CARLSBAD, N.M. — Just hours after the birth of their son, Corbin, Dennis and Marley Brockman's world was turned upside down. The young couple learned their son was born with a heart defect that would be fatal if surgery was not performed quickly.
Instead of bringing him home to sleep in his bassinet, his home for the first six months of his life was a hospital crib in Houston.
Recalling the day of her son's birth in August almost three years ago, Marley said the boy appeared healthy immediately after his birth. But within hours, he began to look "ashy."
"Everyone thought he was OK when he was delivered," Marley said. "I was trying to breast feed him in the hospital. Being a new mom, I called a nurse to ask her if I was doing it right. She came in and said Corbin's breathing seemed labored.
"He was kind of ashy-looking so she took him from me and had the pediatrician look at him. They took an x-ray and saw that the right side of his heart was enlarged. That meant there was a problem."
The couple took Corbin to Lubbock where they were told their son had hypoplastic left-heart syndrome (HLHS).
According to Children's Hospital in Houston, where Corbin is now being treated, this is a condition in which the left side of the heart is under-developed, causing complications in its ability to pump oxygenated blood out to the body.
The condition is congenital and affects one in 5,000 babies.
Although babies appear healthy when born, their health begins to deteriorate just hours after birth.
"We were in shock when we learned he was very sick," Marley said. "We thought we had a healthy baby. They told us in Lubbock that he would have to have heart surgery immediately to correct the problem."
Doctors also advised the couple to take their son to a hospital where doctors are skilled in the surgery he needed.
"They told us the three best hospitals for the surgery were in Boston, Philadelphia and Houston," Dennis said. "We chose the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston because it has a surgeon, Dr. Charles Fraser Jr., who specializes in the type of surgery Corbin needed. It was also the closet to home."
An Angel Flight was arranged for Marley and Corbin, and the two flew to Houston. Dennis and their parents drove to the hospital.
At 6 days old, Corbin underwent his first major surgery to save his life.
The treatment for Corbin's condition requires three surgeries.
The first operation is typically performed within the first few days after diagnosis. To improve blood flow to the body, the main lung (pulmonary) artery and body artery (small aorta) are linked to make a new, larger aorta. A passage or shunt is created using soft plastic to provide blood flow to the lungs. The wall separating the heart's top two chambers is also removed.
The second operation, normally performed between 4 and 5 months of age, reduces the workload of the heart and removes the shunt. Blood from the head, neck and upper body is routed to the lung arteries, allowing blood to flow into the lungs for oxygen.
The third operation is performed as the child begins to develop the need for more blood flow to the lungs. This surgical procedure is designed to separate the red (oxygenated) and blue (unoxygenated) blood and will improve the child's energy levels. A wall is created in the right collecting chamber and the chamber is attached to the base of the lung artery.
"Corbin has had the two open heart surgeries, plus he has had his aortic arch worked on. He had a blood clot in the heart and his left lung collapsed. All this happened before he was a year old," Dennis said.
In addition, in June, Corbin — nicknamed "Corbie" by his medical team — underwent a catheter procedure in both leg veins and one in his neck to check his heart and lungs.
"They found other issues with his heart, and they had to plug some vessel to force the blood to go the right way with the coils they inserted. Because of this issue, the (third) surgery will have to be done in the next month or two, at the latest."
Dennis, a U.S. Forest Service recreation technician in Carlsbad and Sitting Bull Falls manager, said he and Marley could not have coped as well as they have without the support of the Forest Service employees, family and friends.
"The first six months of Corbin's life we had to live in Houston. I was able to stay there because of all the employees in the Lincoln National forest Guadalupe Ranger District. They donated some of their annual leave to me so I could stay in Houston with Corbin and Marley. We are also fortunate to have health insurance coverage that does not put a monetary cap on our son's health care," Dennis said.
The couple said just for the first surgery — not including the hospital stay, anesthesia and medication — the bill came in at more than $400,000.
"We still have large out-of-pocket expenses and we are paying them. But we could not financially have made it if we had to pay the entire cost of the surgeries," he said.
Marley said reality — the enormity of their son's illness and the medical costs they would face — did not set in until they were getting ready for Corbin's surgery.
"I didn't think about it until a couple of days later after Corbin's diagnosis in Lubbock. My mom asked if Corbin would be covered under Dennis's health insurance," Marley said. "I called immediately to find out for sure. We were relieved when they told us that he was, and there was no cap. We still have to pay quite a bit though."
The couple, who met in high school when they were 17 years old, later married after relocating to Carlsbad from Capitan, and attended school at New Mexico State University at Carlsbad.
They had to downsize their home in order to pay the medical bills and other related costs.
Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House in Houston and other organizations associated with the hospital, the couple has housing provided for them at a considerably reduced cost. Friends, family, Forest Service co-workers and local businesses have helped the couple through fundraisers, donating vacation time and putting out collection jars at local businesses.
Although Marley would like to be able to complete her teaching degree and contribute financially, for now, she is a stay-at-home mom. Doctors have strongly advised that Corbin should not be in childcare after he suffered respiratory illnesses following a few days among other children in daycare.
Although he is an active child, he has his limitations. The heat and cold impact his body and he tires easily.
Dennis said his strong faith in God is what keeps him going.
"I do think that God is the reason my son is still alive and I thank him every single day for the life I have," Dennis said. "It was a blessing for me because I got to spend every day for the first five months of Corbin's life with him and Marley. Not many dads get to do that. So I think myself a very lucky person."
Both age 27, the couple say they have drawn closer, although like any married couple, they may have their moments of disagreement, Marley said.
"I know that often a child's catastrophic illness can cause a married couple to break up, but we look at each other as a team. We are a family and Corbin deserves for the both of us to work as a team and be there for him," Marley said. "He is a blessing. He's a little miracle."
Dennis agreed.
"That he is. He is also our million dollar baby, but we love him dearly," he said with a smile.
To give back to the Ronald McDonald House for the support he and Marley received during their stay there, Dennis and his Forest Service co-workers began collecting pop tabs, a program through the Ronald McDonald House that takes the proceeds from the sale of the aluminum pop tabs to financially help families that have gravely ill children.
The Guadalupe Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forrest was recently recognized by the Ronald McDonald House for its huge contribution of pop tabs.
The couple said they remain optimistic that their son will have a long and fruitful life.
"In the past 10 years they have continued to develop new surgical techniques for children with this type of illness," Marley said.
As for Corbin, when he is asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he says he hasn't made up his mind yet. He might a doctor or a fireman.
His mother is amused. At age 3 he still has time plenty of time to make up his mind, she said.
Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/