The story of Karolek
In Cracow, I was told that my baby had severe CDH. At that time, FETO surgery was not available in Poland. I decided to go to hospital in Brussels, where Prof. Jacques Jani performed FETO. The parameters of the compressed lung began to slowly improve. As a result, Karolek had better chances of survival.
Karolek was born in 2013 in hospital in Łódź, which at that time was the only Polish hospital offering the option of delivery and surgery in one place. On his first day of life, Karolek underwent hernia repair surgery. He had a patch stitched in place, which he still has to this day. He stayed in hospital for three months, and in January 2014 his mother was discharged home with him.
Today, we are very happy that Warsaw has a center that provides comprehensive care for children with CDH. Today, mothers do not have to travel to Brussels or other hospitals in Europe to undergo FETO procedure. This is an important step in the diagnosis and management of this disorder in Poland, and parents of children with CDH are very grateful for providing this option.
source: private archive
The story of Oliwia
CDH diagnosed at 21 weeks of pregnancy, during a follow-up ultrasound scan.
The doctor, who diagnosed CDH, referred us to hospital where we could perform all the required tests. The ultrasound scan showed a defect that would not require FETO procedure. Olive was born naturally at 39 weeks gestation (24 March 2014) and received an Apgar score of 1. She was born with cardiorespiratory failure and was intubated at 1 min after birth. She had surgery when she was 5 days old. After one and a half months following the discharge, we had to go back to hospital due to recurrence which also required small bowel resection. Following a grueling fight that lasted three months, we were discharged home with parenteral nutrition for six months. Following another three months, a second “recurrence” occurred – a second hernia repair patch was placed to avoid severe deformation of the chest. Three months later we returned to the surgical department for intestinal anastomosis and gastric surgery (due to chronic reflux). Olive has since done well, she loves swimming and playing the piano.
Monika and Jarek from Warsaw
source: private archive