Parents Thank God for 'Miracle' as Baby Receives New Heart Moments After Cardiac Failure
Parents of 7-month-old Lincoln Seay are saying it's a "miracle" that their son received a heart transplant moments after going into cardiac arrest just weeks ago.
Rob and Mindy Seay of Anchorage, Alaska, had been awaiting a heart transplant for their son at Seattle Children's Hospital since last October, and found out their son would be receiving a heart on Feb. 18. He went into surgery the next day.
As the couple tells local media outlets, Lincoln went into cardiac arrest while on the operating table on Feb. 19, shortly before doctors were preparing to transfer his new heart. Thankfully, one doctor was able to manually resuscitate the infant as they successfully transplanted the organ.
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"Because the heart was en route, they went ahead and opened his chest and the surgeon reached in and hand compressed his heart until the new heart arrived," Mindy explained to Fox 29 News.
Mindy's husband, Rob, added that the timing of the surgery was a true miracle.
"We're praying for a miracle and that moment in time it's fair to say we got a miracle," Rob told the local news station.
The couple has been outspoken about their Christian faith and hope in God's plan on their YouCaring.com page, which gives updates on Lincoln's journey and accepts donations.
"Lincoln is a miracle baby, and we are so amazed at how God has orchestrated this entire situation. His timing and placement of the greatest team of doctors, surgeons, specialists, and nurses has been nothing short of awe-inspiring," Mindy wrote in a March 3 update on the page.
"Our family, friends, community, and even perfect strangers have come forward to offer love and support to our family and has restored my faith in humanity and basic goodness," Mindy added.
Dr. D. Michael McMullan, surgical director of heart transplantation at the Washington hospital, told The Seattle Times that Lincoln was "right on the edge" of surviving when he had his transplant.
"He was right on the edge," McMullan said. "We have a list of patients and he was the one we were most concerned about."
Rob said his son's days were dwindling leading up to the surgery, as he had a deep purple color to his skin and slept most of the time.
As the Seay family explains on their YouCaring page, they found out during their 20-week ultrasound that Lincoln had a rare birth defect known as Heterotaxy Syndrome that causes the infant's organs to grow on the opposite of its body.
Mindy told ABC News in an interview last month that this harrowing experience inspires her to encourage other families to consider organ donation.
"We hope his story gives other families hope and raises awareness about organ donation," Seay said, adding that she endured a "rollercoaster" of emotions since she found out her son was receiving a heart transplant.
"It was a whole roller coaster thing," Seay told ABC. "I was shocked, I was elated, I was sad for the other family. I had every emotion you could think of."
