10/09/2026
Liam is our sweet miracle boy who has overcome so much, including CHD and several other serious health challenges. He’s now 5 years old, almost 6, and was born on November 8, 2020, during the COVID pandemic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was transferred shortly afterward to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. I’d love to share a glimpse of our journey.
We live in Dalton, Georgia. We moved here from the Nashville area in 2017 after my husband accepted a job opportunity. After struggling with fertility issues for about two years, we were overjoyed to learn we were pregnant. But the pandemic meant I attended most of my appointments alone. At our anatomy scan, Liam was measuring small, so I was referred to a specialist. That’s where I learned he had Tetralogy of Fallot. I’ll never forget sitting alone in that room, with no cell service, feeling overwhelmed and scared.
When I was 27 weeks pregnant, I drove to Nashville for a baby shower with my sister, friends, and family. On the drive, I started feeling “off” and noticed Liam wasn’t moving much. The next morning, after a vivid dream that something was wrong, I woke my sister and asked her to take me to Vanderbilt. Less than 24 hours later, Liam was born by emergency cesarean section at 1 pound, 8.5 ounces, after his heart stopped in my womb.
We spent the following months in Nashville while we found a place to live and rented out our home in Georgia. Because of hospital restrictions, my husband and I could only be there together on holidays. I was at the hospital from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and he came from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. We spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter there, without friends or family able to visit.
Liam was born with Tetralogy of Fallot, BPD lung disease, hypospadias, and chordee. He developed blood clots that had to be removed surgically, needed ECMO and extensive oxygen support, and had his first open heart surgery when he weighed around 6 pounds. He also received too many blood transfusions to count. One terrible day, we watched him crash and be brought back to life at least 10 times in 24 hours. We never knew which crash might be his last. The experience was overwhelming, traumatic, and heartbreaking, but also beautiful. We get to hug him every day, and that feels like a miracle. I believe only God could have given his doctors and nurses the hands to keep him alive. As time went on, we came to know the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff who cared for him.
Today, Liam is thriving. We return to Vanderbilt for yearly cardiology appointments. He has a G-tube and sees GI and a dietitian at Erlanger. He also sees a developmental pediatrician and specialists in urology and pulmonology, and takes part in speech and occupational therapy.
He doesn’t have a pulmonary valve right now, and the right side of his heart is moderately depressed, so we continue to monitor him. We’re planning a cardiac MRI in the spring to see whether he’ll need an intervention. For now, he is happy, stable, and such a joy to be around.
There’s so much more I could share. I feel like I could write a book, but I hope this gives you a glimpse into Liam’s strength and story. We are incredibly proud of him and deeply grateful he is here with us. We pray constantly over his little body and his future.🐝🫶🏼💛
