One-in-a-million baby girl defies ‘all the odds’ to survive after being born with her organs the wrong way round
- Ria Moreno, who lives in London, has a rare condition, called situs inversus
- The condition means her major organs are mirrored from their normal positions
- Doctors also discovered she had congenital heart disease when she was born
- She needed a stent – but it failed and her parents were told she was going to die
A one-in-a-million baby girl has defied ‘all the odds’ to survive after she was born with her organs all the wrong way round.
Ria Moreno has a rare condition, called situs inversus, which means her major organs are mirrored from their normal positions.
Doctors also discovered she had three congenital heart disease when she was born – and she needed a stent fitting when she was just seven days old.
However, the stent failed just months later and her parents Amelia and Julian – who had been trying to conceive for five years – were told she was ‘going to die’.
But, now nine months old, Ria, who is living in London with her family, has pulled through and is continuing to defy the odds.
Ria Moreno has a rare condition, called situs inversus, which means her major organs were mirrored from their normal positions
Doctors also discovered she had congenital heart disease when she was born – and she needed a stent fitting when she was just seven days old (pictured recently)
However, the stent failed just months later and her parents Amelia and Julian – who had been trying to conceive for five years – were told she was ‘going to die’ (pictured in hospital)
Ms Moreno, said: ‘Ria is a genuine miracle. After all the IVF and years of trying it was amazing to see her for the first time.
‘But things quickly took a turn for the worse as she turned blue. We were told she had situs inverses which caused her organs to be on the wrong side of her body.
‘She is now nine months old and has defied all the odds to still be alive.
‘Even though we are extremely lucky Ria could deteriorate at any time so we have to always be vigilant.’
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Ms Moreno, who was living in Qatar at the time, had a high-risk pregnancy and was given an emergency C-section at 42 weeks.
It was then that she and her partner, 35, were given the crushing news that Ria had complex congenital heart disorder and situs inversus.
Her three heart disorders were atrioventricular and ventriculoarterial discordance, ventricular septal defect and critical pulmonary stenosis.
Doctors reportedly called her one in a million because staff at the hospital had never encountered anything like her rare combination of illnesses before.
But, now nine months old, Ria, who is living in London with her family, has pulled through and is continuing to defy the odds (pictured with her parents Amelia and Julian)
Ms Moreno, who was living in Qatar at the time, had a high-risk pregnancy and was given an emergency C-section at 42 weeks (Ria’s parents are pictured with her in hospital)
In July, Ria was whisked away for emergency surgery for the second time in her short life after going into hospital for a routine scan (pictured with her mother)
WHAT IS SITUS INVERSUS?
The normal arrangement of internal organs is known as situs solitus while situs inversus is generally the mirror image of situs solitus – where the major visceral organs are reversed or mirrored from their normal positions.
Situs inversus totalis involves complete transposition (right to left reversal) of all of the abdominal organs.
The heart is not in its usual position in the left chest, but is on the right, a condition known as dextrocardia (literally, right-hearted).
Because the relationship between the organs is not changed, most people with situs inversus have no medical symptoms or complications.
People with situs inversus should wear a medical identification tag to warn emergency medical staff that their internal organs are reversed from normal so they can act accordingly, for example, by listening for a heartbeat on the right rather than left side of the chest
The heart is located on the right side of the thorax, the stomach and spleen on the right side of the abdomen and the liver and gall bladder on the left side.
The condition is estimated to occur in one in every 10,000 births. Singers Enrique Iglesias and Donny Osmond are both known to have it.
Ms Moreno, 41, said: ‘Julian told the nurses that her legs were blue shortly after she was born. That’s when they hit the panic button.
‘Her legs were blue because she wasn’t receiving blood or oxygen properly. She was rushed to another hospital to neonatal ICU.’
At only seven days old, Ria had emergency surgery to have a stent fitted.
Three weeks later, Ria and her parents came out of hospital and returned to the UK in June once she was well enough.
In July, Ria was whisked away for emergency surgery for the second time in her short life after going into hospital for a routine scan.
Her parents were given the devastating news that their daughter’s stent was failing and that she may not pull through.
Recalling that moment, Ms Moreno said: ‘This summer they told us she was going to die. That was a really dark moment.
‘Lots of babies have heart conditions but she has all of these conditions rolled into one.’
Ria defied the odds and is now back at home with her parents – who say you wouldn’t even know she was ill.
Ms Moreno said: ‘We are so blessed. You wouldn’t know she was ill. She’s got a feisty personality. She’s amazing. Despite of everything she’s a little ray of sunshine.
‘It surprises everyone who meets her how happy she is. She’s a little trooper and she’s got an amazing smile.’
Ria has to be monitored on a daily basis and her parents can’t even risk putting her into contact with other babies in case she becomes ill.
Ms Moreno added: ‘We have to monitor her with equipment each and every day. It’s horrible. The pressure is intense. It’s not normal parenthood.
‘My husband has moved back here and given up his job working on luxury yachts.
‘My mum was really sick over Christmas but I couldn’t let her see Ria in case she became ill.’
Ria’s long-term future is currently unknown and the family are exploring possible options, which range from a heart transplant to heart surgery.
Ms Moreno said: ‘We live on a knife edge. They don’t know what will happen to her.
‘The worst case scenario is a heart transplant but the best case scenario would be heart surgery. We’re living with this unknown element each and every day.
‘She can’t have surgery to correct the situs inversus.
‘First and foremost we need to make sure she’s healthy and then to give her the best time. We want to live as normal a life as possible.’
The family are currently raising more for Ria’s future. To donate, visit here.
Ria has to be monitored on a daily basis and her parents can’t even risk putting her into contact with other babies in case she becomes ill (pictured with her father)
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