A Patient's Story: Lily

Aug 1, 2022 | Kayla Mulhern | @kaylam1

Lily Montgomery was just 3 months old when a doctor told her parents that Lily’s symptoms were likely from a simple cold. But just two days after that appointment, on New Year’s Eve, Lily was rushed to the emergency room. While waiting to be admitted, she went limp and pale in her father’s arms. That was a moment that will forever be seared into his memory.

Thankfully, hospital staff were able to stabilize Lily, and she was transferred to Fargo Medical Center. Although Lily was then diagnosed with RSV, her parents knew something else was wrong. With a family history of heart problems, Lily’s parents insisted on getting their daughter an echocardiogram. A parent’s intuition is usually right, and this case was no different. Lily had significant enlargement of her left ventricle and was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Lily was then transferred to Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus, where it was determined that the 3-month-old would need a heart transplant. In the meantime, doctors used an LVAD machine to take over for her heart. Lily also required blood transfusions to keep her alive until a heart became available. Then, on July 10, 2018 — six months after being put on the transplant list — Lily received
her new heart. It’s a date that will always be special for the Montgomery family. During and after her transplant surgery, additional blood transfusions were essential in the success of Lily’s heart transplant. Lily and her family will be forever grateful for the donors who helped to save her life.

How to Donate
For more information about donating blood in Rochester, Minnesota, call (507) 284-4475 or email donateblood@mayo.edu. Or visit our webpage http://www.mayoclinic.org/donateblood.

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