In May 2011 Millie Healey was born and like many people around the world when becoming parents Graeme and Kerry were overjoyed when they heard the Doctor say “it’s a girl”, tears flowed, smiles of happiness were abundant and the pre thoughts of life for the future were soon being planned mentally at lightning speed.
The news of what they had been told at the 20 week scan soon became reality when the doctors confirmed that their little girl did have multiple congenital heart defects and also that the Doctors at Bristol would not be able to help her even though they had an extensive knowledge in Paediatric Cardiology.
Millie was immediately transferred to Evelina Children’s ward which is part of Guy’s and St Thomas in London where she suffered her first stroke and although the expert team managed to bring her back to life she was put into an induced coma to protect her fragile system.
The true extent of the extremely complex situation became even more devastating when Dad and Mum were told that the best and most humane thing to do was to take Millie home and let nature take its cruel course of action.
The forms were reluctantly signed to cease medical intervention and the family gathered to say their goodbyes to Millie who was now only 10 days old.
A specialist surgeon at Birmingham Children’s Hospital contacted Evelina’s after hearing about Millie and gave the news that he was prepared to operate in an attempt to save her life, within hours Millie was blue lighted 118 miles by a specialist retrieval team where she underwent her first open heart surgery which consisted of a Bi-Lateral Pulmonary Banding and Balloon Septostomy.
Her chances of survival were slim.
After 6 weeks of intensive care her strength and stability increased just enough for her second open heart operation which this time was going to be a BT-Shunt, also known as the Norwood.
A month after surgery Millie went home and had now been given the “nickname” by the nurses of “Millie the Miracle”.
In February 2012 Millie underwent her 3rd open heart surgery which unbeknown to Dad and Mum at the time would only have a 5% chance of success although given what this little girl had been through thus far in her life, 5% was massive and she would once again prove what she could do with such small odds.
As if this family had not gone through enough pain, suffering and heartbreak in such a short period of time they were soon to be told that Millie’s left lung had developed severe Stenosis and her life was now being categorised as Terminal.
For some people, they will live their normal lives without ill health or ever be given bad news from their local GP’s, this family were sent home with the knowledge that their precious little girl could die at any moment.
How do you try and live a normal life with this sort of extreme mental stress that is always at the front of your mind?
How do you continue each day not knowing if it was going to be the last they would hold Millie in their arms or kiss her goodnight, a life where you are too scared and frightened to plan for tomorrow?
After a few years of researching and reaching out to other Heart Warrior parents a procedure called a Single Lung Fontan was mentioned which had had positive results in many cases which luckily after weeks of extensive scans, studies and testing Millie was deemed as a suitable candidate for the procedure although she would not be able to undergo surgery to this degree for quite some years to come.
In February 2023, just weeks before her 12th birthday Millie became the 5th child in the UK to have the Single Lung Fontan procedure and although she has had multiple relapses and has had to be admitted back into hospital many times with various complications, she is now recovering well and grows stronger each day.
Millie’s life has been extremely complicated and unpredictable to say the least and she has had to “fight through” time and time again.
She has beaten the odds over and over again.
She is an inspiration to anyone that knows her name and has become part of hundreds of people’s lives and touched the hearts of many more.
This remarkable girl’s future is unknown but she has finally been given the chance of being a normal little girl who loves the Top Gun movies and sings along to Katy Perry whenever she has the chance.
She loves the night sky and has become quite a knowledgeable little astronomer spending hours in her back garden with her Dad capturing images of Planets, Deep Space Objects and the Moon.
Millie has been perceived as a warrior, an inspiration and a miracle.
She has brought the belief that God does exist and also grants wishes to those that pray hard enough.