Baby with rare condition receives heart treatment

CAPE CORAL, Fla.- A mother who almost lost her baby girl before she was even born is thanking a local doctor.

“My hope was just that she was gonna be healthy, that’s all I wanted for her,” said Minda Andrus.

That simple wish for now 3-month-old Madison almost didn’t come true when doctors discovered she had a rare and dangerously high heart rate in the womb.

“My pregnancy was going so easy breezy, then all of a sudden, boom, 25 weeks,” said Andrus. “Everything went from seeing the doctor once a month, to seeing the doctors three times a week.”

Doctors say Madison’s heartbeat was almost twice as fast as normal, a problem that impacts only about 1 in every 10,000 fetuses.

“If I didn’t feel her kick, I was so scared that something had happened, that her heart failed her,” said Andrus.

“When the baby came in, the heart rates were as high as 230 to 240 beats per minute. The normal heart rate for a fetus should be between 130 and 180,” said Dr. Eric Eason with Golisano Children’s Hospital in south Fort Myers.

Before he arrived at the hospital two years ago, parents had to go to Tampa or Miami to treat this rare condition.

“If you had to drive two hours just to be part of that process, that early in life, it’s an extreme burden,” said Eason.

“I couldn’t imagine driving to Tampa or Miami, I’m not a native to Florida, it’s hard enough for me to get around Fort Myers,” said Andrus.

To get Madison’s heart rate under control, Andrus took medication, often given to adults with the same condition.

Six weeks later, everything was back to normal, allowing a full term pregnancy and delivery of a healthy baby girl.

“I remember Eason giving me a high five, we were just so excited and relieved,” said Andrus.

“Later on, after it had all converted, he said she was in early stages of heart failure. Then it kinda hit us, how close it was,” said Ross Andrus, Madison’s father.

They share a special relationship with the doctor who saved their daughter’s life before she was even born.

“Just to be a part of that good story, there’s a bond there,” said Eason.

Now all the simple moments, a new toy, a song, a smile are all the more special.

“The spitting up is a little easier to endure,” laughed Ross Andrus. “All we have to deal with is that, that’s a lot better than any heart conditions.”

“Any struggles that we encounter, we just have to remind ourselves that things could have been worse,” said Minda Andrus.

Eason says it takes a team effort to treat conditions like these. Golisano Children’s Hospital works closely with Maternal Fetal Medicine of Southwest Florida, a local medical group to help families keep their care in our area.