April Zaratsian

Andrew was born in 2014 at 25 weeks gestation and he weighed just under 1 lb. (450 grams). We spent the first 200 days of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). During Andrew’s stay he had many ups and downs as to be expected with being born so early. At 25 days old his he got very sick and all of his organs were failing. It was discovered that his PICC line was inserted into his lower artery instead of his vein, so he had to be transported to downtown Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. Once there they were unsure if he would need immediate open heart surgery. Luckily they pulled the PICC line and he just had some blood clots that needed to be watched and no surgery was required. A couple days later he needed bedside surgery to place a Broviac Line. He was so tiny and frail, so unfortunately the Broviac line got infected 2 weeks later and he required another surgery to replace the line.

Andrew's next hurdle was Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). Andrew was monitored weekly by an Ophthalmologist and it was decided that he was at high risk of his retina detaching and causing him to be blind. He had laser eye surgery to correct this at 19 weeks old. His 4th surgery at 23 weeks old was for a large hernia repair. Finally at 200 days old we were able to bring our little guy home. It was one of the happiest and scariest moments of our lives. Andrew was fast asleep and I was sad he was going to miss the big moment, but as soon as the NICU doors opened he woke up and had the biggest smile on his face and he didn’t stop smiling the whole way to the car!

During our entire NICU stay Andrew was followed by Cardiology. He is still being monitored every year. He has 2 heart defects. Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) which is a large hole between the upper 2 chambers in his heart. Currently, we have a yearly checkup where he gets an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, which helps determine if/when he will require surgery to repair this. Also, Andrew has Pulmonary Stenosis which is a deformation in his pulmonary valve, which causes his heart to pump harder. In addition, he has chronic lung disease from being premature. Andrew also receives weekly Speech, Physical and Occupational therapies to help him with his developmental delays and get him ready for Kindergarten this year!

This little guy has been through so much and he remains a very happy boy who loves life to the fullest. He absolutely loves everything Disney , especially Elsa! He enjoys playing with his little brother Ethan. He wants to be a singer like Michael Buble when he grows up. He gives the best hugs and loves to give high fives!