Taking comfort from the rhythm of a beating heart

The Rosses were prepared they might lose their infant son the first time he had a heart transplant.

They weren’t prepared Thursday — eight years later — when doctors at Children’s Hospital in Denver said his second heart was likely to quit at any time.

“Those words drove my wife to her knees,” J.D. Ross said.

In a strange turn of events over just a few days, a healthy boy who became a poster child for transplants and heart disease was once again on a donor list. And just hours after his name was added, he received another heart, his third including the flawed one he was born with. His new heart came from a boy who died in the same hospital and whose family had spent a few days in the same waiting room as his.

On Tuesday, as Garrett recovered in Intensive Care connected to an assortment of IVs, drain tubes and moni- tors, his parents began to process a series of emotional ups and downs few families ever experience, much less in the scope of a few days. The grief of goodbye and joy of another chance. The celebration of a new heart, and the sadness of the death from which it came.

‘Perfect’ health

Garrett’s name was first added to the donor list for a new heart before he was born June 8, 1999. He was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in which the left side of the heart is undeveloped and not functioning. His parents, who live in El Paso County, were told he might survive six months.

When a heart had not arrived by that time, a combination of risky procedures was done to buy his failing heart time. It worked, and at 7½ months he received his new heart. It came from a 2-yearold Texas girl named Megan who died after being shoved into a closet by a teenage day care worker.

Garrett went on to compete in childhood rodeos and was a standout in baseball. He’s been an ambassador for Denver’s From the Heart golf tournament and related causes.

A year ago, doctors said his heart was “perfect,” and as recently as Feb. 23, the boy was turning coaches’ heads at baseball tryouts.

“We really felt like we had beaten the odds,” his dad, who works for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday.

But early last month Garrett began complaining of chest pain. His parents figured it must be growing pains, since a checkup the month before showed no irregularities. Even so, they opted to take him to Children’s. All tests were fine.

The pain got worse, though, and they returned. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. They went a third time when pain radiated down his left arm, a classic symptom of a heart attack. Yet again, his vitals and blood work were excellent.

A sudden turn

Last Tuesday, Garrett cried in his bed and held a picture of Megan, the girl from which he got his heart. He lamented not knowing her and cried until he fell asleep. His parents, who say he’s never done that, were concerned and wondered if it was a sign from God. “He said I miss her. I wish I would have gotten to know her when she was alive,” Ross said.

They contacted the family pediatrician for another opinion on his chest pain, who then talked to their transplant coordinator. She ordered more blood tests looking at specific enzymes. One of them was elevated, a sign of heart trauma, Ross said.

On Thursday, back at Children’s, a biopsy was done and the family learned from doctors that Garrett’s heart was “dying.” Doctors were surprised, Ross said, he made it to the hospital alive.

One of them suggested a procedure normally reserved for adults to immediately help his heart get more blood. Another doctor feared it would kill Garrett.

“He thought it would cause Garrett to have a heart attack and die on the table.”

What they agreed on was Garrett needed another heart soon. The Rosses didn’t tell their son, who was already afraid going into his first procedure on Friday. “He just wanted to go home. He said, ‘Daddy, I’m afraid to die.’ It just runs a sword through you when you hear an 8-year-old boy say that,” Ross said.

After a successful stent, Garrett was feeling better and Ross returned to their Peyton home to pack a bag. Garrett, his sister Jessi, 6, and mother Kathy went to a relative’s home in Denver.

By 2:30 a.m., a donor had been found.

Garrett awoke Saturday morning to news that he needed a new heart but was already about to receive one. “He started to cry. He was scared. He asked about letting Megan go,” Ross said. He also asked if this heart would last, something they still don’t know.

As Garrett was wheeled away for surgery and the family retreated to a waiting area, Jessi wrote get-well wishes on a dry erase board when a nurse asked them about meeting the donor’s family. It was something they expected to do — someday.

But the family, who had been in the same waiting area, overheard talk about Garrett’s procedure and calculated he must be the recipient of their son’s heart. The two fathers cried.

New heart, challenges

The first time the Ross family faced a transplant, it was a pair of newlyweds fighting for an infant son. This time, it’s parents fighting for their “friend.”

Garrett is expected to be in the hospital two weeks and away from home for six months. For now, the family is taking comfort in prayer and the rhythm of a beating heart.

“I listened to his heart with a stethoscope yesterday, and God, it’s so cool,” Ross said.

HOW TO HELP

A fund has been set up to help the Rosses cover medical expenses. Donations can be made to Family Fund for Garrett Ross at any branch of Ent Federal Credit Union.