Meet Kerrington

On January 20th of 2009, a beautiful baby girl was born to Sam and Christy Johnson. Moments after birth, Kerrington was diagnosed with having Tetralogy of Fallot, a series of congenital heart defects and Absent Pulmonary Valve Syndrome, a rare heart defect. While the prognosis and cause for Kerrington’s disease were unknown, it was clear that her future would hold numerous heart surgeries which her survival depended on.

Sam and Christy learned the cause at Kerrington’s follow-up appointment with the Cardiologist. Kerrington had tested positive for Di-George Syndrome, a genetic disorder with varying conditions including heart defects. The months that followed consisted of numerous appointments with various specialists. The first months of Kerrington’s life were confined to home because of her immune deficiency and the fear of her coming in contact with illnesses that would weaken her heart. In May, she was admitted to Kentucky Children’s Hospital for seven days for failure to thrive.

In September 2009, after going into heart failure, it was decided that it was in Kerrington’s best interest to move forward with her first major open heart surgery, which was performed on October 14, 2009. After a five hour surgery, Kerrington was taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where she stayed for seven days. She was discharged two days later, knowing that the valve that was used would possibly need to be replaced in three to five years.

Kerrington has went on to have two additional pulmonary valve replacements. With every obstacle she has faced, she has overcome each triumphantly.