Local

6-year-old Drew Hemans keeps defying the odds

The name Andrew means strength.

STATESVILLE, N.C.,None — It was a characteristic Lauri Givens and Chris Hemans knew was essential for their little girl to survive the medical procedures she'd need in the first year of her life.

And Drew Hemans, 6, has certainly lived up to her name.

Givens, an obstetrician at Statesville OBGYN, said they found out early in her pregnancy with Drew that she had a compounded diaphragmatic hernia. At the time, she said, she was 15 to 17 weeks pregnant. She and a fellow resident at Rush University Medical Center were using an ultrasound machine to try to determine the baby's sex. They could tell that Drew had not developed a diaphragm and her abdominal organs were intruding into her lungs, which was putting stress on her heart and preventing her left lung from fully forming. 

Givens knew the statistics. Without the proper medical care, there was a good chance Drew wouldn't survive the pregnancy. With the help of Dr. Michael Hussey, her supervisor at Rush University Medical Center, she was able to locate Dr. David Kays in Gainesville, Fla. 

According to his foundation, Real Hope for CDH Kids, Kay has a 92 percent success rate with babies with Drew's condition."He takes all people," she said. "We didn't haven't any hope. All these places we called around to get consultations … they were like 'No, we can't help you.'"

Givens was on bed rest for the last six weeks of her pregnancy, and made frequent trips down to Gainesville. She and her husband purchased an open-date ticket between Chicago and Gainesville. She said she and her mother lived in the city for the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy.

“Had she not been there, she would not have survived,” Givens said of Drew. They used mesh to help build a diaphragm to keep the abdominal organs out of the lungs. Givens said the muscle has now grown around the material.
Drew has remained strong through everything. She had her first heart catheterization at six months. In six years, she’s had several heart catheterization and three stints. Her last catheterization was when she was 2.
Because of the number of surgeries and initial issues, some doctors warned that Drew may never walk or she could be blind. But Drew defied those odds.
At 6, she enjoys reading chapter books, like “Goosebumps” and “Ramona Age 8.” She and her younger siblings, twins Mackenzie and Jackson Hemans, 3, take lessons at the ATA Karate in Cornelius. 
“She is going to tire earlier than other children,” Givens said. “She’s just the sweetest thing.”
Givens said the experience has helped her counsel patients with high-risk pregnancies. “I believe in miracles, because I see one every day,” she said.

WSOC

0

Most Read