Bonnie’s Radiothon Story

At her 20-week ultrasound, Mikayla learned the news that her baby, Bonnie, had congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), which happens when a baby’s diaphragm — the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen — fails to close as it should, which can cause a baby’s organs to move up into the chest.

Mikayla met with pediatric surgeon Dr. Andrea Lo to discuss what their treatment plan would look like, and the very first question she asked was: “is it rare?” Dr. Lo explained her team had seen it before and they knew how to treat it.  From there, Mikayla’s pregnancy was followed closely by their Alberta Children’s Hospital team through ultrasounds and meetings.

Mikayla delivered Bonnie in April at Foothills Medical Centre, and Bonnie was transferred to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Edwards Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) right after. At just eight days old, Bonnie underwent surgery, where Dr. Lo made an incision underneath her ribcage and moved her organs back down into her body. The CDH had caused Bonnie’s stomach, appendix, spleen and part of her intestine to migrate up into her chest and her heart was on the right side of her body.

Mikayla says while this was an incredibly difficult and scary experience, she had built a solid relationship with Dr. Lo and trusted her with her little girl. From there Bonnie spent a total of five months recovering, including a month intubated in the NICU as well as time on Unit 2.

She describes those months as being in survival mode, but in a way, she says, the Alberta Children’s Hospital felt like home and the teams and the nurses helped them along on their journey. Now, her other two kids even miss being at the hospital after growing so fond of it.

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Mikayla says though Bonnie is still on oxygen and uses a feeding tube, overall she is doing really well and thriving at home. They still visit the Alberta Children’s Hospital often for follow-up appointments, and Bonnie will be followed by the hospital until she’s 18.