Elodie Baker, a young girl who was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy – a rare and often fatal heart condition – has finally received a life-saving heart transplant after waiting for over 200 days. Elodie, who is still under a year old, underwent the transplant on March 27th after spending 100 days in a hospital in Chicago.
Elodie’s diagnosis came in August, when she was just a few months old, and the condition proved difficult to detect. However, her resilience and strength throughout her battle earned her the label of “one resilient child.”
After a long and challenging journey, Elodie’s family is grateful for the successful transplant and the chance for her to lead a healthy and happy life.
Elodie’s condition was almost missed during a routine checkup, but thankfully, she received a heart transplant, which is expected to give her a healthy future. Her parents initially brought her to the hospital after noticing that she was crying during feedings and having difficulty feeding.
Despite having an uncomplicated delivery and a normal pregnancy, Elodie was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which is often difficult to detect. However, her parents remained vigilant in seeking treatment for their daughter and fought for her every step of the way.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Elodie’s mother Katie spoke about their journey, emphasizing the importance of parents listening to their instincts and advocating for their children’s health. She expressed her gratitude for the successful transplant and the opportunity for Elodie to live a healthy life going forward.
Elodie Baker (pictured) required a heart transplant after it was discovered that she had dilated cardiomyopathy
Katie Baker knew that something was wrong with her daughter Elodie when she began having trouble feeding and crying during nursing. Despite multiple doctors’ visits, no one could pinpoint the source of the problem until an x-ray was finally ordered just before the family was due to go home.
The x-ray revealed that Elodie’s heart was enlarged, leading to her diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. From that moment on, the Bakers’ lives were turned upside down as they embarked on a harrowing journey to save their daughter’s life.
Elodie was moved from Minnesota to Chicago for treatment, where she relied on a breathing and feeding tube, as well as a device to help her heart pump blood. Her parents remained by her side throughout the ordeal, advocating for her care and never giving up hope.
Thanks to the life-saving heart transplant, Elodie is now expected to live a healthy life going forward. Her story is a testament to the importance of parental instincts and the power of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.
Pictured: Elodie Baker receives treatment in Chicago’s Lurie’s Hospital
On March 27, Elodie (center) successfully received a heart transplant, over 200 days from her diagnosis and after 100 days in the hospital
Doctors who worked on Elodie’s case had trouble determining the cause of the condition, which occurs when a person’s heart chamber becomes enlarged and struggles to pump blood.
Baker would eventually be transferred from her home in Minnesota to a hospital in Chicago, Illinois, where she would receive care.
‘In Elodie’s case, the genetic test did not reveal an answer for why she developed this kind of cardiomyopathy and in that situation, it’s called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, meaning at this point in time, we don’t really know why this happened to her,’ Dr Anna Joong, who has cared for Elodie for months at Lurie Children’s in Chicago, told GMA.
Doctors quickly determined that she would need a heart transplant, which can be a challenge for a young child since the typical adult organs that become available can not properly fit in their chest.
During the wait, doctors implanted a pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) into Elodie to serve as an artificial heart in the meanwhile.
‘We use this device as a way to bridge her to transplant so it’s a way to support her heart, to help get her stronger in the time that she’s waiting for her donor heart.’
A heart did eventually become available, though, and the operation was successfully completed last month.
While she is still on a feeding tube for the time being, doctors told GMA, but she has had a breathing tube removed and has gone through physical and speech therapy to help her catch up to developmental goals for her age.
After her diagnosis, Elodie Baker (pictured) was moved from Minnesota to Chicago for treatment. She used a breathing and feeding tube and a device to help her heart pump blood
‘She has already been transferred out of ICU level care and is sitting up,’ Joong explained.
‘She is one strong kid and we are so grateful to the donor family.’
On March 27, Elodie (center) successfully received a heart transplant, over 200 days from her diagnosis and after 100 days in the hospital
In 2010, researchers found that the condition makes up around 403,000 global deaths every year, and that the figure is trending upwards.
Baker (pictured) is now doing fine, and undergoing therapy to catch up to her peers on developmental milestones
A young girl who waited over 200 days for a new heart after being diagnosed with a rare, deadly, heart condition, has finally received the life-saving transplant.
Elodie Baker, who is still under a year old, received the transplant on March 27 after a long 100 day stay in a Chicago hospital.
In August, she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition that is hard for doctors to detect but often deadly.
Pictured: Elodie Baker receives treatment in Chicago’s Lurie’s Hospital
Doctors nearly missed her condition when her mother brought her in for a checkup, but now with the transplant she is expected to live a healthy life going forward.
Elodie Baker (pictured) required a heart transplant after it was discovered that she had dilated cardiomyopathy
Baker’s parents (pictured) took her to the hospital after she was crying while her mother nursed her and she was having trouble feeding
‘Our pregnancy was normal and we had an uncomplicated delivery and actually went home with Elodie,’ Katie, Elodie’s mother, told Good Morning America during an interview this week.
Elodie Baker (pictured) required a heart transplant after it was discovered that she had dilated cardiomyopathy
Baker knew something was wrong with her daughter when she had trouble feeding, and would start crying while her mother nursed her.
‘She was with us in Minnesota at home for seven weeks and one night, she wouldn’t feed. I was nursing and she let out this cry and my heart just sank and I said to [my husband] Collin, ‘Something’s wrong. We need to take her in,” she explained.
Doctors originally told Baker that they were not sure what was wrong with her daughter, as nothing stood out to them.
Just before the Baker’s went back home, doctors recommended ax x-ray, which ended up being a life saving decision.
‘I think they were considering maybe sending us home but they said, ‘Let’s just get an x-ray to be sure,” Baker said.
‘Then the x-ray came back. They saw her heart was enlarged and that was on August 21. And we haven’t been home since.’
After her diagnosis, Elodie Baker (pictured) was moved from Minnesota to Chicago for treatment. She used a breathing and feeding tube and a device to help her heart pump blood
Pictured: Elodie Baker receives treatment in Chicago’s Lurie’s Hospital
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