It is increasingly common to know cases of babies and children for whom no one put their hand in the fire when predicting their survival that show that sometimes the logic is wrong. It is not that there are more and more cases, I would say that there have always been, the difference is that we now find out even those that happen thousands of kilometers from here, like this one that I tell you today, about a child from Pennsylvania.
It's about Ryan Marquiss, a boy who He is three years old despite being born with part of his heart outside the thoracic cavity. This phenomenon, which is known as ectopia cordisIt is a malformation that causes the heart to be poorly positioned, leading to protrude through the chest, although covered by a thin membrane that "protects" it.
This means that, or so it happened in Ryan's case, only the left part of the heart will work correctly, the right one not being functional. Since the heart is a complete organ that needs both sides to function properly, doctors explained to parents that the chances of survival were minimal.
This happened in the twelfth week of gestation, when thanks to an ultrasound they were able to report the malformation to the parents. They listened to the information and decided to move forward with the pregnancy: "We wanted to let nature take its course. We knew it would be a miracle if it survived.", explained his mother.
And it really was. First because it is a very rare malformation and second because statistics say that of every million children born with a ectopia cordis, only five to eight children survive.
Now, after twelve operations to his credit, Ryan has been able to celebrate his third birthday. Doctors, assessing all problems and conditions do not hesitate to ensure that they must be the only child capable of surviving with such a combination of adverse factors.
His parents, logically, only wish that their son could lead a normal life and, for the moment, thanks to the help of nature, chance and science, they are getting it.
