Itthipat Kiewfan or Nong Pete, 9 years old, is the son of Wirachon Kiewfan and Sawanya Thiamsawan. Nong Pete’s family lives in Lopburi Province. Mom Sawanya told us that she got pregnant with Nong Pete when she was 20 years old. She went to the prenatal clinic and had regular checkups without fail. Until the due date, she gave birth to Nong Pete at Tha Rung Hospital in Lopburi Province. During the 3 days she was hospitalized at the hospital, the doctor found that when Nong Pete sucked milk, his mouth was dark blue and his heartbeat was abnormal. The doctor at Tha Rung Hospital therefore sent Nong Pete to be treated at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health or Children’s Hospital since Nong Pete was only 7 days old. The doctor at the Children’s Hospital gave him medication and scheduled monthly follow-up appointments. However, Nong Pete was quite small, had low weight, and his mouth would turn blue whenever he cried.

Until Nong Pete was about 1 and a half years old, the doctor scheduled an echo and discussed surgery. The doctor talked about the risks of surgery, but if he didn’t do it, he might only live to be 8 years old. So, the parents decided to let him have the surgery even though they were very afraid and worried. But in order for him to get better and be able to live like other children, they had to take the risk. After the first surgery, the results of the surgery went well. He stayed in the hospital and was able to go home to continue his treatment, but he had to come for a monthly follow-up after the surgery. When Nong Pete was about 8 years old, his mother noticed that when he went to school, he felt tired, short of breath, and his mouth turned blue when playing or climbing the stairs. When he went for his follow-up, he consulted the doctor, who assessed that another surgery might be needed. The doctor made an appointment for a pre-surgery evaluation by sending Nong Pete to get a dye injection at Rajavithi Hospital, but the results were not enough to allow the doctor to fully assess the surgical approach. The Children’s Hospital coordinated to send Nong Pete to have the surgery at Rajavithi Hospital under the care of the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Foundation. On January 5, 2022, the parents brought Nong Pete to see Dr. Phiraphat at Rajavithi Hospital to discuss the risks of the surgery this time. Because Nong Pete is a very difficult case, with multiple holes in his heart and transverse aneurysms, which makes the surgery very risky, but the parents are confident in the doctor that he should be able to help treat Nong Pete to get better, so they decided to let Nong Pete have the surgery on January 11, 2022, which the surgery went well. Nong Pete stayed in the ICU for only 4 days before being transferred to the cardiac surgery ward for about 2 more weeks before being able to return home to continue his treatment. The parents are happy that Nong Pete will be able to return to his life like other children, and be able to run and play like his friends. Thank you to the doctors, nurses, and kind-hearted people who helped Nong Pete to have a life like other children.