posted by admin on Oct 1

Soyla Salazar – “The Miracle Baby”…..

Virginia Vasquez Salazar called her husband, Jesus “Chuy” Salazar and told him it was “time”. Chuy remembers saying “time – for what…ohhhhh!” They lived in a mobile trailer in Hallsburg, Texas and he had started work early this day. He picked up Virginia and they made the trip from Hallsburg to Waco in record time; however, they arrived with little time to prepare Virginia for delivery.When Virginia was brought to the recovery room, she was asked if she would be breast or bottle-feeding the baby. Virginia responded that she would be breastfeeding Soyla. When the baby was given to Virginia, she noticed that the nose area was a distinct blue. She asked the doctors, “Why does my baby have blue around her nose area?” she said they initially responded, “The fast delivery may have caused some bruising.” When the baby would not “latch on” for breast-feeding they took the baby to another area.

Virginia and Chuy were talking about the name Soyla, which means “alone” in Spanish. “Soyla is the only girl on my side of extended family and the only one in our family; therefore, she is Soyla,” said Chuy, “the only girl.”
They both remembered the look on the doctor’s faces when they returned and both of them sensed something was wrong. “The baby is being prepared for flight to Cooks Memorial Hospital in Fort Worth”, Virginia remembered the doctor saying. They said they had “some news.” “The baby would be taken by helicopter to Cooks Memorial Hospital because she had pulmonary attrition – one of four of the heart valves was not opening and closing properly. The blueness in the nose area was caused by the lack of oxygen to the lungs,” Virginia remembers the doctors saying.

Virginia, then saw a capsule/incubator full of wires being pushed into the room. They had brought a “demonstration look” to show Virginia what the baby was placed in for the ride to Cooks Memorial Hospital. Having just had the baby a few hours ago, Virginia could not go to the hospital. She told her husband, “You cannot leave Soyla.” Chuy tried to get in the helicopter, but he was not allowed. Too nervous to drive, Chuy’s dad volunteered to take him to Fort Worth. They immediately went to the car, not really sure how to get to the hospital and made the drive to Fort Worth.mor

When they arrived, Chuy was told, “Your new baby is in critical condition and has a 50/50 chance of survival.” They told him, “the heart was working so hard, it had created swelling in the muscle on the right side and they had to ‘poke’ a hole to let the muscle go down.” They also told Chuy, “Soyla has to have heart surgery and permission paperwork has to be signed.” With this overwhelming news, Chuy returned to Waco to talk with Virginia. Virginia insisted that she was not about to be left in Waco, and together they returned to Fort Worth to prepare for the surgery. Two weeks later, Soyla underwent heart surgery, Chuy and Virginia both remember the surgery date – it fell on the first anniversary of 9/11.

To prepare Chuy and Virginia, the hospital demonstrated what would happen to Soyla with a cabbage patch doll. Virginia remembers staring at the doctor’s hands and asked, “doctor your hands are huge, how do you operate on my tiny baby?” They used the doll as a model to answer the couple’s questions and showed them where the wires would be located. The doctors told them the chest would be left open after surgery for 24 hours to ensure no build-up of swelling would occur. They showed the couple how the draining tube would work. Seeing the doll model and hearing what was about to happen was very hard. Chuy said, “I had to be strong for the family.” “Virginia, just having the baby, felt helpless, she wanted to breast feed the baby and she felt she was not doing anything to help our baby.”

Once the surgery was done, the doctors told the couple that Soyla was now the “boss.” Soyla’s reactions to the surgery would have to tell them what needed to be done next. Virginia’s sister bought Soyla a small shirt that said, “She’s the Boss.”

“Cooks Medical Center was great, Chuy said, they helped with hotel, meals and all immediate needs, I don’t know what I would have done without them. They have kept up with Soyla and invite her every year to the Christmas Party and Outdoor Festivity for Heart Patients. They do not forget about the patients, when we come together, everyone shares their story.” Soyla will need another open-heart surgery when she is 15. The surgery is necessary because of growth and wear. The surgery will replace Soyla’s valve with a plastic or animal valve.

Today, the five-year Soyla is attending kindergarten at Crestview Elementary and the school is aware of her condition. She has to limit her physical activity, which Chuy said, “Is very hard to control”. “She sees her brother, Diego playing sports, doing Cub Scouts, hunting and camping and she cannot do the same,” he said. “Don’t you feel guilty… dad, she would say, what about me why can’t I do cub scouts?” This was causing so much anguish and guilt, Virginia asked Soyla’s doctor to explain to Soyla why she could not participate in sports like her brothers. “You have a special heart need.” Virginia remembers the doctor telling Soyla; “He was telling her in a way that she could understand.” The doctor told Soyla, “Aany hard breathing was not good for her heart.”

Soyla will always have to be monitored. Virginia constantly looks for caution signs; fatigue, blueness in the fingers, white gums, hard breathing, protruding chest. “Her immune system is very weak and susceptible to sickness. When she goes to the dentist, she must take antibiotics 24 hours before the visit to avoid the risk of infection.” said Virginia.

Chuy is a very loving and active father and feels guilty about limited bonding activities. “What can I do with my ‘mija’ to get the quality time with her?” he asks. Recently, he said he had the “best date” at the Father/Daughter Tea. He said they danced, drank tea, and made beads. They took a picture together that reflects the love Chuy has for his daughter.

The American Heart Association 2007 statistics show an estimated 1.2 million Americans having a first or recurrent coronary attack. Coronary heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death. To stay strong and informed, Chuy and Virginia have joined the American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease and stroke. “By sharing our experience, we hope to encourage people to get involved in the awareness and prevention of heart disease.” said Virginia.