During Heart Month, many times we are talking about heart diseases and maladies that impact older Americans. But life-threatening heart defects can put newborns at risk too.
The journey of two-year-old Franklin, who has battled a complex heart defect, double outlet right ventricular, serves as an uplifting story of hope and resilience.
The battle for Franklin's life began even before he was born, when his mother, Thai Braggs, received the news that her child had a life-threatening heart defect during pregnancy.
"Your first child, you want everything to be normal, and then everything is not. It's definitely a shock," Braggs recalls.
Despite the initial uncertainty, Franklin's parents were determined to give him the best chance at life through the experts' intervention, such as Dr. Colin Kane, pediatric cardiologist at Children’s Health and professor at UTSW.
"His heart was really complex," Dr. Kane said.
The process has involved three surgeries so far, with at least one more on the horizon.
"I think his prognosis is really good," Dr. Kane said. "So this process of what we call this biventricular conversion or biventricular complex repair, there were two stages to it, and he came out of the first stage...really well, and he looks great right now."
"I would say the 1st surgery definitely was the hardest. It was definitely an emergent surgery," Braggs shared.
And Franklin's condition has had an impact on the Braggs' daily lives. But Thai says they've gone from being incredibly cautious and sheltered, to planning for preschool this fall.
Despite the challenges, Franklin's resilience and joyful nature never faltered.
Braggs described him as "the average 2-year-old boy...he's definitely not letting his heart defect stop him."
But there's certainly an emotional toll of navigating medical conditions with a child.
"It's not selfish to take that time for yourself...you have to take care of yourself to take care of your child," Braggs advised.
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