Mile 69

Levi Tommy Bihm and his sister, Suni Dallas, were born at 34 weeks on Oct. 16, 2024. Despite their preemie status and only nine-day hospital stay, they were happy and healthy fraternal twins. Following a busy respiratory season, and spouts with RSV and pneumonia for both babies, after a week of treatments in January, Levi still hadn’t shown signs of recovery. Baby Levi underwent an echocardiogram (ECHO), which revealed a much more serious cardiac issue—he was born with a hole in his heart.

An ECHO uses ultrasound waves to create detailed images of the heart’s structure and function. In addition to the hole in his heart, Levi was diagnosed with coarctation of the aorta, a congenital heart defect with the exact cause unknown. Ten days later, on Feb. 17, 4-month-old Levi underwent another ECHO. By then, his condition had worsened. His pneumonia and breathing challenges weren’t improving, and mom, Miranda, was told the problem could soon begin affecting his kidneys and other organs.

“They said Levi needed a stent right away and told us to go home, pack our bags and get to Manning Family Children’s  in New Orleans,” Miranda recalled. Pediatric Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Pettitt performed open-heart surgery on February 19 and said Levi came through like a champ. During the surgery, he removed the narrowed portion of the aorta and stitched the two healthy ends together to restore normal blood flow. This helped Levi’s heart pump blood more easily and effectively to the rest of his body, improving his health.  A few months after his operation, Levi is doing great. He has had a follow-up appointment with his local cardiologist, and unless any concerns arise, he won’t need to return to Children’s.