At four months old, Melody grew clingy and fussy. Her mom, Ariel Chabot, assumed it was teething—until a few weeks later, when she learned the truth was far more serious.
In June, the family came down with the flu, but Melody seemed to get worse rather than recover like Chabot, her 27-year-old mom.
She told Newsweek: “We all caught a common cold and I thought I was taking my daughter into the hospital to get a puffer for something like asthma, but it turned out to be much worse.”
The infant was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy—a heart condition where the main pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) becomes enlarged and stretched, making it weaker at pumping blood.
The rare condition affects approximately 0.47 girls per 100,000 and roughly 0.66 boys per 100,000, according to research.
Melody is now on the waiting list for a heart transplant and cannot leave the hospital until she receives one.
“Everything happened so fast and all within the same morning of me taking her in,” recalled Chabot, who lives in Ontario, Canada. “It felt like a nightmare. We were in shock at first, as the last thing you think your daughter would have is heart failure.”
Infant Heart Failure Symptoms
Now, Chabot shares clips on TikTok (@littlewarriormelody) to raise awareness of heart failure in infants.
She recently shared a clip showcasing her daughter’s symptoms, which has been paired with footage of the now-8-month-old and has racked up over 310,000 views.
The symptoms include:
- Mottled skin
- Heavy breathing
- Constant tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Excessive sweating
Chabot told Newsweek that her daughter changed at around four months old, becoming “fussy and clingy.” Her parents initially assumed it was due to teething.
Speaking about the following month, Chabot said: “Melody’s symptoms truly became noticeable. She was extremely sweaty to the point that I couldn’t even lay her on my couch without leaving a sweat mark.
“She was refusing tummy time and lost her appetite. She wouldn’t let me put her down and was either crying or sleeping. Then finally her breathing got worse and she began to look very pale.”
Dr. Chris Knoll, a pediatric cardiac intensivist and medical director of mechanical circulatory support at Phoenix Children, spoke to Newsweek about the symptoms, which are difficult to diagnose with young patients.
“Infants and toddlers aren’t able to describe symptoms of heart failure, so it takes a very high index of suspicion to properly diagnose these patients,” he said.
Knoll explained that the early symptoms are the ones that Melody had, adding: “Often, these symptoms mimic other common pediatric ailments such as viral infections, stomach bugs, reflux, asthma or food allergies.
“It takes specialized training in pediatric cardiology to identify the subtle differences between these common childhood diseases and the much rarer condition of dilated cardiomyopathy and associated heart failure.”
What Are the Known Causes of DCM in Babies?
Knoll told Newsweek that the underlying causes for dilated cardiomyopathy in infants and children often are still undetermined.
He said: “Up to three quarters of cases are labeled ‘idiopathic’ cardiomyopathy, meaning that a clear cause cannot be determined at the time of diagnosis. For infants born with dilated cardiomyopathy, there is a higher prevalence of an underlying genetic or metabolic condition.
“Recent advances in genetic testing have revealed genetic causes play a bigger role in this population than we previously thought.
“Cases that were labeled as ‘idiopathic’ in the past, may now be understood to be due to underlying genetic mutations as we learn more about the plethora of genes involved in dilated cardiomyopathy.”
From Urgent Care to Hospital Admission
At first, Melody was taken to urgent care, where staff insisted she see a pediatrician in hospital. An X-ray revealed her heart was enlarged.
“As far as we know it’s not genetic,” Chabot told Newsweek.
Melody is currently hooked up to the Berlin Heart, a ventricular assist device (VAD) designed to support the hearts of children with severe heart failure, particularly as a bridge to transplantation.
“This diagnosis hit us all with shock,” said Chabot. “But now we all understand Melody’s path and are ready to face it with her. She chose us to be her parents for a reason—to be a positive force.
“We just know things will be OK in the end and are just so thankful that we have her here today. There are other ways this whole situation could’ve ended.
“I am thankful to the whole team at Sick Kids watching over my daughter.
“When she receives her heart, she’ll be able to do all these normal things like playing sports and going to school. It’s a second chance at life and when that donor does come, I will be forever grateful to their family.”
Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
The post Baby Has ‘Common Cold’ Then Comes Heartbreaking Diagnosis appeared first on Newsweek.
