Baby With Half A Heart Beats Odds

The birth of a child should be a joyous occasion but for Ryan Marquiss’ parents, the news couldn’t be more devastating. Their son was born with 2 serious birth defects that according to doctors would allow the newborn at most only 3 days to live.

Ryan was born with only half a heart and it was hanging outside his chest. At first doctors said there was nothing that could be done to save the boy and that Ryan’s parents should prepare to bury their new son.

But the docs were wrong and end February Ryan will be celebrating his third birthday.

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For Ryan’s parents, mom Leighann (34) and dad Henry (34), the up and coming birthday is a reminder that miracles do exist and of their son’s zest for life, unwilling to be stopped by his rare birth defect.

In 2009 Leighann was told only 12 weeks into her pregnancy that she should abort because Ryan wouldn’t survive the birth. Mom and dad refused to obey the doctors ‘orders’.

“We knew it would take a miracle for him to survive the birth but we wanted him so very much. Doctors said Ryan didn’t have a chance. We are so glad we pushed through.”

Ryan was born with Ectopia cordis or ‘heart out of chest’, a condition so rare it only occurs in 8 out of every one million births.

In all other known similar births, the newborn didn’t survive past 3 days and to make matters even worse, Ryan was also missing the right half of his heart.

After dozens of surgeries, Ryan beat the odds. His little heart is now beating inside his chest and doctors have reconstructed his half heart to function as a whole heart would.

Ryan will probably never participate in very competitive sports but climbing in trees, playing in the yard and running around are all activities the boy can do with no problems.

In the near future Ryan will have to undergo a heart transplant to continue to live.

“We treasure every moment we have with him,” says mom Leighann.

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