10 YEARS AND SOARING
10 YEARS AT RANDALL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND A LIFETIME OF CHILDREN'S CARE
TRINITY'S STORY
Call it mother’s intuition. “You know when something is wrong with your child,” Jessica Irie says. Trinity, her third daughter, had been crying nonstop and experiencing fainting spells. The family was living in Florida where Trinity was diagnosed with a simple heart murmur and severe colic. However, Jessica had a gut feeling there was something more going on with her baby girl’s health.
After 18 months of feeling frustrated and desperate to help Trinity, the family packed up all their belongings and moved to Portland, Oregon. “We weren’t getting any answers; Trinity was slipping through the cracks,” Jessica says. “Our West Coast friends told us about the great care at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.”
Six months after setting down new roots, Trinity had her first appointment with pediatric heart specialist Dr. Peter Chang. Within 15 minutes, Dr. Chang diagnosed her with William’s Syndrome—a rare genetic condition characterized by heart issues and extended periods of fussiness. “It was a miracle,” Jessica exclaims. “Everything fit into the puzzle that is William’s Syndrome.”
The family also learned that Trinity’s heart defect was much more serious than a simple murmur. She had supravalvular aortic stenosis—a life-threatening heart problem often associated with Williams Syndrome. Nine days before her second birthday, Trinity underwent open heart surgery.
Now, Trinity is doing great. “It was just a huge blessing that we came here,” Jessica exclaims. “I truly believe that the universe brought us to Randall Children’s Hospital to save our daughter’s life.”
