Nothing is right with us anymore, ”says Cristiana L. Deep shadows under her eyes reveal that she doesn’t get much sleep at night. Once again she packed her bags and tried not to let her nervousness show. Once again the trip goes to Munich, once again the almost seven month old Nail is thoroughly examined in the German Heart Center, for the second time with a catheter.
But he’s still happily sitting at home in his high chair, pulling happily on his mom’s respiratory mask and laughing all over his face when he succeeds. If you saw the two, you wouldn’t think that the tender baby was born with a serious heart defect, with “swapped heart chambers”, as Cristiana G. explains: the aorta pumps used, oxygen-poor blood into the body’s circulation, while the oxygen-enriched blood flows back into the lungs. She also threatens to be flooded with blood, says the mother. Although she is a trained medical assistant, she is glad that her husband is accompanying her to the discussions with the specialists.
See a doctor five times a month
Nail has to be examined every week in the cardiology department in Ehingen, about once a month in Munich. He was born there too. Because in the fourth month of pregnancy, the ultrasound image showed that “something is wrong,” reports the 29-year-old. That was a shock. “At first I didn’t even know what to do and it took four hours to calm down,” she says. Her first pregnancy went smoothly, and Nails’s two-year-old brother was born healthy.
“The gynecologist gave me addresses of counseling centers,” recalls Cristiana L. “It was clear to both of us that we would have the child”, emphasizes father Daniele. After a failed self-employment, he was employed by a temporary agency until Corona summer 2020. His company had registered short-time work, and When the due date approached and his wife was mentally down, “I wanted to help her,” he says. As a temporary worker, however, he did not get special leave, instead he was given notice.
It was a severe blow to the family. The now 28-year-old had “the perfect job” after completing his apprenticeship as a production mechanic. Today he is very annoyed that he was “young and inexperienced as I was, persuaded into self-employment”. The mountain of debt that they are now trying to pay off comes from that time. Parental and unemployment benefits do not have to be paid in large installments. In addition, the trips to Munich and the overnight stays there run into money. Because the health insurance does not cover the accommodation of father and brother in the Ronald McDonald parental home, says Cristiana L., whose accommodation costs will be covered. You have to pay around 23 euros a day yourself. “And we never know how long we’ll have to stay there.” Not this time either. “If the catheter examination goes well, we can go home the next day,” she says before leaving.
Operations postponed
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The doctors wanted to wait as long as possible with the necessary operations. But they could not be postponed for half a year, Cristiana L. now learns during the investigation in Munich. The specialists were still advising, she would soon get more information, the mother reported on the phone. She longs for the little one to gain weight significantly in the next few weeks. The bottom line is that he doesn’t drink enough, although he takes a sip every hour – even at night. His mom is happy to accept the lack of sleep that this entails, so that Nail is strong enough for the upcoming procedures.
Direct help for nail
support Anyone who would like to give Baby Nail and his family a helping hand financially should note the keyword “Nail” on the transfer under the intended purpose.
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