Blood drive honors 6-month-old child

Maddie Allred of Royal survives heart defect

ROYAL SLOPE - Wearing a red bow, matching red shoes and a light-blue flowered dress, Maddie Allred resembles any other 6-month-old child.

But Maddie is different from most of her peers. Only half her heart is functioning.

A blood drive is offered in Maddie's honor Friday through the American Red Cross. The drive is from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Seminary Building, 853 Poarch Road in Royal City.

Maddie lives in Royal Slope with mother Katie Allred, father Bryan Allred and two older brothers.

"It was amazing that she could do as well as she's doing now," Katie said.

Katie said she and her husband learned of the defect before Maddie was born. Moses Lake Clinic detected the defect with an ultrasound 20 weeks into the pregnancy, when the right ventricle couldn't be located, she said. At 24 weeks, another ultrasound confirmed it.

The right side of Maddie's heart is non-functioning. The left side is responsible for pumping more blood, Katie said.

"Her left is doing what it's intended to do, so we're thankful for that," she said.

Katie described the defect as rare, complex and serious. One in 100 babies are born with heart defects, she said. Of the one in 100 cases, 3 percent have Maddie's condition, Katie said.

Since her premature birth at University of Washington Medical Center, Maddie had two open-heart surgeries. The first surgery was at 7 days old, and sustained her until the second surgery. The second surgery allowed blood to flow to Maddie's lungs. Seattle Children's Hospital conducted both surgeries.

"The blood gets to her lungs," Katie said. "It just flows instead of being pumped."

Each surgery required a blood transfusion.

A third surgery is planned, for when Maddie is 2 to 4 years old. The surgery will bring more oxygen to blood in the lower part of her body.

Now Maddie is a little behind her peers. She has not yet learned to roll or to sit up.

"They say all cardiac babies, the severe end of them, you give them a few months to get caught up," Katie said.

It is unknown how long Maddie will live with her condition, Katie said. People with similar conditions live into their 20s or 30s, Katie said.

But she expressed confidence in the advances in medicine and surgical techniques. Medicines are constantly changing, and the repair of the heart is different from what it used to be, Katie said.

Maddie will always have the defect, Katie said.

"She's never cured. She's never fixed," she said.

Katie created a video for the blood drive, to increase awareness about congenital heart defects. She plans to attend the drive, possibly with Maddie.

"It's the most common of birth defects," Katie said.

For more information about the blood drive, call 509-346-2025 or 509-989-0476.