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GARDINER (ME)– Paitn Marie Verrill may need a new heart. While the eight-month-old is in stable condition at Boston Children’s Hospital, her family is seeking help from the community at home.
They have sent out “Calling all Angels” e-mails to neighbors and friends in an attempt to reach a greater audience and share Paitn’s story.
The emergency began when the child’s mother, Ashley Hathaway, 24, of Gardiner, took the girl to the MaineGeneral Medical Center emergency room Jan. 28 for what she believed was a cold. But when the child’s heart rate accelerated to more than 250, Paitn was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Doctors told the family Paitn’s heart was enlarging and she was having great difficulty breathing. The girl was sedated and ventilated. Once stabilized, the blue-eyed redhead was transported by ambulance to Boston for further tests — and a probable heart transplant, if Paitn remains stable and a donor can be found.
For now, Paitn remains sedated.
“We want to spread the word about her situation,” said Patricia Gosline of Pittston, Paitn’s great aunt. “You just don’t know what resources are out there, as far as donors.”
So the “Calling all Angels” e-mails are a plea for help in finding a heart donor for Paitn.
Paitn’s condition is a respiratory syncytial virus, the most common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia among infants and children younger than 1, according to the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
The virus may or may not have triggered her heart disease, Gosline said, leaving a heart that is enlarged and with a thin lining that cannot be corrected. Gosline said doctors are hoping her symptoms subside so they can biopsy the heart. Hathaway said there is a small chance the RSV didn’t cause the cardiomyopathy, but made it worse.
“What’s happening right now is that she’s stable,” Hathaway said.
Hathaway works for the Maine Revenue Service and James Verrill, Paitn’s father, is employed by Newman Concrete Services in Hallowell. The family does have insurance, Gosline said.
“Both employers have been wonderful,” Gosline said. “And we’ve established a recovery fund in her name. She can’t have flowers or balloons. In lieu of greeting cards, people can make small contributions. It will go a long way in helping the family. They’re uprooted and living in Boston right now.”
For more information, call Gosline at (207) 215-7755 or e-mail her at pigosline@aol.com
Organ donation can make a huge difference in someone’s life, she said. Unless there’s a miracle, Gosline said her great niece will need a heart transplant. It’s just a matter of when a donor can be found and if Paitn will be well enough to undergo the transplant. Hathaway said Paitn has O-positive blood, and that people can donate their blood specifically to her for the operation.
“At this point, a heart transplant isn’t an avenue,” Hathaway said. “But I want people to know Paitn’s story in case they are in a position to make a difficult decision and a heart transplant is needed. She’s such an unbelievable little girl. That’s why we just feel it’s important that people know what’s going on and the importance of organ donation and giving blood.”
Mechele Cooper — (207) 623-3811, Ext. 408
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