Atlanta baby born with rare heart defect thriving at 4 after heart transplant

Lindsey Davis and her family spend a lot of time at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Her now 4-year-old daughter, Macey, was born in 2022 with a congenital heart defect. "We were here for five months when she was first born at the Egleston location, and then we've come here [at the Arthur M. Blank campus] a few times for some surgeries," Davis said. When Davis was 20 weeks pregnant, doctors diagnosed Macey with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a disease that made the left side of Macey's heart small and underdeveloped. That meant Macey's heart couldn't pump blood to the rest of her body. "I was really scared. Cried a lot," Davis said. "But then it was just kind of as my pregnancy went on, it was just like, whatever we have to do to get her here, and kind of knew that I had to be strong for her." Hours after being born, Macey was airlifted from Northside Hospital to Children's for specialized care. Dr. Chad Mao is the medical director of the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Program at Children's. "Initially, she had had a surgery to try to palliate her heart condition," Dr. Mao said. "Her heart unfortunately did not tolerate that procedure very well and ultimately, it was recommended that she have a heart transplant." Macey received a new heart in just 16 days, a process that typically takes most children six to 12 months. Davis says Macey getting a new heart so quickly was pure luck. "When the child receives a heart transplant, and they recover from surgery, and they're back to school, and they're running around, and they're living their life and their families tell us they look no different than any other child on the playground, that's the most amount of joy that I think anybody can experience knowing where they've come from," Dr. Mao said. Four years later, despite her health challenges, Macey loves to run, jump, and play with her little sister, Josie. Her parents say they're grateful to watch her do mundane things like swim and play soccer. "Sometimes when you remember it, just the thought of what she went through, the fact that she's here, she has her sister, and we're all together," said Colin Davis, Macey's father. "It's so much joy, and being able to see them play is just the icing on the cake for me." The Lindseys and Colins say they are grateful for the time they have with their children, and that every day they have with them is precious. In: Atlanta Healthcare Children Featured Local Savings