For the first 2 months of her life, Monique Holley was fighting to survive. Fortunately for her, and for her loving family, she was brought to the experts at The CHOC Heart Institute, where she was immediately diagnosed with a complex congenital heart defect known as Transposition of the Great Arteries.

In Transposition of the Great Arteries, or TGA, the pulmonary artery, which normally carries venous (bluish) blood from the right ventricle to the lungs to get oxygen, and the aorta, which normally carries the oxygen-rich (red) blood to the body, are reversed. As a result, oxygen-deprived blood is carried to the body, while the oxygen-rich blood is returned to the lungs.

Most babies born with TGA require surgery shortly after birth, as soon as the defect is detected, either by the heart murmur that results from the normal fetal structure closings, or by signs of distress, and/or change in skin color. Unfortunately for Monique, her defect went undetected, prior to being brought to Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), and the delay caused even more damage to her coronary anatomy. Worse yet, her symptoms were ignored by her pediatrician, according to her mother Rhonda Holley, and dismissed as being part of a "temper tantrum."

"I immediately noticed that Monique appeared pale at birth, and her hands and feet turned a bluish color when she cried. She also had a hard time breathing during feeding and when she had a bowel movement. I would press the issue with Monique's doctor, but was simply told that Monique had a bad temper, had colic, and I was treated as if I were a paranoid mother," recalls Rhonda. Additionally, Rhonda questioned the doctor about Monique's heavy breathing and was told that is was regular baby breathing. Rhonda never gave up hope on finding an answer to her concerns regarding Monique's health and well-being. A woman of strong faith, Rhonda prayed frequently, and recalls the day her prayers were finally answered.

"I noticed that Monique's color was a little off, and her breathing seemed different, but these symptoms were not that unusual for her. After returning home from church and while changing Monique, I noticed her chest was caving in and her skin began to turn a gray color. We immediately rushed her to the emergency room," says Rhonda.

In the emergency room, the CHOC experts immediately identified the problem, and worked hard to stabilize Monique, who had gone into severe respiratory distress. Two emergency procedures were performed by Dr. Michael Rebolledo; one to allow the mixing of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood, and the other to illuminate her coronary anatomy.

Once she was stabilized, she underwent open-heart surgery to repair the defect. The complex surgery, performed by Dr. Mark Bleiweis, medical director of The CHOC Heart Institute, lasted several hours.

"Typically, surgery for TGA occurs within the first week or two of an infant's life. However, Monique's defect presented so late, causing the heart to become de-conditioned, which made the surgery extremely risky," explains Dr. Bleiweis.

The surgery was followed by a 9-day stay in CHOC's Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, where Monique had to recover for a few days with her chest left open.

"It was so hard to see my baby laying there with so many tubes running out of her body, but I was comforted by my faith in God and by my faith in the doctors and nurses at CHOC. Dr. Bleiweis was wonderful and kept in touch with my family on a daily basis, telling us what to expect every step of the way," shares Rhonda.

Today, Monique is at home recovering and faces a normal, healthy childhood. She turned 3 months on February 7, a birthday she shares with her mother. Both mom and baby are enjoying their quiet time together.

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