"I spoke soothing words and touched her pale fingers. The silent weeping stopped."
The baby's chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. Airway scarring rendered spoken language impossible. Heather wasn't my child, but her distress tattered my heart. Fourteen months old, the little one lay swaddled in a blanket, forgotten and lost amongst unchanging hospital routines.
Chance meeting turned tragedy to miracle. I wrote the book about our search to give the Voiceless Child a family, to find a surgeon who could reconstruct her airway. Otherwise she would never speak, never swim. When I met her, she'd never been outside, never seen the sun, never seen the moon. She could not even move a finger. She'd always lived in a hospital on a breathing machine, fed by a tube in her tummy. No one dared dreamed she might survive and have a family of her own. Sometimes dreams come true, more fantastic than envisioned.
Meeting Heather tumbled my husband an me into a troubling maze never envisioned. Might we adopt her? Were the damning medical prophecies true? How could we navigate through any villains who stymied any progress?
There is a newer subspecialty, pediatric otolaryngology. These ear, nose, and throat surgeons are dedicated to preserving a child's voice, airways, and hearing.
"Heather's story is heartwrenching, captivating, frustrating. I was impelled to read on to discover who would help or hinder her recovery. What I learned applauds the magical minds and hands of innovative surgeons. The inspiring story of perseverance is relevant to anyone who is facing a challenging obstacle.
Dar Walks Out, Lakota Sioux, Pine Ridge, S Dakota
Voiceless Child is a thoughtful exploration of the grace and imperfections inherent in medical care systems and individual providers. Heather epitomizes the motivation for devising surgical procedures that eliminate a parent's constant worry of death associated with airway disorders.
Dr. Robin Cotton, pediatric otolaryngologist