Barnesville boy prepares for 3rd heart surgery

Barnesville boy prepares for 3rd heart surgery
A boy in Barnesville, MN will soon have his third open heart surgery since he was born.

Isaac Douglas is a soon-to-be 12-year-old boy described as a water bug that loves bowling and Disney movies.

“Isaac’s just so positive all the time,” Isaac’s mother, Tasha Douglas says. “He makes you look at the positive things, that’s for sure. And at the end of the day, things could be a lot worse than they are.”

Isaac’s doctors might describe his existence as a medical miracle, telling Tasha her child would likely die in utero or shortly after birth.

“I was told I was going to miscarriage at the beginning of the pregnancy,” Tasha says. “Just because of your levels when they do blood work.”

Pre-natal testing confirmed Isaac would have some heart problems, and he was later diagnosed with DiGeorge syndrome at just days old. DiGeorge syndrome is a random genetic mutation where a person is missing a portion of the 22nd chromosome.

“It was a lot. I think for a long time I was in shock with everything to be honest,” Tasha says.

Because of his condition, Isaac’s artery from his heart to his lungs didn’t fully develop.

“Unfortunately, as time went on, they noticed the vessels were pinching shut,” Tasha says. “We were told he wouldn’t actually make it to one because they couldn’t proceed with any form of surgery. They said literally, the world’s smallest needle couldn’t do anything to those vessels because of how small they were.”

Isaac needed heart surgery from a specialist in California at just one month old.

“I just watched him get bluer and bluer every day,” Tasha says. “It finally got to the point where they transferred him down there and he did have the surgery.”

The first surgery was always known as prep for a second heart surgery, which he had in California within the same year.

“The second surgery was basically what they called the full repair,” Tasha says. “The first surgery got him ready for it. The second one they put in a little conduit so blood would flow easier from his heart to his lungs.”

As an infant, Isaac needed a feeding tube. He also had a stroke at just two weeks old and was diagnosed with epilepsy.

“It was a long journey. We started coming home from the first time with being on 14 medicines, including a twice a day shot, a feeding tube,” Tasha says. “We had to do specific formula for him. It was actually prescribed formula for him to gain weight and be healthier.”

As part of DiGeorge syndrome, Isaac has low calcium, a weakened immune system and autism. Isaac is currently non-verbal and uses a device to communicate. Now, several years after his initial surgeries, he needs a second one. However, where and when is still up in the air.

“The hardest part has been the not knowing what the direct plan is,” Tasha says.

Despite all the medical complications and life changes, the family of four remains hopeful.

“I don’t think I’d be where I’m at if I didn’t have Isaac,” Tasha says with a smile.

While Isaac’s health and heart struggles physically, he soul within the four chambers, needs no mending.

“If he could talk, that’s the only thing I hope for in the future, that and him being happy,” Tasha says. “Because he’s so dang smart and It would be nice to know what’s going on in his head.”

If you would like to help Isaac’s family with the medical and living expenses during this difficult time, you can donate to the GoFund Me or you can make a donation in person at any Gate City Bank, just say you’d like to donate to the Isaac Open Heart Surgery Fund.