Oklahoma Heart Transplant Baby Goes Home for the Holidays

When Faith Helmerich from Tulsa, Oklahoma, gave birth to her son Parker in December 2023, she cherished the peaceful moments of skin-to-skin contact, soaking in the warmth of their new bond. But within half an hour of his birth, the joy turned to concern when Parker’s doctor noticed something wasn’t quite right with his breathing. Further tests confirmed tiny Parker had pulmonary stenosis, a congenital heart defect that would change the course of his early life.

At just 3 days old, Parker was airlifted to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health to receive the specialized pediatric cardiac care he urgently needed. There, he underwent a balloon valvuloplasty. The minimally invasive procedure involves inserting a balloon catheter and inflating it to widen the narrowed pulmonary valve. It's often the first line of treatment for moderate to severe cases of pulmonary stenosis.

The pulmonary valve is located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery. It opens to let blood flow from the heart to the lungs. If this valve doesn't open properly, it's called stenosis. This makes the right ventricle work harder to push blood through. In severe cases, especially in babies, not enough blood gets to the lungs to pick up oxygen. This is called critical pulmonary valve stenosis.

Parker’s parents, Faith and David, hoped that they’d be able to take Parker home a few weeks after the valvuloplasty, but during the procedure it was discovered that Parker’s valve was far more restricted than anticipated. The valve ruptured and the baby went into life-threatening heart failure.

The best way forward would be a heart transplant under the expert care of pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Harold Burkhart, M.D., professor of surgery and Chief of the Division of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and director of the Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgical Program at Oklahoma Children's Hospital, and pediatric cardiologist Dr. R Erik Edens, M.D., Ph.D.

In March 2024, Parker was added to the transplant list. Faith and her husband, David, settled into the nearby Ronald McDonald House, staying close to Oklahoma Children’s Hospital as they waited for a heart to become available for Parker.

“It’s a long waiting period,” said Dr. Burkhart. “And we do everything we can to help them through that time.”

A heart transplant replaces a malfunctioning heart with a healthy one from an organ donor. Heart transplants are advised for children with severe heart conditions who cannot survive without a new heart.

Waiting for a Heart

After the initial balloon valvuloplasty, Parker was placed on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), a type of life support when the heart and lungs aren’t working properly. In ECMO:

1. Blood is pumped out of the body: A machine takes blood from a large blood vessel.
2. Oxygen is added: The machine adds oxygen to the blood and removes carbon dioxide, similar to what your lungs do.
3. Blood is pumped back in: The oxygen-rich blood is then returned to the body.

ECMO helps give the heart and lungs a chance to rest and heal by taking over their job temporarily.

A further catheter procedure successfully allowed the free flow of blood between Parker’s two ventricles which reduced his chance of needing further ECMO.

Both Faith and David stayed by Parker’s side and tried their best to stay confident and hopeful.

“Waiting was scary because David and I didn't know how long Parker would have to wait for a heart transplant,” said Faith. “And when you have no idea how long it will be, you can’t help but worry that he's going to continue to decline as he waits. But I was amazed that the cardiac team got Parker to such a good place while we waited.”

After six months on the transplant list, a heart became available for Parker.

“We were all anxiously awaiting the call,” said Dr. Edens. “You never know when it is going to be, and sometimes you get the call and it doesn’t work out. It’s a sobering moment of relief, gratitude and also recognition of what another family is going through.”

A Heart for Parker

Parker was the second pediatric heart transplant patient at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital to be listed with the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) in this newly built program. UNOS oversees the distribution of organs from deceased donors nationwide. The Oklahoma Children’s Hospital Heart Center is the sole pediatric heart transplant program in the state supported by a team of skilled pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, and advanced practice providers.

The heart transplant occurred on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024, exactly 300 days from the day little Parker arrived at the hospital’s pediatric cardiac intensive care unit.

Despite having waited for months for the big moment, Faith and David were calm.

“We’d been mentally preparing for this day for so long,” said Faith, “so on that day we were calm and ready. We had full faith in Dr. Burkhart, Dr. Edens, and the team.”

Replacing Parker’s damaged heart required a great deal of preparation. Parker had to be ready to receive the heart when it arrived, so every step of the process had to be timed perfectly.

Faith and David were given constant updates about the whereabouts of the new heart. Parker had to be sedated and intubated, and have his heart removed from his body so the new heart could be placed immediately upon arrival.

“It was such a crazy moment when Dr. Burkhart came and told us that Parker’s heart was being taken out,” shared Faith. “He needed to be put on bypass as they waited for the new heart to arrive.”

David, Faith and family were notified when the new heart arrived at the hospital, and they were able to witness its delivery firsthand. From there, all they could do was wait.

Throughout Parker’s transplant surgery, Faith and David were given regular progress reports, which eased any concerns.

“It was such an amazing moment when Dr. Edens came out with a big smile, to tell us that the new heart had gone in, and it was beating,” said Faith. “He gave us three little strips from the EKG of the first heart beats. We could see it slowly picking up beats with each strip. It was so cool.”

A multidisciplinary team of more than 20 OU Health physicians, nurses and experts successfully completed the transplant, establishing Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health Heart Center as the only pediatric heart transplant program in the state.

Taking Parker Home

Three weeks after the successful transplant surgery, Parker was recovering well and plans were made for him to go home. At almost 11 months old, the little boy had never left the hospital and had only been outside a few times on carefully planned outings to the hospital play areas with hospital personnel. Faith had stayed with Parker the entire 300 days and during that long stay she had formed strong bonds with the care team.

“The staff here is amazing, and we would not have had the same experience without them,” said Faith. “They became our family and our friends, and we looked forward to seeing them every single day. They made things fun for us as we waited and sometimes on our worst days, they'd hug us and cry with us. It's because of them that we were able to wait so long, and we were able to enjoy moments with Parker. He was so well taken care of.”

“The hope is he can live pretty much like a normal little boy,” Dr. Burkhart said. “He’s a tough kid and I’m proud of the family and the team and all the work we did together to help Parker go home for the very first time.”

Parker was able to spend Thanksgiving with his family – at home – and Faith and David look forward to their lives together.

“Parker is still on a feeding tube but that will change over time,” Faith shared. “He’s been through a lot with surgeries and being poked and prodded and he gets a pout on his face — we call him our little pout-pout fish. We are so excited to be able to take him home and do normal baby things with him.”

Excellence in Pediatric Cardiac Care

Parker’s heart transplant marks the first pediatric heart transplant in decades for the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Children’s Hospital now joins an exclusive list of approximately 65 health systems nationwide offering this highly specialized pediatric surgical care. The dedicated team includes experienced pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists and advanced practice providers who utilize the latest treatment protocols and advanced techniques. Their work, including participation in clinical trials, has led to significant medical breakthroughs in pediatric cardiac care.

Oklahoma Children's Hospital is the only hospital in the state equipped to handle serious and complex pediatric cases and offers new hope for young patients across Oklahoma and the region.

Learn more about the Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health Heart Center, including our surgical outcomes and surgery services provided or call us at (405) 271-4411