New Bethlehem Girl Recovering Following Heart Transplant

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published January 9, 2020 5:50 am
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NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT) – One local family had a very special Christmas wish come true this year.

Alexa McCauley, daughter of Brady and Kendra McCauley, of New Bethlehem, received a heart transplant on December 16.

Alexa born on August 19, 2016, along with her twin sister Ava, was diagnosed with Left Ventricle Non-Compaction Cardiomyopathy (LVNC) at a very young age. Her heart began to severely fail on October 25, 2019, and a pump was placed on the left side of her heart.

She had to remain on the pump at Children’s Hospital until the transplant heart became available.

The family received a call late on the night of December 14 letting them know their prayers had been answered, and a donor heart was available for Alexa.

The surgery took over six hours, and the family wasn’t able to see Alexa until about 9:30 p.m. on the night of her surgery, but her mother said she came out of it well, despite still having a breathing tube in while she was in recovery.

“She was trying to talk to us and telling us she was hungry and wanted a drink,” Kendra told exploreClarion.com.

Following the surgery, there were several days of adjustments made to Alexa’s medication while she began to recover. However, the day following her surgery, she was already sitting up with help, and by Day Four, she was up and walking.

Kendra said that Alexa has been doing well since the surgery.

“She did have a partially collapsed lung for a while, which happens sometimes when they remove the drain tubes, but she recovered from that just by being on oxygen for a bit and getting up and walking again.”

Nevertheless, on Christmas Eve, Alexa did have a setback. She was diagnosed with RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus), a very common and very contagious, respiratory virus that affects young children.

“We assumed her coughing was related to being intubated for the surgery, at first, but once we realized she was just not feeling like herself, we expressed our concerns, and she was diagnosed with RSV.”

Kendra said she has since recovered from the virus and is continuing to gain strength.

On Monday, December 30, Alexa had her first biopsy to check on her transplant. The family was delighted to get the news that the biopsy results showed absolutely no signs of rejection.

Currently, the family is still in Pittsburgh, waiting for the doctor’s go-ahead for them to take Alexa home. She was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, January 2, but only with the understanding that the family would remain at the nearby Ronald McDonald House for another week or two until more tests and blood work could be completed and double-checked.

Once they return home, Alexa still has a long road ahead, as well.

“She’s still a bit weak, and she will need physical therapy. She also has another biopsy scheduled at the end of the month. There’s a lot of follow-up, but it is definitely all worth it,” Kendra explained.

“I would really just like to say thank you to the local community and my hometown community of Huntingdon, PA, who all helped raise money for Alexa. Also, I want to say thank you to Clarion Boards, where my husband works, and the managers and co-workers there who gave him some of their vacations days so he could be here with us.”

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