{"id":5578,"date":"2019-02-07T10:41:35","date_gmt":"2019-02-07T16:41:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=5578"},"modified":"2025-12-10T15:59:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T21:59:15","slug":"a-baby-boy-his-congenital-heart-defect-and-the-love-of-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/a-baby-boy-his-congenital-heart-defect-and-the-love-of-family\/","title":{"rendered":"A baby boy, his congenital heart defect and the love of family"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a registered nurse, Angela Farnan has spent 32 years in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at OSF HealthCare Children\u2019s Hospital of Illinois<\/a> where she cares for the smallest and sickest kids.<\/p>\n

Along with her fellow OSF Mission Partners, she embraces each child as if they\u2019re family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good Lord put us where we are for a reason,\u201d Angela said. \u201cI work in the PICU and I can tell you many stories about the many children I\u2019ve cared for over the years. There\u2019s an attachment to these children and their families. You become very invested in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

That connection doesn\u2019t end when the kids leave the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce they go home, the families still come up to us and write us. They become family to all of us in the unit,\u201d Angela said. \u201cThere are many of us who have gone to graduations, weddings \u2013 we truly give our heart and soul in caring for these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Angela cares for kids dealing with all types of conditions and with varying needs, since 1991 her main focus has been taking care of kids undergoing treatment at the Congenital Heart Center<\/a> at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital in Peoria. It is the only comprehensive congenital heart program in the state that cares for kids and adults outside of Chicago.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy love is the cardiac kids,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A love connection<\/h2>\n

It started with light-hearted bantering while working out at the same gym.<\/p>\n

One day, Angela told a friend, \u201cI\u2019m going to have his babies someday,\u201d motioning over to where Rick Farnan was working out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took him about three months until he finally asked me out. Our first date was going to church,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n

That was 17 years ago. In May, the couple will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary.<\/p>\n

Both had been married before, and Rick has an adult son, Bryce. Angela always wanted children and it wasn\u2019t until after she and Rick married when she found out she couldn\u2019t get pregnant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both did testing \u2013 basically, my eggs weren\u2019t viable for conceiving,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But Angela didn\u2019t dwell on that fate. She had her kids in the PICU.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone asks me how many kids I have, I tell them it depends on the day. Sometimes 15 or 20,\u201d she said, chuckling. \u201cObviously God has a plan for all of us. I\u2019ve been working in the PICU a long time, and in my heart, I know that\u2019s where God wants me to be. Working in the PICU \u2013 it\u2019s heavy, you can get heartbreaking cases. For me, you think about what you\u2019re doing in life and pray about it. I always stay. I stay for the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new baby comes to the PICU<\/h2>\n

On May 30, 2017, a newborn boy came to the PICU. He\u2019d been born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome<\/a> (HLHS), a congenital heart defect that was detected in utero. Basically, the heart doesn’t develop the way it should during the first\u00a0eight weeks of pregnancy. The defect leaves most of the left side of the heart too small and underdeveloped with just one pumping chamber.<\/p>\n

Dr. Mark Plunkett<\/a>, a pediatric heart surgeon with the Congenital Heart Center at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital, said the condition requires a series of at least three operations between birth and up to age 4 or 5 to redirect blood flow to the lungs and body with several connections. The first surgery usually happens during the first week of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very complex operation and is one of the highest mortality operations we perform,\u201d Dr. Plunkett said. \u201cMost kids will go home after about a month or more. These are babies requiring intensive care and at-home monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n

If a family is unable to provide the intensive care the baby requires, they stay in the hospital or go into medical foster care.<\/p>\n

For that newborn boy in the PICU, his surgery took place on June 2, 2017, when he was just three days old. Angela was a member of his care team<\/a>. His name is Blaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cI treat any patient admitted to the PICU as though they are family, providing the best care, quality care. I treat the family with love and respect,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re there to nurture them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second surgery<\/h2>\n

A feeding issue prolonged Blaze\u2019s hospital stay. His family didn\u2019t live near OSF Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a> in Peoria and didn\u2019t have the resources or support to provide the intensive care Blaze needed at home.<\/p>\n

Blaze would require a second surgery around 6 months of age to take the stress off the single ventricle pumping blood throughout his body. Until that surgery, Blaze needed to be cared for in a safe environment. A case worker was involved and was working with an organization that provides medical home stays for those in need.<\/p>\n

Being familiar with the case and wanting to help out the family, combined with her own expertise, Angela decided she would do what was needed to become a medical foster home for Blaze. She worked with the organization and completed classes and underwent a home visit. By early November 2017, when Blaze was 6 months old, the organization withdrew from the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little crushed,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n

This meant Blaze would remain hospitalized until the second surgery.<\/p>\n

And then the phone rings<\/h2>\n

Then on December 13, 2017, Angela got a phone call inquiring if she\u2019d be willing to foster Blaze until his next surgery. If so, she was told it would be without any financial assistance from the state.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t a concern for Angela.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it was about getting him in a normal environment. We were coming into cold and flu season, and we didn\u2019t want him getting sick,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Of course, Angela had told Rick about Blaze, and he was on board with having short-term guardianship to provide the baby with a safe environment.<\/p>\n

