Nashville family's journey to Houston for baby's life-saving heart care

New heart gives 20-month-old second chance at life

A Nashville family traveled to Houston for life-saving care for their baby boy.

HOUSTON - A Nashville family, the Whiteheads, traveled to Houston seeking life-saving care for their baby boy, Laken, who was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) during pregnancy.

He was very sick in Nashville, and the Whiteheads were encouraged to turn off his life support. But they refused that fate and reached out to Texas Children's Hospital. TCH accepted him for a heart transplant, which was successfully performed.

Baby Laken travels to Houston for life-saving care

Timeline:

Laken was diagnosed with HLHS during an ultrasound when she was 24 weeks pregnant. Laken underwent multiple surgeries to repair his heart in Nashville, but his condition continued to worsen. Texas Children's Hospital accepted Laken, and he was life-flighted to Houston in June 2024. By September, he received a heart transplant, much sooner than expected. His family is still in Houston for his care but will get to move back to Nashville soon. They plan to travel back here in the future for his follow-up care.

What they're saying:

His mom describes the moment she sought a second opinion.

"I put my hand up to Laken's hand, he was really asleep, and he latched onto my finger, and just grabbed it. There's just no way that I could just pull the plug, and they told me that I was only doing more harm than good if I continued. In my bones, I just didn't believe that," says Laken's loving mom, Whitney Whitehead. She goes on to say, "Second opinions save lives."

By the numbers:

Laken's heart transplant occurred 33 days after he was put on the transplant list at Texas Children's Hospital, despite an expected wait time of six to nine months.

Approximately 500 pediatric heart transplants take place each year in the U.S.

Why you should care:

This story highlights the importance of seeking second opinions and the advancements in medical care that can offer hope to families facing severe diagnoses.

Big picture view:

The success of Laken's transplant underscores the critical role of specialized medical centers and the importance of exploring all available options for treatment.  

Local perspective:

Texas Children's Hospital is renowned for its cardiology program, providing cutting-edge care and hope to families around the world. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks Texas Children's #1 in heart surgery in the U.S.

Laken now 20 months old

What's next:

Laken continues to make strides in his recovery, with expectations to reach age-appropriate milestones with time and support. His family will move back home to Nashville soon, after spending the past year in Houston for his care.

What is HLHS?

HLHS is a severe congenital heart defect where the left ventricle does not form properly. Initially considered fatal, advancements in surgical techniques have allowed patients to live functional lives through a series of operations.

What they're saying:

"It is a congenital heart defect, one of the more severe ones that we see. For years, this was a fatal diagnosis. However, with time, surgeons worked out a means by which to reroute the blood in a series of operations that allow patients to be functional. With this diagnosis, other physicians choose to immediately send some of these babies to heart transplant. Others perform this surgical palliation. It's never been perfect, but it has allowed patients, really to thrive for a number of years. Some eventually have come to transplant anyway, but a uniformly fatal diagnosis 40 years ago is now, for the most part, very survivable," Dr. William J. Dreyer, the Medical Director of the Heart Transplant program at TCH told us.

Dig deeper:

For more information on congenital heart defects and treatment options, visit https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/heart-transplant-program