George's article!

So I was contacted by the American Heart Association a while ago and I have volunteered here and there for them. The called me the other day and they wanted to write an article about his survivor story. They just sent me the link and I thougth you all might find it interesting.

http://www.heart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3052000

The link has pictures but here is the article from the site...

The future is bright for tiny transplant veteran

The holidays will be especially bright this year for George Little and his family. He lives in Bountiful, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah, with his parents Ashlie and Spencer Little. They have lots to celebrate.
George is two-and-a-half years old and thriving after a heart transplant saved his life. His baby sister Scarlet was born two months ago.
“He is a normal two-and-a-half-year old,” says Ashlie. She and Spencer weren’t sure they would ever be able to say that. And that's why the Littles are active volunteers and advocates for the American Heart Association.
They first learned the son they were expecting would be born with a congenital heart defect at Ashlie’s 20-week ultrasound. George was born Feb. 22, 2005, with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped. “Doctors explained a series of three surgeries could buy him time for a transplant because he could not live on half a heart his whole life,” Ashlie explains. He had his first surgery when he was only three days old, recovered quickly and was home in a couple weeks. The second surgery was performed when he was about three-and-a-half months old and this time he recovered in five days.
“He was doing so well we were sure he had a very strong heart," Ashlie says. “We were hospital-free for about five months -- it was wonderful.”
But right before Christmas of 2005 George caught a cold that would not go away. His condition worsened and after many tests doctors concluded he was in severe heart failure. His parents were told he was functioning on a fourth of a heart and needed to be listed for a heart transplant. The waiting began.
Weeks went by and then a transplant seemed almost impossible because George contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which causes infection of the lungs and breathing passages. “It usually takes six weeks to clear,” Ashlie notes, “but he did not have that much time. George fought it off in two weeks and was put back on the transplant list.”
“Doctors were surprised to see such a sick boy fight RSV so quickly,” Ashlie adds. “Once he was re-listed we still had our good and bad days, but the best came on Sunday, March 12, 2006. We were told that there was a heart available in Kansas City. We are so grateful to that family. They were so selfless in their decision.”
George was taken into surgery that evening. “We had hourly updates during the surgery,” Ashlie notes, “and the best update was when was the heart was in and pumping on its own. The great miracle this donor family gave us was possible because of research funded by the American Heart Association. We are so grateful for the research that enabled George’s life to continue here with us.”
George was able to go home in four weeks after the transplant with therapy and lots of medications. His health began to steadily improve. Last summer a respiratory problem developed which turned out to be asthma. The Littles have it under control.
Because of their experience Ashlie and Spencer became involved with the Western States Affiliate’s Utah Division. Most recently they joined the fun at the Start! Utah Heart Walk and Ashlie is active in advocacy efforts. She spoke at the Affiliate’s Lobby Day at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City last February. She also traveled to Washington, D.C. with George and his grandmother, Nancy Reese, for national Lobby Day on April 24 to lobby national lawmakers on issues critical to the fight against heart disease and stroke.
“We are dedicated to this fight,” Ashlie concludes. “We are able to celebrate George’s birthday on Feb. 22 each year, along with his ‘heart birthday’ on March 12, thanks to the American Heart Association."