A virus attacked the heart of a baby just weeks old, sparking a two-month battle. Little Tessa Dubé was finally able to leave the hospital, just in time to celebrate her first Christmas with her family.
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Tessa was born on September 29th at Rimouski Regional Hospital. The little one was in great condition and the family returned home a few days after the birth. However, the newborn quickly became infected with a virus that caused myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle.
“It was an endo-enterovirus that she caught. It probably happened the first night we got to my house. Our eldest had a mild cold and the virus was probably strong and caused myocarditis,” explains mother Véronique Pelletier.
Tessa Dubé, still a baby, was born perfectly healthy, but a few days old she became infected with a virus that caused significant heart problems. She was released from the hospital on December 13, just in time to return to Rimouski and celebrate Christmas with her family in Quebec. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Alarmed by Tessa's weight loss, a nurse conducted additional tests. A lumbar puncture revealed meningitis, leading to the child's hospitalization.
“The next day she had a cardiac ultrasound and that’s when the cardiologist decided to transfer Tessa to CHUL by ambulance,” explains Tessa’s mother. At that time, the parents did not know what the child was suffering from. It was October 6th.
“He immediately realized that something was wrong with his heart. We understood that here in the intensive care unit [c’était grave]. We had a whole welcoming committee,” the mother continues.
Sébastien Dubé, Tessa's father, has made numerous trips between Quebec and Rimouski to offer his eldest a presence at home and to best support his partner and little Tessa. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Lots of back and forth
The parents were able to find out what happened to their newborn.
“It was less fun there,” adds Sébastien Dubé, Tessa’s father, who traveled back and forth between Quebec and Rimouski to run his business and give Tessa’s big brother some semblance of a normal life.
The following week was stressful for the parents. Tessa had cardiac arrhythmias, seizures and a massive pulmonary hemorrhage. All this within a few days of life.
To promote oxygenation, doctors had to install an extracorporeal membrane, commonly referred to as ECMO. The chance of Tessa surviving without damage was about one in three. One in three people died from it.
“ECMO is a matter of life and death when you get there,” explains the mother. I went to the toilet and threw up, which was always bad news.”
Help welcome
The small family was able to count on the help of the En Cœur Foundation to overcome this great ordeal. The presence of volunteers helped parents avoid isolation. The foundation also supported them financially by covering hotel costs and providing canteen vouchers.
Tessa and her parents, a few hours before leaving for the long-awaited homecoming to Rimouski. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Tessa was finally released from the intensive care unit in the first week of December. On December 13, the family returned home, just in time to cut down a Christmas tree, decorate it and rest.
The family will have to remain isolated for some time to reduce the risk of Tessa coming into contact with viruses. So it will be a quiet vacation.
“But at least we know that she will live,” Tessa’s father breathes gratefully.
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“I'm not that religious, but I've never prayed to God like that. It could well be that I go to midnight mass, I'm sure I have to give thanks for that,” says Sébastien Dubé, Tessa's father.
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