Baby Born With Heart Outside Chest Finally Out Of Hospital After 14 Months

Feb 20, 2019

Venellope Hope Wilkins, a baby girl from the UK was born at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester (UK) with a rare malformation called Ectopia Cordis, which causes the heart to grow outside her chest.

According to FOX news, the little girl was only given a 10% chance of survival. Fourteen months later, she was finally released from the hospital and is home with her family where she belongs.

Some babies are born as medical miracles. It is an unfortunate truth that many infants come into the world with a birth defect. While some birth defects are relatively minor, others are serious or even life-threatening. 

The condition is typically accompanied by heart defects such as weak muscles or abnormal heart rhythm. The condition can also be paired with other defects of the chest and abdominal walls.

According to the Children's Hospital Colorado, only about 1 in 126,000 births involves ectopia cordis. Many babies are stillborn, others die shortly after birth. For the babies that do survive, they may face a lifetime of heart trouble, medical interventions and daily medicines.

Baby Wilkins was born one month early by c-section in order to avoid the risks of a vaginal delivery. She had her first surgery within an hour after birth. The first surgery was to get her heart inside of her chest and protect it with a mesh material. The doctors also closed the hole in her thoracic cavity with skin taken off of her arm.

About five months after her surgery, Baby Wilkins was able to be moved to a hospital closer to where her family lives. This made it easier for her parents to visit her. She had more medical interventions, including work on the sternum of her chest.

On the 6th day of February 2019, the baby was well enough to go home. Her medical journey is not over, but she is now able to live with her parents and begin living the typical life of a toddler. Baby Wilkins will need ongoing treatment and monitoring, but she has beaten the odds.

We're glad little Venellope is alright! What do you think about this miracle baby? Let us know in the comments - and feel free to pass this along to your friends and family!