Return to Main Menu

Teddy bear passes hands, touches heart by Caroline Davila Public Relations The white teddy bear, the gift of a grieving mother, came with a message: “This bear was given to our daughter by a liver transplant recipient...we hope it watches over you as it did our daughter until God had other plans for her.” June Morgan passed the bear to another mother as a symbol of hope and life for a child who had received a new heart. Katie Morgan, a bright, 16- year-old junior in high school, had received the bear after her heart transplant in January. When Katie died, her mother hoped to create a tradition that would help other transplant patients and their families and encourage more volunteers to become organ donors. The third recipient in the chain of transplant patients is 9-month-old Nehemiah Grayson who was born with complex congenital heart disease. “We found out about Nehemiah’s heart condition while he was still in the womb, three months after he was conceived,” said Randy Grayson, the boy’s father. At first, the idea was to repair Nehemiah's heart. He was initially treated with a drug called sotalol but at 4 months of age he had a fainting episode. “He did not respond to multiple drug therapies and eventually had three episodes of cardiac arrest each requiring shock to restore normal rhythm,” said Philip Saul, M.D., director of Pediatrics Cardiology.  “After catheterization which also revealed a coronary artery abnormality, he went to surgery. There, the septal defects were closed… and an internal cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placed.  At only 10 pounds, we think he was the smallest patient to ever have an ICD!” Postoperatively, Nehemiah had terrible rhythm problems from another area, including 650 episodes of ventricular tachycardia. He received 70 shocks and 350 pace terminations from his ICD—all life saving.  “From a medical standpoint,” Saul points out, “Nehemiah is a unique case. Even a couple of years ago, he probably would not have survived.” Nehemiah continued to struggle with life, and his parents prayed that he would get better soon.  He received a dual chamber pacemaker, which solved his rhythm problems. He had a progressive obstruction on the left side of the heart, however, which could not be repaired because of his abnormal coronary arteries.  “He then had gradual deterioration of his heart function and many respiratory problems eventually leading him to his transplant,” Saul explained. “His only option for long-term survival was a transplant,” said Barbara Ryan, transplant coordinator. The transplant team evaluated his case thoroughly and determined that he was a candidate.  A perfect match was available just a few days later. Henry B. Wiles, M.D., and Scott M. Bradley, M.D., worked together to give Nehemiah a new heart. Nehemiah is doing so well that he was released from the hospital last week, just two weeks after his surgery. He will be at the Ronald McDonald House for a few months, where Wiles and the pediatric cardiology team can follow his progress. Janet Grayson, Nehemiah’s mother, was touched when the teddy bear came to her son. “It was amazing to know that there was someone out there who cared enough, who was trying to bring joy at a time of grief.” The benefits of sharing experiences with other parents are endless. The passing of the teddy bear is a way to initiate these exchanges. “It has put to rest so many worries,” the Graysons said about meeting the mother of a two-year old who had a heart transplant at 6 months “she was able to answer so many questions about Nehemiah’s future and what we could expect.