02/07/2025
Lainey was only two months old when she developed cold-like symptoms. Her parents suspected she would get better as the days went by. Instead, she got worse and was soon rushed to her local hospital in Wagga.
A chest x-ray revealed an enlarged heart, prompting an urgent transfer to The Children's Hospital at Westmead. Lainey had been born with a rare heart condition called Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from the Pulmonary Artery. This meant her left coronary artery, which should bring blood from the aorta to her heart muscle, was instead bringing blood from her pulmonary artery and causing a lack of oxygen in Lainey's heart.
Needing highly specialised care to complete the 400km journey safely, our NETS team were called in to help. With their support and expertise, Lainey was stabilised for helicopter transfer and was able to be flown to Westmead the same day.
"As Lainey's mum, I had the opportunity to fly with her to the hospital. From the moment we left our family, I felt so supported by the NETS team. Their professionalism and compassion made our experience as positive as possible. I knew Lainey was in incredibly safe hands," Lauren said.
In the days that followed, Lainey became critically unwell and needed an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine to perform the role of her heart and lungs until she was strong enough for surgery. Thankfully, Lainey was able to undergo surgery and while she remained on ECMO for another eight days, and spent close to two months in hospital, she has made a remarkable recovery.
"Thanks to the incredible team at NETS and The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Lainey is doing remarkably well. Her medical team are very pleased with her progress, and we have been told her heart function is improving," Lauren said.
Today, Lainey is back home, and although she will be on long-term medications, her future looks bright thanks to the incredible care she received.
