Texas Toddler Celebrating Halloween and His New Heart with a Mighty Roar
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Kim Carter Parker (217.494.6110)
Texas Toddler Celebrating Halloween and His New Heart with a Mighty Roar
Bloomington, Indiana – October 3, 2011 -- October is the month for raking leaves, falling temperatures and kids in costumes. This Halloween, Keegan Harrison is able to roar like a lion, thanks to the heart transplant he received when he was only seven-days-old.
Keegan was born on September 12, 2007, in Plano, Texas. He weighed just over five pounds. Keegan was diagnosed in utero with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot, and was transferred to Children’s Medical Center of Dallas immediately after birth. His heart was in much worse condition than predicted, and he underwent complete surgical repair of his tiny heart when he was not quite 24-hours-old. Over the next few days, a large hematoma developed on the wall of Keegan's heart, which severely damaged both ventricles. It became apparent that Keegan would need a heart transplant within three weeks, before multiple organ failure set in.
After only 48 hours on the transplant list, Keegan received a life-saving gift. At barely one-week-old, it is believed that Keegan is the youngest and smallest heart recipient ever in the United States.
During the post-birth whirlwind, Keegan’s parents, Gray and Maddie, thought about little except the survival of their tiny infant. However, it quickly became apparent that Keegan’s transplant-related expenses were going to be significant and would be something they would have to manage for his lifetime. During these stressful days, Gray and Maddie learned about the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA).
According to Harrisons, “COTA is a lifeline for us. When life was unpredictable and scary, COTA allowed us to focus on what really mattered … our son. There were times during Keegan’s transplant journey that we would not have been able to pay our mortgage or buy groceries had we not had COTA assuring us our medical bills would be covered.”
Gray and Maddie say that throughout the transplant, “COTA gave us hope that we could provide for our baby’s medical needs. The donations to COTA in honor of Keegan by people we know and love, and by complete strangers who were touched by our journey, gave us hope that we were not alone. God was caring for us in so many ways and we knew Keegan would get through this.
Today, Keegan is doing well. Although he still receives almost all of his daily calories from a specialty formula administered through a tube inserted in his stomach, he is gaining weight and getting stronger each day.
“Keegan’s heart transplant story is full of more miracles than we can count. Keegan was diagnosed in utero and transplanted at seven-days-old. He weighed only five pounds. Despite all of the odds, he waited only two days for a tiny donor heart to come from his donor angel,” said Gray and Maddie.
Keegan is an energetic, happy and spirited toddler – who is anxiously waiting for Halloween. Clearly, his Halloween costume is the perfect choice for Keegan the Lion Hearted.
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association is a national charity that provides fundraising assistance to transplant families. Since 1986, COTA’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds. 100% of all funds raised in honor of transplant patients are used for transplant-related expenses.
For more information about organ donation, or to find a COTA family in your area, please email kim@cota.org.