Care or stupidity: couple spends millions of dollars saving the life of an unborn child, although doctors insist on an abortion

The doctor told expectant parents they have 6 weeks to save their unborn child by raising $3,2 million for specialized intrauterine surgery, reports Insider.

Photo: Shutterstock

Zofia Fenrych was delighted when, on February 5, 2022, she first saw her unborn child at a planned ultrasound at the 16th week of pregnancy.

“She sucked her thumb and moved around,” said the 40-year-old woman. Her partner, 49-year-old Rob Velez, could hardly contain his excitement as they looked at the screen together and saw that they were expecting a second daughter.

The radiologist was chatty, but suddenly fell silent. According to Fenrych, she "examined the heart of the child for too long." Then the medical worker said that something might be wrong.

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The arrival of a specialist took an hour. Fenrych, who lives 50km south of London in the UK, said: "It all started from that happy moment when we first saw her to this abyss where we wondered what the problem might be."

The counselor told the couple that the baby, whom they named Dorothea, had left ventricular hypoplasia syndrome, a condition in which the left side of the organ is chronically underdeveloped and often described as "absent." Without a series of highly specialized operations, the chances of survival are slim.

The mother-to-be said the doctor "pushed" her to terminate the pregnancy. But she and her partner were determined to see the pregnancy through.

Fenrych said the doctor called the defect “terrible” and insisted on ending the pregnancy. “She said it was so simple, but we just saw our baby playing in my belly,” Fenrych said. - We loved her. How did the doctor even suggest this?”

Two days later they visited a fetal cardiologist. He confirmed the diagnosis and drew a diagram of Dorothea's heart on a piece of paper to explain the problems. Fenrych said the doctor warned them that continuing the pregnancy would mean a "lifestyle change."

The consultant explained that Dorothea would need surgery about three days after birth to repair her heart and veins, another surgery three to six months later, and a third at age three. He said that Dorothea would probably need a heart transplant when she was in her teens. In terms of life expectancy, patients with the same condition as Dorothea had a 60 percent chance of surviving at five years of age.

But Veles and Fenrych, professing the Catholic faith, insisted that there could be no question of abortion.

Fenrych asked the doctor if their daughter could have a normal childhood. “That was the most important thing for me,” she said. His answer was yes.

Fenrych said that Veles, a partner at a healthcare financing startup, is a "natural researcher." He spent a few days researching hypoplastic left heart syndrome on the Internet and found several success stories about children who were born with it. Survivors included an experienced 17-year-old ballerina who had yet to receive an organ transplant in 2019. “She inspired and gave us hope,” Fenrych said.

The doctors told them that the non-genetic condition was a "total accident" that happened at conception.
8 weeks later, doctors broke the news: Dorothea needed intrauterine surgery to survive, and it can only be done in the US.

As the weeks passed, Fenrych went through a series of checks. But on April 5, when she was 24 weeks pregnant, a fetal echocardiogram showed a serious complication.

There was a blockage in Dorothea's heart, causing her lungs to overflow. Doctors said that the blockage can be eliminated only in utero.

The critical operation, known as an atrial fetal septostomy, had to be completed between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation. Without intervention, Dorothea has a 10-20% chance of reaching the age of five, according to medical experts in their report.

According to doctors, if the operation is carried out, her chances of life will increase to 87%. However, this operation is not available in the UK. “We felt like we had no hope,” Fenrych said.

But then the parents had a consultation with Dr. Shana Morris, the lead fetal heart surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. She has successfully performed this operation several times. Morris contacted the family's doctor in London and agreed to treat Dorothea in the US.

Intrauterine surgery is performed with a needle inserted through the mother's abdomen and uterus into the baby's heart.
Morris said the balloon is placed in the heart of the unborn child through the mother's abdomen.

“These kids can't push blood through the left ventricle. So they depend on an opening in the upper chambers of the heart to circulate blood," Morris said, adding that in some serious cases, the entrance pathway is blocked.

“We offer a procedure to open the hole at the top between the upper chambers of the heart,” she said.

Fenrych, who is currently 27 weeks pregnant, has less than six weeks to undergo the procedure before Dorothea's lungs become so damaged that the treatment is ineffective, according to her doctor.

The total cost of intrauterine surgery and two surgeries after Dorothea's birth is about $3,2 million.

“Dorotea is our daughter and we will do everything we can to save her life,” Velez said, “so we will fight.”

They are supported by a British children's charity Tree of Hope. The organization helps families raise money for child care not covered by the country's National Health Service. So far, $12 has been raised out of the current $400 million goal.

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“Our daughter’s case touched many hearts in this world,” Fenrych said. “She wasn’t born yet, but people have shown so much kindness.”

She added: "All the love and support we have received is part of Dorothea's miracle."

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