A heartwarming reunion

We’re celebrating 13-month old Brooke, and her favourite resident, Dr. Fatani, who just marked the end of his residency at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. The two shared a really special moment recently when Dr. Fatani was able visit with the adorable infant 5 months after she underwent a cardiovascular surgery that helped correct a rare congenital heart defect. Doesn’t this moment just make your heart explode?

As Brooke’s mother, Michelle, explains, “Brooke was born with a Total Anamolous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR). All four of her pulmonary veins did not connect normally to the left atrium of her heart. She needed cardiac surgery tp allow oxygenated blood to flow to the rest of her body.”

“It was a HUGE shock to us to learn that Brooke was sick. We were unaware that anything was wrong until Brooke was diagnosed when she was 6 ½ months old when her pediatrician heard a heart murmur and sent us for a consult with Dr. Beland at the Children’s. She had open heart surgery at 8 months old. Her surgeon was the INCREDIBLE Dr. Pierre-Luc Bernier and his amazing cardiovascular surgery team, including Brooke’s FAVORITE resident Dr. Fatani. Our tough little girl spent five days in the pediatric intensive care unit and 2 days in the surgical inpatient unit and was discharged on the 7th day post-surgery.”

“Thanks to all the doctors, nurses and staff at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Brooke celebrated her 1st birthday last month on May 23rd, 2015. We could not think of a better way to celebrate than by fundraising for the wonderful hospital that saved Brooke’s life. As a token of our appreciation, we asked our family and friends to make a donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation in lieu of a birthday present for Brooke. We will always be grateful to the Children’s and we will continue to support and donate as much as we can.”
 
“We were delighted when Dr. Fatani remembered Brooke and asked to pose for a picture with her to commemorate his residency at the hospital. Just goes to show you the level care and consideration that is a hallmark of the atmosphere that you always encounter here.”