Grey's Anatomy Episode Gives Pregnant Mom Idea for Life-Saving Surgery on Her Preborn Baby, Still in the Womb
An expectant mother, who traveled across the globe to have a life-saving procedure done to her baby, is sharing her story as a way to inspire other parents not to lose faith, even when a situation looks bleak.
When Doaa Saleh was 20 weeks pregnant with her daughter Nadine, she received the devastating news that her baby girl had a life-threatening heart defect, God Updates reports.
Doaa and her husband Ali Ghaib were told that an ultrasound showed the baby had half-of-a-heart syndrome, also known as hypoplastic right ventricle. The infant was expected to die in utero or shortly after birth.
The couple found out that there was nothing doctors in Dubai could do, but the parents were determined not to give up hope.
Doaa is a doctor herself and a fan of the hit TV show Grey's Anatomy. She remembered an episode where the fictional doctors dealt with a similar situation as hers.
That led Doaa and Ali to do their own research to find doctors in the U.S. who were willing to perform the groundbreaking surgery they needed to save their daughter.
The medical team they found was 7,000 miles away in Cleveland, OH, according to God Updates.
Dr. James Strainic, a pediatric cardiologist and surgeon, was chosen to complete a fetal pulmonary valvuloplasty on the pregnant mother.
The procedure uses an ultrasound to move a needle through the mother's abdomen and into the child's heart. A small balloon is then inflated to unloosen the closed valve so that the whole heart can function properly.
"The fact that they put that much trust in us, is humbling," said Dr. James Strainic, a University Hospitals pediatric cardiologist and surgeon.
The risky surgery can take hours, even days, while doctors wait for the baby to get into the perfect position.
Strainic said about 10 percent of the fetuses they do the procedure on die in utero. But the fact that they can help the unborn baby 90 percent of the time is remarkable, and pro-life advocates have pointed out that in utero surgeries are further proof that unborn babies are fully human persons.
"There are circumstances where we could do the procedure after the baby is born, and in fact, we don't offer the procedure to people if we think that we would have a successful procedure after the baby is born," Dr. Strainic explained. "We reserve this only for the fetuses that we are pretty sure are going to develop that half-a-heart syndrome."
But, the surgery was a success and the family returned home to Dubai.
"When we went back to Dubai and the doctors there saw the results of Nadine's heart surgery and her amazing recovery, they saw her like a miracle baby," said Doaa.
She added, "I could've never imagined that Grey's Anatomy could literally change my baby's life. That it could save it!"
Nadine, who is now three years old, met Dr. Strainic several months after she was born.
"It is something ... you get all the feels as they say," recalled Strainic of seeing the positive outcome for little Nadine.
Doaa, Ali, and their two daughters now live in Montreal, Canada.
The proud mother uses social media as a way to raise awareness about Nadine, whose name actually means hope.
"I'm blessed to continue what I'm genuinely passionate about, all with my little family and, of course, our tiny boss Nadine," Doaa said.
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