Since birth, Abbie Bayes has had a rare syndrome that makes her heart disabled and only… half. However, this 8-year-old girl is still alive today and is said to be one of the rare cases in the world.
Abbie was first diagnosed with the disease when she was 6 weeks old. The doctor said that the birth defect caused Abbie’s heart to develop inadequately. As a result, it couldn’t pump enough blood around her body. This syndrome affects about 600 babies a year, and many of them die just days after birth.
Abbie’s mother, Tracy Pears, 43, who lives in Durham (England), said her daughter’s life is now “on loan”. Abbie underwent surgery at 13 weeks and 4 years old.
The woman said: “We feel like we’re borrowing time for Abbie, so we always have to count the days and pray for her to stay healthy. We make the most of our time. Whatever she wants, we’ll make it for her. We also bring cameras to capture the memories with Abbie.”
The disease caused Abbie to face many difficulties in life. Every time she has trouble breathing, Abbie’s lips and fingernails turn blue due to lower-than-normal blood oxygen levels. However, despite everything, Abbie is still a brave little girl. Many people are surprised to learn that the girl has lived to this day despite the lack of a heart.
In the future, Abbie Bayes must perform a heart transplant when her body is ready to continue fighting the disease. Even so, she will also have to spend the rest of her life with anti-rejection prescriptions after the transplant surgery.
