David Cleveland told the family.

Cleveland knew he needed a creative solution for Aaliyah to survive long enough to receive a donor heart. To come up with a plan, he consulted with a congenital heart surgeon at his hospital, someone he deeply trusted and respected: Dr. David Cleveland, his father.

The resulting plan involved altering the anatomy of Aaliyah’s heart to create a path for blood to get to her lungs and body without going through her ventricles. This way, she would need just one VAD until she could get a transplant.

It was a procedure John David had never performed or even considered.

If it worked, Aaliyah would have to stay in the hospital until a donor heart became available. The timing was uncertain, of course, but this was sustainable. Still, it carried risks – infection, bleeding, even a blood clot that could cause a stroke.

At 9 days old, Aaliyah went into surgery. John David, assisted by his father, implanted the tubes that would connect to the VAD on her body. The surgery was a success.

Michelle moved into the hospital to always be by Aaliyah’s side. She changed diapers and sang her favorite oldies songs, “You Are My Sunshine” and “My Girl.” Aaliyah got stronger. A month passed, then two.

At the three-month mark, Michelle finally felt comfortable enough with Aaliyah’s care to go home once a week, allowing her to spend more time with her boys, Saul, 17, Michael, 15 and Alizay, 12.

During one of those visits, when Aaliyah was 6 months old, Michelle got a call from the hospital’s transplant team. “This is it!” she yelled, tears pooling in her eyes. She and Ernesto embraced.

The boys, who had been getting ready for school, joined Michelle and Ernesto at the hospital. Doctors ran labs, prepping Aaliyah for surgery at noon. At 12:30 p.m., the transplant coordinator came by with a somber look. For reasons she couldn’t disclose, the donor heart was no longer available.

Six months later – in July 2024 – Aaliyah turned 1. Michelle decorated her hospital room with baby Minnie Mouse decor. Nurses wrapped Aaliyah’s VAD in plastic to protect it from the smash cake Michelle brought in. They all sang “Happy Birthday.”

A week before Thanksgiving, Michelle was asleep in a hospital bed by Aaliyah when the transplant coordinator tapped her leg. “There’s a donor!” she said with a huge smile.

Michelle was cautiously hopeful. Sure enough, the next day, the coordinator called to say the donor family needed “more time.” That proved to be only a single day more.

That morning, Aaliyah was wheeled into the operating room.

Michelle and Ernesto went to church then returned to the hospital.

The surgery took six hours – and was a success. Aaliyah’s new heart functioned well. Three weeks later, Aaliyah went home. At 16 months old, she arrived to a house decorated with dozens of balloons and a huge “Welcome Home” sign.

Now, Aaliyah is 2 1/2 and thriving. She’s an active, sassy child who’s starting to talk and loves exploring every nook and corner of the house, Michelle said. Both she and Ernesto are forever grateful for the care they received, particularly the novel solution John David came up with to keep Aaliyah’s faulty heart working throughout the wait for a donor.

“Aaliyah was living on borrowed time,” said John David, who’d initially told the family that the girl had a 70% chance of living three months on the VAD. He never imagined that she’d rely on it for more than 15 months. He and Aaliyah’s cardiology team have submitted a case report for publication in an academic journal to share their support strategy with colleagues around the world. Their research indicates she was on the device longer than any child has ever been.

“I’m so thankful she made it through,” John David said. “It’s nothing short of a miracle that she’s here with us today.”

Stories From the Heart chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.