Courtesy Photo | Haley Moss poses for a photo by the ocean while out with her Family. Haley suffers...... read more read more
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DIYALA, Iraq — Haley Moss is a 15-year-old girl who was diagnosed at the age of four with the rare heart conditions of Double Outlet Right Ventricle, and Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome a condition in which both her primary artery and vein share the right side of her abnormal three-chambered heart.
Her father, Sgt. 1st Class David Moss, is the general support squad non-commissioned officer with the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 296th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and will be leaving his post at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq, to be with Haley as she ventures to the Boston Children’s Hospital for her third open heart surgery.
“Her plumbing’s all jacked up,” said Moss. “What this causes is that she only gets 75% of the oxygen she needs to her blood so she doesn’t have a lot of energy, she can walk a little bit, but she gets tired easily and she usually has blue fingertips and blue lips.”
In addition to DORV, she also suffers from tachycardia attacks. The irregular blood flow causes her resting heart rate to rapidly increase to a point that can be fatal if not treated right away.
“About twice a month her heart will instantly go from [a normal] 98bpm [beats per minute] to 180bpm,” said Moss. “We have to rush her to the emergency room where they give her medicine through an IV to slow her heart down.”
Instead of struggling with expensive hospital bills for her repeated visits, all her treatments have been paid for by TRICARE, the U.S. Military’s health insurance program. This requires her to go to Madigan Army Medical Center, located at Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Wash., where the doctors and nurses have assisted Haley with her every need.
“Everywhere we’ve been has had an Army cardiologist that’s done a great job with Haley,” said Moss.
Moss took a break from his Army career in the 90s just before Haley’s birth. Working at a manufacturing plant, he struggled to find the time to be at his daughter’s side when she needed him the most. This, and mounting medical care costs, prompted him to return to active duty.
“The military has been very good at giving me time off when she has an attack or needs treatment,” said Moss. “When I was working at a civilian job my boss wasn’t as understanding and it was really hard for me to get time off.”
Eventually she was referred to the specialists in Boston. The operation Haley will undergo is called a Fontan procedure. This surgery will re-route some of her blood vessels to pass through her lungs, allowing more oxygen to enter her blood stream.
“If this procedure is successful, she shouldn’t go into tachycardia anymore and she shouldn’t have to go to the emergency room anymore,” said Haley’s father. “The best thing is that it should give her more energy. It’ll take her from 75% oxygen to 85% or maybe even 90%.”
Haley and the rest of her family will take the journey to Boston in July to for this procedure. She is expected to stay in the hospital for three weeks before making a full recovery.
“This will help her to walk further and be able to walk up and down stairs without tiring so easily,” said Moss. “It’ll also take pressure off her lungs and help her heart heal better.”
Despite all these complications and time missed from school to be in the hospital, Haley has maintained straight As, and intends to continue her academic success by pursuing a degree in medicine
“She wants to be a doctor, or do something in the medical field,” said Moss. “I don’t know if she’ll physically be able to be a doctor, but she’ll be able to help out people with a condition like hers.”
There is no cure for her condition, but operations such as this one can make life more enjoyable. Although Moss believes his daughter may never have the normal physical capabilities that most people take for granted, he is confident that Haley will be able to live an easier life for years to come.
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2010 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 51750 |
| Location: | DIYALA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 528 |
| Downloads: | 485 |
This work, Soldier leaves Iraq early to be at daughter's side, by SGT Adrian Muehe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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