MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — Time is critical for a Claiborne family whose newborn baby, Micah, was born with heart failure. Micah’s father, Nick Marchand, says Micah is a strong little man.
“He smiles. He will smile at you. He is awesome. He is so freaking cute. He started cooing, and it’s super cool. He is super strong, yeah.”
Marchand says two-month-old Micah was diagnosed with a deformed heart very early on. He’s currently at a hospital in New Orleans, on a waiting list, for a heart transplant.
“He went on to 19-20 weeks, and they saw something that was concerning, and they sent us to a special hospital in Baton Rouge. Then they sent us to New Orleans where they confirmed he will have to have a Hypoplastic Right Heart.”
Micah was born at 38 weeks and has been fighting for his life ever since.
“We keep him there, so he can be there for, what they call a 1A. So, it’s the highest tier you can be on the heart transplant list. So, when a heart does come in, they can go into the operating room.”
And the wait for this family is crucial.
“The highest chance of mortality was during the waiting phase. Ten to thirty percent of them pass away while waiting on a heart.”
This is a painful process for the Marchand. He says they don’t want to go through the same experience once again. They lost their daughter Rayna in 2021 the day she was born due to the same heart diagnosis.
“When she was born, her heartbeat was good. They thought that nothing was wrong. She had a strong pulse, and then 8 hours later she passed away.”
But Marchand says his family remains hopeful.
“I’m obviously nervous. A lot of anxiety, but she is a Rockstar (his wife).”
The Marchand family has created a Gofundme page. If you would like to donate click here.
The West Monroe Moose Lodge 1723 will be hosting a fundraiser event for the Marchand family Saturday, August 5th, 2023. For more info click here.
