When you first meet little Scarlett, she may look like any other ordinary baby. But, she is the "miracle" baby who was born with an underdeveloped heart and survived four months without any treatment.
The rare heart condition called Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome (HRHS) is a heart condition where the right side of the heart is less developed than the left one. The serious condition, if not treated early can prove to be deadly as it negatively affects the blood flow to the lungs. The right side of the heart is not strong enough to perform all the functions of the organ and makes the infant critically ill.
The heart condition is normally detected before birth, through the scans conducted during 22 weeks of gestational period. In undetected cases, the babies exhibit symptoms shortly after birth through difficulties in breathing, a bluish color on skin and lips.
It wasn't until the fourth month, when baby Scarlett showed discomfort through her behavior, Nichola, her mother and a primary school teacher sought medical help.
"Nathanial is such a happy wee boy, everybody knows how happy he is," the primary school teacher told Daily Mail about her elder son, 23-month old, Nathanial. "But I think people started to think: 'She's wild,' because Scarlett was just so unhappy and screamed all the time."
Scarlett's pediatrician advised Nichola and Scarlett's father, Peter. to take her to Yorkhill Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow where the health practitioners detected the heart problem.
"It was unbelievable. From having a child that you think is healthy to this. I thought at worst she might have asthma," Nichola told the Daily Mail. "It is a miracle she is still here. The doctors can't really believe how a child can get to four and a half months with that condition."
Doctors conducted two major heart surgeries to save the life of little Scarlett. Though the surgery ensured a normal life for Scarlett, according to the doctors, a heart transplant in her teenage years is the only way for solving the problem permanently.
