About: Meet Annie

In December 2013, Annie was diagnosed prenatally with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) or half of a heart.

Annie’s Dad, Mom, and big sister Audrey celebrating that she’s a girl at her gender reveal party. Also the day we heard the searing words, “Something’s wrong with your baby’s heart.”

This life-threatening condition apparently made Annie’s life not worth living and some doctors suggested she be aborted. Annie’s parents didn’t agree. So on April 10, 2014, Annie was born in Little Rock, AR!

She had her first open heart surgery, the Norwood, at 5 days old at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and came home on no medicine 10 days later. She experienced unexpected severe heart failure when she was 8 weeks old and spent 31 days inpatient at CHOP fighting for her life. She had her second open heart surgery, the Glenn, at 3 months old, again at CHOP, and came home 5 days post-op.

In August 2017, she was finally approved for her Fontan surgery. She was diagnosed with PLE in January 2018, but is being successfully medically managed. Now she’s a happy, seemingly healthy 9-year-old girl thriving in school chasing her friends around the playground.

We live up today and trust God for tomorrow with each of Annie’s numbered days.

Annie’s protest to her echo, August 2015.

This is our blog that chronicles the story of Annie: a story of hope and a God who knows what He’s doing.

A few reader favorites: My Sweet Annie Girl, It’s Not Supposed to Go Like That, There Must Be Some Mistake, Born With a Death Sentence, Is Annie Contagious?   The Effort to Forget.

Email me at tracynlane@yahoo.com.

All content ©Tracy Lane