Carolina was five months pregnant when she received the news no parent wants to hear – there was something wrong with her unborn daughter’s heart.

Despite the unknown, Carolina and her husband Andre were overjoyed when their little girl, Olivia, was born in April 2021.

Their joy was quickly overshadowed by fear when Olivia was diagnosed with two extremely rare congenital heart conditions. This marked the start of the family’s journey with The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).

“Olivia was born with only half a heart, and the veins that would normally drain blood from the lungs back to her heart were connected incorrectly, which made breathing impossible,” said Andre, Olivia’s dad.

Olivia had the first of three major heart surgeries at the RCH when she was just seven days old.

“It was such a shock to see our newborn baby attached to all the instrumentation and with lines going everywhere. It was so scary and something you can’t prepare for, but the nurses really helped us through,” Andre explained.

After six months at the RCH, Olivia was finally able to go home. But a year after her second surgery, she caught two separate respiratory viruses and found herself back at the RCH.

What would normally be relatively common illnesses resulted in Olivia developing pulmonary stenosis; a blocked vein to her right lung.

“The cardiology team told us she would have to undergo emergency surgery, and we were rushed into hospital just after Christmas,” Andre said.

“We spent seven weeks at the hospital and Olivia had many complications. She is now likely to need a heart lung transplant,” Andre added.

The family have been through the unimaginable, and although their journey continues, Andre and Carolina know Olivia is getting the best possible care at the RCH.

“The hospital is such a special place and feels like home to us. Everyone really considered us as parents as well as the needs of Olivia. They empowered us by giving us the tools to be able to look after her back home and not to panic when things go wrong,” Andre said.

“We no longer feel helpless, or like innocent bystanders when it comes to Olivia, and that’s because of the unique care and support you receive, which is unlike any other hospital,” Andre added.

Andre and Carolina will always be grateful for the kindness and care their family received at the RCH, and the generosity of the community in making excellent care possible.

“When people donate to the RCH Foundation, you can really see the impact happening right in front of your eyes. As a family, we have benefited from the generosity of others and can’t express enough how grateful we are,” Andre said.