TWO years ago Ethan Brown’s future was uncertain, but after one of the biggest surgical procedures at the Royal Children’s Hospital, the five-year-old now has a life to live.
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Ethan was diagnosed with complex congenital heart disorder (CHD) two-and-a-half years ago and the outcome was bleak.
Doctors at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) told Ethan’s parents, Chris and Glenda Brown, they could not do anything to help Ethan.
“We fell apart a bit but we knew we had to deal with what we were given,” Mrs Brown said.
Just like all four-year-olds, Ethan went to kindergarten but when he started school this year his health deteriorated.
Then the family received the first bit of hope in two years – doctors would perform an operation to fix Ethan’s heart.
During the 12-hour open heart surgery on August 6, Ethan was put on a bypass machine while doctors transformed his heart using procedures never done before at the hospital.
Eight days later, the blond-haired boy was diagnosed with heart block and underwent another operation to have a pacemaker device placed in his chest.
He spent a month in hospital and is now like any other five-year-old. On Wednesday when The Courier spoke to the family, Ethan had spent the day at the school’s sports and proudly showed his ribbons pinned to his t-shirt.
“We now have a future. (Doctors) have always said his future was uncertain. They deemed (the operation) a success,” Mrs Brown said.
“He is a normal five-year-old. He runs around, gets up to mischief. In school he is doing great.”
While the Brown family has been on a long journey over the past five years, they have not forgotten their supporters, the medical team and other organisations.
They received support from HeartKids, a charity focused on CHD, which is the greatest killer of Australian children under the age of five.
Mr Brown’s sister, Danielle O'Donnell, said she wanted to say thank you to HeartKids by holding a fundraiser at Regent Cinemas Ballarat.
The movie, Hotel Transylvania 2, will screen on December 6 at 1.30pm. Proceeds from the afternoon will be donated to HeartKids Ballarat. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased by contacting Danielle O'Donnell on 0400 620 865.
