On that day, 11-year-old Preston Porter made history—medical history, that is. He went on to become the first person in the world to have an artificial heart valve replaced with a living donor heart valve! This pioneering operation is a type of partial heart transplant. Perhaps most importantly, it holds new promise for kids who have the same defect he does, allowing them to be more active and healthy.
Preston’s journey began almost ten years ago. At 20 months, their most difficult challenge began with a distal aortic arch hypoplasia diagnosis. During his hospitalization for that viral infection, doctors decided he needed to have a mechanical mitral valve placed. He received the valve at age one, which presented its own set of complications. He had to take blood-thinning medication to prevent clots from forming on the mechanical valve. This involved weekly blood tests and extreme dietary limitations. Preston could not play competitive sports because of the dangers posed by his condition.
Dr. Alain d’Udekem, the surgeon who performed the operation, explained the advantages of using a living donor valve:
“It’s living so it can grow with him.” – Dr. Alain d’Udekem
Once healed, the living donor mitral valve replaces the artificial valve. This milestone achievement will enable Preston to return to a quality of life that his illness had stolen from him. As soon as the surgery is completed, he will begin a regimen of low-dose anti-rejection drugs. Now he has something to look forward to interacting with, instead of avoiding, at long last!
Preston’s mother, Lauren Porter, reflected on her son’s past struggles and expressed her relief at the surgery’s success:
“He’s a very active kid. You know, over the years he’s missed out on a lot.” – Lauren Porter
When he found out that he might be able to receive a living donor valve, Preston’s response was immediate and optimistic. His father reported on Facebook that Marquis was elated to come home and look forward to becoming a “normal kid” again.
“When we first told him that this was an option, he said, ‘So this means I could be a normal kid,’” – Lauren Porter
The living donor heart valve has had a huge positive impact on Preston’s day-to-day life and overall quality of life. Now, he looks forward to the prospect of playing flag football and other activities.
Even though they were worried at first about the groundbreaking procedure, Preston’s family has welcomed this new chapter in his health journey.
“My initial reaction was, no, this is too new. There’s no data,” – Porter
