Jordan's Story

Images Captured by Pam McCready Photography

Meet Jordan.  This little man loves being outside.  He loves running around the backyard and kicking a soccer ball.  He is still young, and his parents are enjoying watching him learn new things every day.

It was discovered at an ultrasound at 19 weeks gestation that Jordan had a heart problem.  Jordan was born with a Congenital Heart Defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot.  TOF involves four heart defects: a large VSD, Pulmonary Stenosis, Right Ventricular Hypertrophy, and an overriding aorta.  Jordan’s Father was deployed with the Canadian Military in Afghanistan.  His Mother now had to make the phone call to tell him the news that she had just received; that there was a chance that Jordan would not survive birth.

Jordan was born and did very well in his first few days.  He did not spend any great length of time in the hospital.  His parents were able to take him home and monitor him themselves for any sign of heart failure.  Jordan received a very successful heart surgery during his fourth month of life.  Its success was so great that it now looks as though there will not be any more heart surgeries inJordan’s future!  While it was expected that his developmental milestones would be affected by his difficult beginning, Jordan has done amazingly.  He took his first steps at nine months!

Strength and support from others have gotten this family through Jordan’s heart journey.  “If you’d asked me five years ago if my husband and I were cut out to go through this journey, I would’ve told you ‘No.’  I would’ve predicted that everything in our lives would fall apart and that we wouldn’t be able to handle such an emotional journey.  It’s amazing how you adapt, learn to survive, and deal with everything that comes up.”  Jordan now wears his heart scar with the same pride that his Dad does, as his Father was also born with a heart defect.

Story by Angela Stephen-Dewhurst