Miracle tot Noah celebrates a very special birthday

Feb 27 2008 By Gary Fanning

A BABY who wasn’t expected to live after he was born with a killer disease is set to celebrate a special milestone - his first birthday.

Ten months ago, Noah Yuill, of Wallace Drive, Larkhall, battled through a four-hour life-saving operation after he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

The sick tot collapsed twice in hospital after the emergency surgery and his devastated parents Stephanie (24) and William (26) were given the heartbreaking news that he was unlikely to survive.

But brave Noah defied all the odds and made a miraculous recovery.

He was allowed home at eight-weeks-old.

The little fighter had a second life-saving operation last November and will reach his first birthday on April 16, a day his parents thought they would never see.

Stephanie, a former pupil at Larkhall Academy and Hareleeshill Primary, said: “When I first found out what was wrong with Noah, the doctor told me the outlook was poor and I burst into tears.

“I felt my life collapsing in front of me. I couldn’t believe it because all through my pregnancy I thought my baby was healthy.

“I had my 20-week scan and nothing was wrong. The doctor told us that there were two options. They would let Noah go home and he would die peacefully, or he would have to go through operations for the rest of the life.

“There was no option for me, I wanted to give him every chance to live.

“But after the first operation, the doctor told us that he would be surprised if Noah would see it through the night.

“His second operated lasted for five hours in November and it was the longest day of my life.

“We have been told on three separate occasions that Noah wasn’t going to make it.”

Noah was born at Wishaw General Hospital on April 16 last year and 48 hours later he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

This means that the left side of the heart is severally underdeveloped and the Mitral and Aortic valves are normally narrow, blocked or not formed at all.

Without emergency surgery Noah would not survived.

Babies with congenital heart disease have to go through three life-saving operations at different stages of their life — at birth, before they are one, and when they are between three and five.

After all that Noah’s heart will never be normal, as he will always have one functioning pumping chamber or half a heart, and at some point he will require a heart transplant.

Noah was moved to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow two days after he was born where doctors stabilised him.

He was transferred to St Thomas and Guys, Evelina Children’s Hospital in London for the first stage of his life-saving surgery.

The operation is only carried out in a few centres throughout the UK and Yorkhill is not one of them.

The hospital paid for William and Stephanie’s travel and they were given accommodation in London while Noah received his treatment.

In November last year, Noah had the second major operation, the bidirectional glen, at the London hospital and again he responded really well to it.

Noah spent five hours in theatre, 22 hours in intensive care and seven days in hospital.

Stephanie now spends all of her time looking after Noah.

She worked previously at both the Kwik Fit and British Gas call centres in Uddingston.

Stephanie has organised a congenital heart disease awareness evening at the Blantyre Miners’ Welfare on Friday, May 16.

The charity night will include a DJ, raffle prize bingo and other events.

All the money raised on the night will be donated to the cardiology ward (5A) at Yorkhill.

This will allow staff to buy TVs and toys for sick children who spend a great deal of their lives in hospital fighting the dreadful disease.

Stephanie is hoping to set up a support group for people and the families who are effected by congenital heart disease.

“People don’t know about congenital heart disease, and I was ignorant of it until Noah was diagnosed with it.

“I cannot thank the staff enough at the hospitals for the care they gave to my son.”

“There was no option for me, I wanted to give him every chance to live. But after the first operation, the doctor told us that he would be surprised if Noah would see it through the night.”