Lennon’s Story

Site created on October 21, 2021

Hello all!

This website will serve as a place where we can update our amazing family and friends as we get new information regarding our sweet and tough baby girl Waspi.  


At her 20 week ultrasound, we learned that our little girl had a heart issue.  In the weeks that followed we connected with our team at Northwestern and Lurie Children’s Hospital to find out more about what was going on with our girl.  We learned that she has a congenital heart defect called an Atrioventricular Septal Defect, AVSD.  


This defect consists of a hole in the heart’s septum or inner wall, between both the upper chambers and a hole between the lower chambers (ventricles).  She also has a malformation in the valves that divide the upper and lower chambers of the heart.   Because of these defects, we learned that an open heart surgical repair will be required when she is 4-6 months old to repair the defects and avoid congestive heart failure.  

Luckily, while she is still inside me cooking, she is sheltered from harm as my body does the “breathing” for her. When she is born and begins to breathe on her own is when she will begin to have some troubles with the way her blood is flowing through her heart, causing her heart to have to work extra hard. We will use medication to alleviate these symptoms until she is big and strong enough for surgery.


At 27 weeks, we also discovered through an echo that there is a coarctation of the aorta, meaning that there is a narrowing in her aorta.  This is something that will need to be monitored closely especially after birth, to determine if an additional surgery in the very beginning of her life will be needed (likely the first week or so).  


Since that time, we continue to have regular echos performed to learn as much as we can about the baby’s tiny, developing heart.  


We are incredibly grateful for our medical team and our support system through our family, friends and work colleagues/friends.  Taylor, Brooks, and I AND our soon-to-arrive little girl are very blessed and know we are in the best of hands.  


I will use this website to provide group updates. We love you all and we thank you for loving on us and our baby girl!  Thanks for being part of her team! She’s a toughie, and she’ll get through this!

Newest Update

March 15, 2023

Journal entry by Maggie Waspi —

Hi all!

Sorry to not send more updates on Lenny the past year, life has been pretty hectic to say the least!  Lenny has grown and progressed in leaps and bounds, it’s amazing!

I couldn’t resist sending these photos of her this morning on her 1 Year Heartiversary as she headed into school.  Our hero, our heart warrior, going to kick CHD’s butt!  She is a miracle, so full of joy, life and sweetness.  

Lennon has come so far in the past year, we are so proud of what she has overcome and who she is becoming.  She also became a big sister about a month ago, and is already fitting into that role like a champ.  Lenny is tough and such a happy active girl.  We are so blessed!!!

Thanks again to all of you who follow her journey and cheer her on!  She is so loved 🥰

Love,
The Waspis
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