ACCORDING to the Better Health Channel, approximately one in every 100 babies has been born with a congenital heart defect (CHD).

Some defects are mild and cause no significant disturbance to the way the heart functions, however more than half of all children with CHD have a condition that is serious enough to require treatment - the latter was the case for Philippa ‘Pippa’ McDonald.

At four weeks old, Pippa developed an eye infection requiring medical attention which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

She was taken to the emergency department for an eye examination where subsequently, they detected a heart murmur.

Pippa’s mum, Ingrid, said at the time she was concerned about her daughter’s eye, so when she was told about Pippa’s heart murmur, she wasn’t too worried.

“I had heard lots of kids have heart murmurs, but my dad was with me and he was like, ‘something’s not right.’

“Then as they kept us in and told us more and more, I realised that, even though it’s common, how serious it was.

 “Basically, all the wall in Pippa’s heart didn’t exist - she had only two chambers instead of four,” Ingrid said.

“If she didn’t have the eye infection - things could have turned out very different.”

Pippa was taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital where she was placed in the Koala ward, but a week and a half later her health was rapidly declining.

She was then transferred to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and within three days had an open-heart surgery.

“It was wild - pretty full on seeing all the kids - it feels like life’s not meant to be like that, but it just becomes your norm.

“You have to get up every day and be there for your child no matter what,” Ingrid said.

A week later, Pippa was sent home with her parents.

“All my family, Bryce and I - we find it affects us more now, because your love grows for her more as she gets older and to look back and think what she went through - it’s full on.

“Not every baby has open-heart surgery, but for us that was our norm,” Ingrid said.

Even though things have been more-or-less back to the usual for the young family, Pippa’s heart journey has changed things.

 “When Pippa was sick, you imagine how your life as a parent is going to be, particularly a first-time parent and it turns out so differently.

 “But we’ve been blessed so much with her, and it’s changed our perspective on life and what’s important,” Ingrid said.

Pippa has arrythmia which her cardiologist thinks (because of the surgery) she may have forever, “but it’s not slowing her down or holding her back,” Ingrid added.

“She’s off all her medication and she does everything every other kid does.

“She’s thriving - she’s happy and she’s growing.”

It also took Pippa a while to start eating because of all she’d previously been through, “but you can’t stop her eating now,” Ingrid laughed.

“She’s super energetic and super, super bubbly.

“She loves to cook in the kitchen with me.

 “It’s such a blessing to be a mum - such a blessing.”