Amelia with fallot heart website is to create public awareness of babies born with Congenital Heart Defects. There are different types of congenital heart defects and this website focuses on Tetralogy of Fallot. Often abbreviated to TOF.

If you found this website, you probably heard of or in contact with a baby or a child born with a congenital heart defect. You would like to know more about congenital heart defects. If the child/baby you are caring or in contact with is living with Tetralogy of Fallot then you are in the right place.

Tetralogy of Fallot

This website documents the life experiences of Amelia who born with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. We shared her physical development, symptoms, on-going medical treatments and so on. Amelia is now 14 years old. She goes to school, play with other kids and learn new things every day. Amelia also likes sports. She understands that she will have to stop doing what she is doing if she has chest pain or out of breath or feel dizzy during physical activities.

Excellent learning ability

Amelia is thriving academically. She is capable of learning things fast. Her mother is very curious about whether her high level of intelligence has anything to do with her heart condition. Another thing is Amelia has a keen interest in the medical treatments and equipment used in her heart treatments. She has her cardiology stethoscope, she used it to listen to her heart rhythm and she compares her heart rhythm with a normal person’s heart rhythm. She even listens to her tortoise’s heartbeat with it.

Amelia also a big fan of saving our planet movement and she likes to research and review on eco-friendly products.

Discovered loud systolic murmur at 6 weeks old

Amelia was born in December 2005 at one of the hospitals in North London in the United Kingdom (UK). Amelia’s Fallot heart was not detected until she was 6 weeks old. The doctor detected her heart defect during her 6 weeks old health check and she could her hear a loud systolic murmur. Thereafter, Amelia is under the care of a heart specialist hospital, the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). GOSH is a children hospital in Central London in the United Kingdom. Amelia was the baby number 1271 getting heart treatments from Great Ormond Street Hospital according to GOSH records.

Amelia with fallot heart has blue baby symptoms

She started showing signs of bluish-purple skin from crying and feeding on three months old onwards and the frequency of the blue baby symptoms which made her vomit increases to the point she had difficulty to keep food down her stomach.

1st open-heart surgery to Amelia’s fallot heart

She had had her first open-heart surgery when she was 6 months old, on 23 May 2006 at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). She was kept at GOSH after her heart surgery for two weeks.

The trickiest task to do before Amelia’s open-heart surgery was to make sure she puts on as much weight as possible. It was very interesting to hear from other parents about different methods they used to help their babies to gain weight. Some parents gave blended solid food and other parents gave cheesy food. As for Amelia, she was unable to take solid food even in the liquidised form. She turned blue and vomit (like the Merlion fountain in Singapore) before she could finish her food. The doctor said eating and drinking for Amelia was like running a marathon each time, that’s why she sweats a lot. Amelia was eventually only drinking formula milk every 2 hours throughout the day every day until her first open-heart surgery. Thereafter, she was able to eat solid food.

Amelia’s 2nd open-heart surgery

Amelia has had her second open heart surgery in June 2009 to remove the pulmonary obstruction in her heart. After her heart surgery, she is more energetic and no more complaint of tiredness.

Amelia’s 3rd keyhole Heart surgery

Amelia has an irregular heartbeat, the Electrophysiology keyhole surgery performed in October 2015 has brought it down to 1%.

The information on this website is updated frequently. We hope that this website has provided hope to new parents, medical professionals, families, friends, carers and teachers come in contact with children with congenital heart defects similar to Amelia.

Please contact us if you would like to use the information on Amelia with Fallot Heart website for research or commercial reason.