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Joey
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"The parent is the patient almost as much as the child." At age five, Joey Deloach's health is excellent. "There's nothing he can't do," says his mom. When Susan Deloach was 19 weeks pregnant, the child inside her - Joey, her first - was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. One ventricle was not developing along with the rest of his heart. Susan and her husband, Richard, were told they had two treatment options: a heart transplant or a series of three corrective surgeries before Joey's first birthday. Riley surgeons performed the first operation, called the Norwood procedure, when he was three days old. The remaining surgeries occurred when Joey was nine months, and two and-a-half years old. "The most help comes from the nurses," says Susan. Because Joey would require special care for many months, there was a lot for the parents to learn. "While you're at the hospital, you're learning how to give the heart medication right alongside the nurses. They teach you everything you need to know before you go home," Susan explained. Like many Riley families, the Deloachs named a specific nurse with whom they developed a close relationship. "Theresa Flaspohler was so sweet and caring," they remember. "She was always willing to answer our questions, and she would stay with us to make sure we were okay."
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