- Ashleigh, a psychic medium, had a gut feeling her bub would have a health scare when she was five weeks pregnant
- A scan showed her baby girl, Scarlett, had multiple heart defects and doctors didn’t seem too hopeful for her future
- Despite the scares, Scarlett fought her way into the world and after multiple open heart surgeries, she is now thriving
Here Ashleigh Taylor, 35, Qld, tells her story in her own words
Cradling my girl in my arms for the first time, I was in disbelief.
As Scarlett let out a cry, it was proof she was here to fight.
A psychic medium, when I was just five weeks along, I had an overwhelming feeling my unborn bub would have a health scare.
You’re just being paranoid, I thought.
A scan at 19 weeks showed she had a congenital heart defect. Deemed a high-risk pregnancy, I needed scans every two weeks.
Then at 24 weeks came worse news.
‘Scarlett has multiple heart defects, including holes in her heart,’ a cardiologist explained, after my scan results were sent to him.
‘We recommend you consider termination.’
READ MORE: Medical miracle: Our boys share a heart
I was told surgery might be possible, but there was no guarantee until after she was born.
Despite the eerie prognosis, I knew my baby girl was a fighter from the moment I felt her in my belly. I couldn’t give up on her now.
So the plan was to continue to monitor my bub’s heart fortnightly until I went into labour.
At every scan, the doctors’ hopes faded, but I remained hopeful.
Then in July 2019 at 39 weeks, I was induced.
To everyone’s surprise, my baby girl came out perfectly pink and crying.
After I had a quick cuddle, Scarlett was taken to NICU for a heart assessment.
A few hours later, I went to check on my precious daughter. Peering at her through the humidicrib, I was in awe of her beautiful strawberry blonde hair, as I watched her tiny chest slowly rise up and go down again.
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Tests confirmed Scarlett had Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), meaning her two main arteries were switched, and they were both on the right side. Blood vessels from her main artery were also wrapped around her windpipe, which could cause issues with her airway.
‘She’ll need open heart surgery to repair her arteries,’ the doctor said, booking her op in for the following month when she was strong enough.
At five days old, Scarlett was discharged, allowing us some respite while we waited for her procedure.
Back home, my son, Connor, then four, doted on his baby sister.
When Scarlett was four weeks old, she was wheeled in for her big op at Queensland Children’s Hospital.
‘I love you,’ I said, kissing her chubby cheeks.
During the gruelling six-hour surgery, they successfully repaired her misplaced arteries.
READ MORE: Oliver was born with a severe heart defect – now he’s thriving!
Back home, over the following months Scarlett began to crawl and babble.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Scarlett’s journey wasn’t going to be straight forward.
Before she had been born, I’d also predicted she’d develop a serious infection.
In April 2020, at nine months old, Scarlett was back under the knife for 10 agonising hours, having surgery to fix the rest of the defects in her heart.
Unfortunately, the surgery failed and my baby went into cardiac arrest the following day.
The pressure of the intensive surgery was too much for her tiny body.
Doctors couldn’t restart her heart, so she had to be placed on ECMO, a machine that takes over the heart and lung function.
While the machine stabilised Scarlett’s heart, her other organs, including her kidney, liver, brain and spleen were damaged.
Her lungs also took a major hit, leaving my girl deeply struggling.
Just eight days after her last open heart surgery, she was back in theatre, where doctors reversed the changes they’d made.
This was deemed a success but, sadly, her condition continued to deteriorate, as she suffered infections and seizures. And, the following month, an infection took hold of Scarlett’s urinary tract and developed into sepsis.
It was just as I’d predicted, I realised, shuddering.
Thankfully, in time, Scarlett’s infections were brought under control, but still suffering heart failure, she was kept in for further treatment.
Celebrating her first birthday in hospital, we decorated her room in pink balloons and flowers.
That month, after 108 days in hospital, Scarlett was finally allowed home.
Due to her condition, she was a bit behind in meeting her milestones, taking her first steps at 18 months old.
‘Well done baby girl,’ I cheered, as she continued to defy the odds.
Aged four, Scarlett became curious about her heart and the operations, and started to ask me questions.
‘You have a special heart my sweet girl, and you are very brave,’ I’d say.
I adoringly gave her the nickname ‘Scar Girl’ so it would be a part of her name, Scarlett, and she could be proud of her incredibly brave journey.
In March last year, when Scarlett was five, she was prepped for another surgery to have a shunt put in her left pulmonary artery to force blood flow into her lungs, so she could have a total heart repair the following year.
Then in January this year, aged six, Scarlett was back at Queensland Children’s Hospital, for her fifth surgery.
This operation was to perform a complete repair on her heart.
‘Mummy will be here when you get out,’ I told her, before she was wheeled away.
Thankfully, the 12-hour surgery was a success.
It’s given Scarlett, now seven, a new lease on life.
She loves gymnastics, playing with Connor, 11, and her Jack Russell puppy Ruby.
Despite her being a little more lethargic and developmentally delayed compared to other girls her age, I know Scarlett has a bright future ahead.
With my psychic gifts, I’ve predicted that my girl will live a happy and fulfilling life. It’s been written in the stars.
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