Jordan Carey's parents often joke that their son must have a battery in him because he's constantly on the go, walking and running around. The rare times the toddler sits still for any length of time are to watch his favorite pal, Elmo. But it was just a few months ago when he started creeping that they noticed he would get tired quickly and would have to stop and rest a lot. They believe that tiredness deterred him from pursuing walking with much zeal.
For most parents during pregnancy, thoughts are of giving birth to a healthy child - they don't much care what the sex may be. Joretta Roberts and D'Angelo Carey felt the same way, but when they learned their newborn son, Jordan, needed surgery to repair a number of defects, it not only caused the first time parents' hearts to "skip a beat", but was the start of a long road of hurdles their son would have to overcome.
Just hours after Jordan's birth, it was discovered that he had a gastrointestinal tract issue that needed to be addressed, specifically a diagnosis for imperforate anus. As he was being airlifted from Grand Bahama to New Providence the doctor on the air ambulance detected the infant also had a heart murmur. He was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart defect, by pediatric cardiologist Dr. Jerome Lightbourne.
Early on in his young life, the infant had to undergo two surgeries related to bowel repair during which time medical professionals monitored his heart condition for which the surgery would cost the family into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The family did not have health insurance.
"Jordan needed a corrective surgery to fix his heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot - basically different things being wrong with his heart that needed to be fixed if he would live normally," said his father. "The surgery would've cost my fiancee and I about $270,000. At that point neither of us were employed. Joretta was in medical school, completing her studies and at that time I was unemployed. Joretta had some medical coverage, but our son was not covered on it as yet and at that point, he was uninsurable. Knowing that we needed to come up with that money, we knew we needed help. We needed a miracle," said the father.
Three months ago at age 14 months, Roberts and Carey got their "miracle" as their son's much-needed surgery was paid for by the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation, a nonprofit organization that specializes in assisting children with heart problems.
Now at 17 months, Joretta and D'Angelo are wondering whether doctors left a battery in their son after his surgery because he has so much energy and is doing well.
Roberts was enrolled in medical school when she learned she was pregnant. She said it was an uneventful pregnancy, and they didn't think anything would be amiss. She planned to take six months leave to breastfeed before returning to school to do her final examinations and residency.
"There was no indication that there was anything wrong. I went through regular checkups and had two ultrasounds done. Organ development and everything else seemed fine. If there was a heart murmur in utero it is generally considered normal unless there is a family history which there was none in our case. So really there was nothing that made us feel our baby would be anything but healthy," she said. Jordan was born on August 20, 2010.
Everything changed within moments of his birth.
Jordan's heart surgery was performed at the Joe DiMaggio Hospital in Florida.
"I don't know what his chances at life were without the surgery, but from what I saw in research he wouldn't have lived a quality life if it wasn't done," said his father.
His mother, a member of the medical field,knew all of the possible outcomes of surgery and was concerned - not so much about the surgery itself, but how long it would take her son to fully recover. Jordan was discharged from hospital a little over a week after his surgery. Since then she said he has been nothing but a "ball of energy".
"Jordan is now 18 months old and he's doing well. He's so remarkable to watch. He's running around, likes to play ball and feed himself. He copies everything you do, loves Elmo and is just a typical child - full of energy and wanting his own way. It's so remarkable to see all of this especially knowing where he came from," said Roberts. "The only concerns he has right now is that the other surgeries he underwent not long after he was born to fix his gastrointestinal tract has resulted in him having to use a colostomy bag. But he is scheduled for this third and final surgery concerning that in the near future. He is fine and he is happy nonetheless. A typical child," she said.
The parents give back by assisting the Sir Victor Sasson (Bahamas) Heart Foundation with fundraising efforts. They are also active in the Grand Bahama Heart Association.
The parents said the heart foundation is truly God's hand extended. And that the people that are supporters, friends and laborers in the organization have the opportunity to assist God in performing miracles. They encourage people to support the foundation's fundraisers like the annual heart ball and become members of the association. They also encourage people to simply give because they say every dollar adds up.
Prior to their son's surgery, neither Roberts nor Carey knew much about the foundation and like most people, didn't realize what extent the foundation goes to in order to save lives. As such they said they are both dedicated to bringing a greater awareness of the organizations to people.
"Everyone sees programs like 'Feed the Children' or 'Make a Wish' and many people are hard and fast on sending donations across the sea to help people they don't even know or probably will never see. There is nothing wrong with this, but I think that supporting local nonprofit organizations like the heart foundation is so important," said Roberts.
"There are 11 kids on the list awaiting heart surgeries and we need to help. You can watch a miracle happen before your very eyes right here in our country when you give to support the children that need these surgeries. You help to give life and save lives with the small donations you give. It's inspirational to see these kids grow up and now in their 20s still doing well. The foundation has done this for over 4,000 kids in The Bahamas in the 50 years it has been around. Charity begins at home and ends abroad. So doing whatever you can is an awesome way to support your own fellow Bahamian," she said.
Besides the heart foundation's assistance, Roberts said supportive family and friends got them through their ordeal. She also advises people to always try to find a support group during tough times because besides financial woes, she said a person's emotional state can be greatly impacted and having others around who care and understand, helps.
With her son's improving health, Roberts has returned to completing her medical studies because she does not have to worry extensively about what is happening at home.

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