The teacher’s personal experience La Salle school in Santa Coloma de Farners (The Jungle, Girona), Sara Battloserahas been the main inspiration for this year’s 4th ESO project, which has sought to investigate the world of infant transplants and collaborate with Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona. Students, teachers and families have turned in solidarity with the initiative. They were especially motivated by a story that has touched everyone closely. “The fact of helping someone close to you is very different from getting involved in a problem in another municipality or country and the truth is that I am very grateful for everything they are doing; it is very exciting because it is a reality that happens to you, as it could happen to them and it’s nice that they want to share these values”, explains Batllosera.
Little Beth, just two years old, has been at home for a few days, where she is learning to walk, talk and eat on her own.
Battlosera’s daughter Beth, not yet two years old but has lived a very intense life practically since he was born. At five months she was diagnosed with bronchitis and, from there, the doctors discovered that she had a heart disease. “Over time it has been seen that the cause is genetic, but we do not know if he already had it from birth or if it developed from bronchitis.”
The prognosis was not good, he needed a heart transplant and added to the waiting list. She lasted eight months but then needed external ventricular assistance. That is to say, her heart no longer gave of itself and she had to be permanently connected to a machine that replaced the organ. Due to the seriousness of the situation, Beth was hospitalized in the ICU 16 months until he received the transplant. “It was very risky to go home, he could suffer a cardiac arrest at any moment…in fact, the doctors told us that no other child had been admitted to the pediatric ICU for so long,” explains her mother.
transplant in March
During all this time, Sara Batllosera and her partner turned to their daughter and practically “isolated” with her. “We didn’t have a social life, we just went to see the closest family and that’s it, since Beth had no defenses and we had to watch a lot.” Near to Vall d’Hebron Hospitalwhere she was admitted, is the Ronald Mcdonald house, a residence for families who have children seriously admitted and it is where Beth’s parents lived during this time.
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Finally, after the long wait, the heart arrived and the transplant was done at the end of March. The operation went well, the body did not reject the organ and they have been home for a few days. “We are aware that, at least, they will have to do another transplant because we know that they do not last a lifetime, but we hope that it will be many years from now, in the meantime, they will have to take medication to ensure that they last as long as possible,” explains his mother.
Back home, Beth has just recovered and is learning to walk and talk. “Being hospitalized for so long has delayed some motor aspects, what is most difficult is for her to eat alone, but at least all the cognitive part is fine; therefore we must be patient and, in a few months we hope she can go to school and , in the long run, that he can lead a life as normally as possible,” he concludes.