A miracle–woman’s grandson gets new heart at 13 days old
Published: April 13, 2007
Lydia Martinez has a simple explanation for her grandson Gabriel Gideon Basquez even being here.
“Doctors used the word ‘miracle’ on several different occasions,” said Martinez, who lives in Brenham.
Throw in prayer and the well-wishes of people Martinez didn’t even know, and you get a miracle happy ending.
Gabriel was only 13 days old when he received a heart transplant in Denver Children’s Hospital.
The son of Martinez’s daughter Lisa Vallejos and Mark Basquez, Gabriel was born with a condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which essentially means his left ventricle was non-existent.
Or “half a heart,” as it’s sometimes called.
Babies with this syndrome become ashen, have rapid and difficult breathing and have difficulty feeding. This heart defect is usually fatal within the first days or months unless it’s treated.
Doctors knew about the condition even before Gabriel was born Jan. 24 when it was spotted by an alert ultrasound technician at 22 weeks.
Gabriel arrived weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces - and miraculously - in stable condition.
Martinez said his outward appearance was one of a healthy baby, but there were telltale signs like blueness around his lips and a coldness on his fingertips.
What followed were weeks of emotional peaks and valleys. Gabriel’s parents had to first decide whether to terminate the pregnancy or choose whether to have the baby undergo a series of risky operations to repair as much as his heart as possible immediately after birth.
Or put him on a transplant list and hope for a miracle.
Or simply take him home and love him until he died.
They chose the transplant option, and Gabriel was placed on that list three days after he was born.
THE call came Feb. 6, when Gabriel’s parents were told a suitable donor heart might have been found. Gabriel was taken into surgery, even before the donor heart arrived at the hospital, to prepare for the operation.
The donor heart was brought in an ordinary insulated cooler. And six hours later, Gabriel had his new heart.
Eleven days later, he was taken home for the first time. And Gabriel is showing no signs of rejecting his new heart.
It’s obvious that the whole thing is still very emotional for Martinez, who works at Rosebowl Lanes.
That’s especially evident when she talks about an outpouring of emotional and financial support for her grandson, including people she didn’t even know.
“People that didn’t really know at that point would come up to me and give me sizable checks. It was an outpouring of support that amazed me. It still does,” she said. “I know we couldn’t have made it without that.”
Martinez is also convinced of the power of prayer.
“Had it not been for the community pulling together and praying .. the financial support … It was unbelievable. We had nurses who signed up to help care for him,” she said. “We had nurses who openly prayed before they did anything they considered invasive.”
It is an emotional, gut-wrenching time. Gabriel’s family was keenly aware that in order for him to live, someone else would have to die.
“It’s an emotion that I don’t think you can define,” said Martinez. “You’re selfishly asking for intervention on your behalf, but you’re not asking for anyone’s demise.”
Martinez said she has decided to do what she can to help other families with similar, seemingly overwhelming medical problems.
And it’s very simple - she plans to crochet tiny blankets for babies in hospitals.
“Those babies are going to have blankets,” she said. “And I’m going to call them Gabriel’s Gifts.”
Martinez, while discussing Gabriel and his plight, repeatedly returns to the support she received here, saying she was given the “gift of hope.”
“They spoke life … this whole situation, they didn’t speak about death, they didn’t speak about despair,” she said. “I think people need to be aware of what kind of community this is. I don’t think they hear it enough.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: April is “Donate Life Month,” designed to encourage people to sign up as organ donors. More than 95,000 people are currently on waiting lists for organ transplants.
A Denver television station has done several segments on Gabriel. Those can be viewed at www.cbs4denver.com. Click on video, then search using the key word “Basquez.”
There is also a “care page” for Gabriel’s parents at www.carepage.com. Visitors will have to register, then click on ggbasquez in the user list to leave a message.
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