American Heart Month - 2012

{In case you haven't seen it, here is President Obama's proclamation for American Heart Month!}

To kick off this month of hearts and love, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC - our insurance company and Jeramie's employer - ran a story on Ethan! Unfortunately, it was only posted to their intraweb, so I can't publicly link to it.  However, in an effort to preserve it and share it, I thought I would post it here.

I am so proud of my hubby for stepping up to share Ethan's story, and for advocating for pulse ox screenings in the process!

Happy heart month, y'all!

"A fight for his son’s life was the last thing Jeramie Mullis expected after witnessing the miracle of birth. And it all happened so fast:

6:46 a.m. – Ethan, a beautiful baby boy was welcomed to the world by his parents Jeramie and Joye Mullis.

2:00 p.m. – A nurse at REX Hospital noticed Ethan was bluish in the face, a sign of a heart defect.

9:00 p.m. – Baby Ethan was put in a Life Flight ambulance to Duke Hospital.

'We weren’t sure if he’d make it,' said Jeramie, Ethan’s father and a BCBSNC operations specialist. 'The nurses made us a bereavement kit with Ethan’s hat and impressions of his feet, should the worst happen.'

Doctors discovered Ethan had multiple different heart defects. The most serious, pulmonary atresia, meant a blocked valve was causing Ethan’s oxygen saturation in his blood to dip too low. He needed surgery, and he needed it fast. At just 3 days old, Jeramie and Joye had no choice but to trust Ethan would pull through a risky surgery.

After weeks in an induced coma, a pacemaker and 3 years of constant monitoring, Ethan is thriving and the Mullis family has a lot to be thankful for.

'The experience fundamentally changed us as people and as parents,' said Jeramie.

 Jeramie, Joye and Ethan are now passionate supporters of the American Heart Association and raise money for the annual walk each year – so far they’re up to $6,000! And while Jeramie says he firmly believes in the groundbreaking research and help for others made possible by donations, there’s something money can’t buy. His one message for new parents is to demand your newborn gets a pulse oximetry test to measure oxygen saturation.

'It’s so simple but can completely change the course of treatment for a newborn with a heart defect,' said Jeramie. 'It could save your child’s life. It saved Ethan’s life.'"