WASHINGTON — Inside the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C., 8-month-old Jack Lally is fighting for his life. And Cydney O’Rear is among the nurses racing the clock to give him a second chance.
“Jack needs a heart," O'Rear said. “One side of his heart is way too big, and it doesn’t pump blood very effectively."
O’Rear has been with Jack every step of the way for the past four months.
“We are Jack’s cheerleaders when he has good days," she said. "We are emotionally invested as well.”
When Jack was born, Rachel Lally -- his mother -- said for the first few months of his life, everything was normal.
“He was such a smiley and expressive baby,” Rachel Lally said.
She reflects on the days before they were in the hospital, when family and friends enjoyed going to spend time with Jack.
“You had to go see 'Jack Jack' because he would sit up in his bed and he would smile, but his whole body would wiggle, he was just such a happy little dude,” Rachel Lally said of her son.
Then, what began as labored breathing, got progressively worse over time, and became a sound Rachel Lally would never forget.
“He had a choking episode and vomiting, and it took a long time for his coloring to come back," she recalled. "My husband and I both said, this is just not normal.”
A medical helicopter transported Jack to Children’s National Hospital, and that's where the Lally family learned the news that Jack would need a new heart.
That was four months ago. Little Jack has been fighting ever since.
“It’s hard with children, because when you have any kind of organ transplant you have to be the same blood type, you have to have matching antibodies, so all of your bloodwork needs to match but with children you also have to worry about size,” O’Rear said of the search for a new heart.
Jack’s new normal is a seemingly endless regimen of medicine and machines.
“Jack has a very special thing called a left ventricular assist device -- we call them VADs for short," O'Rear said. "Essentially, it’s a special machine that helps pump blood. The machine is doing all of the work of his heart. That is essentially what is helping to keep Jack alive now, so without that machine he would be in a very difficult place.”
O’Rear is ever mindful that they’re racing the clock, paying attention to every detail as she works to keep Jack and his family comfortable during their long journey. She says she remains hopeful.
“Jack is an incredible baby," O'Rear said. "He’s resilient, he’s brave and he’s strong."
The Lally family says watching how the medical team treats their son has made this entire experience bearable.
“We’re just so thankful for the staff because the nursing staff alone helps Jack like he is their own child,” said Rachel Lally.
For O’Rear, even though Jack is so young, she can feel the bond they’ve built.
“He has moments of it where you see that personality peeking through, despite how sick he is," she said. "As nurses it brings us so much joy, even if it’s just a second, a glimpse of it, it’s so rewarding."
In the meantime, the Lally family is holding out hope for a heart.
“There really is a lot of good, in people, and in life,” Rachel Lally said. “And we’re holding out to be able to show Jack all of that good.”
Jack's surgeon, Dr. Manan Desai, said that Children's National Hospital performs eight to 10 pediatric heart transplants a year.
Watch below to hear about the incredible work involved to make sure that these delicate surgeries are a success.
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