In the two days following that phone call, Angela\u2019s PICU family pulled out all the stops. They held an impromptu baby shower, supplying the Farnans with a crib, Pack \u2018n Play, high chair, wipes, diapers, clothing, toys \u2026<\/p>\n

Rick was amazed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople were knocking on the door one after the other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Angela wasn\u2019t surprised at the outpouring.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey literally brought me a nursery. We were well equipped in three days. We\u2019d all taken care of Blaze. He was loved by everyone in the PICU and we\u2019re like one big family up there. They just wanted him to be in a home environment to stay safe and healthy during cold and flu season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blaze, who had been thriving in the PICU and was developing quite the social personality, continued thriving in the Farnan home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had him here a couple weeks when we just fell in love with him,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n

And her PICU family was right there with them, volunteering to babysit when Angela had to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a lot of aunts and uncles,\u201d Angela said, referring to her PICU family.<\/p>\n

Dr. David Jantzen, a cardiologist with the Congenital Heart Center<\/a> at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital who diagnosed Blaze\u2019s condition in utero and provides his medical care, wasn\u2019t surprised to see that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are all like family. The nurses and everyone go through so many trials and tribulations. They are like any team that goes through stressful situations together \u2013 they bond very well,\u201d he said. \u201cBlaze is probably one of the most fun and animated kids I\u2019ve seen. I\u2019d almost call him a member of our team. The nurses and everyone just fell in love with him and that continues today.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the foster stay, Angela remained in contact with Blaze\u2019s family, updating them on his progress and the upcoming surgery.<\/p>\n

Time for the second surgery<\/h2>\n

The day arrived for Blaze\u2019s second surgery with Dr. Plunkett. It was March 20, 2018. Blaze\u2019s parents traveled to Peoria for the surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sat with the family during the surgery and they started asking questions about how in depth his care would be,\u201d Angela said.<\/p>\n

She said having Blaze at her home was an eye-opening experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really made me question the expectations we have for parents taking home a medically dependent kid \u2026 you can\u2019t do it all yourself, and I\u2019m a nurse,\u201d Angela said. \u201cI prepare parents for this, it\u2019s what I do. But it\u2019s not a 12- to 16-hour shift, it\u2019s 24\/7. It humbled me to what parents in a situation like this experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the surgery, the doctors came to speak to the Farnans and the parents.<\/p>\n

It was then the mother asked the Farnans if they\u2019d consider taking Blaze on a more permanent basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t even look at each other. Rick and I didn\u2019t need to have a discussion. We said, \u2018absolutely,\u2019\u201d Angela said. \u201cI think our response came out of our mouths at the same time. We were ecstatic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Farnans clarified with the parents what a \u201cmore permanent basis\u201d meant.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo us, I said, it means adoption. She said, \u2018yes, we want what\u2019s best for him,\u2019\u201d Angela said. \u201cShe said she wanted to be a good mom and I told her she was a great mom and never let anyone tell her differently. She made a very tough decision to do what she felt was right for Blaze.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick said it was a very emotional time \u2013 seeing Blaze hooked up to monitors and realizing the inner struggle the parents were experiencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe birth mom, God bless her. She made a heartfelt, heart-breaking decision,\u201d he said. \u201cAngela and I just put our heads together and said, \u2018can you believe it? He\u2019s going to be ours.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple filed adoption papers on April 14, 2018. The adoption was finalized June 8, 2018.<\/p>\n

On that day, the courtroom at the Peoria County Courthouse was packed with family, friends and co-workers of Angela and Rick, including Dr. Plunkett.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was truly one of the most memorable and heartwarming events I\u2019ve had the privilege and honor of attending,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was so much love and joy in that courtroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Jantzen said he\u2019s thankful Angela and Rick were there for Blaze.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, taking him in \u2013 that\u2019s so unheard of, so gracious,\u201d he said. \u201cI know he\u2019s meant as much to them by far as they\u2019ve meant to him. It\u2019s an amazing story. I think Angela and Rick are very lucky, but I can\u2019t tell you how lucky Blaze is to have them as parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a true example, he said, of how they approach care at OSF Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an example of the philosophy we try to incorporate here and live through,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good representation of all the good things we do at the hospital and how everyone \u2013 nurses, techs, doctors — care for these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

The future<\/h2>\n
\"Rick

Rick and Angela Farnan along with their son, Blaze.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Blaze is between the age of 3 and 5, he\u2019ll undergo the third surgery in the series. That procedure will further relieve the work and stress on his heart and allow for his oxygen level to normalize, Dr. Plunkett said.<\/p>\n

From there, his care, as with anyone born with a congenital heart defect<\/a>, will mean a lot of follow-up doctor visits, tests and monitoring.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully he won\u2019t need anything else for a really long time,\u201d Dr. Plunkett said. \u201cBut the problem is the right heart is doing all the work and it\u2019s not designed to do what it\u2019s doing, so there is potential for heart failure problems down the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s possible he may eventually need a heart transplant, but that could be many decades away,\u201d he said. \u201cYou just try to optimize and support that single right ventricle as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n