When their son Salvatore was born in 2023 at a hospital in northern New Jersey, Kaitlyn Romano, his mother, and her husband both felt an overwhelming surge of joy and love, emotions they had been anticipating for months. Holding his tiny body, they marveled at how perfect he was. But the pediatrician had heard a heart murmur and ordered an echocardiogram, which would eventually send them to The Mount Sinai Hospital for a lifesaving procedure.
In this first-person account, Salvatore’s mother describes the emotional ups and downs the family experienced, eventually putting their faith in the team at Mount Sinai, which supported the family as Salvatore underwent the procedure. Salvatore is now thriving and living the normal life of a toddler.
When the doctor said they would need to do the test, that wonderful feeling of euphoria slipped away, and our worst fears set in. Mount Sinai pediatric cardiologist Marjorie Gayanilo, MD, interpreted the echocardiogram. Sadly, our beautiful boy’s pulmonary valve was 80 percent blocked. It was clear that he had pulmonary stenosis, which is a thickened heart valve that does not open all the way, making it difficult for blood to flow to the lungs. He needed care immediately.
We’re so thankful we chose to have Salvatore transferred to The Mount Sinai Hospital, where he underwent a minimally invasive procedure called a balloon valvuloplasty that opens and widens the blocked valve. The procedure was performed by Barry Love, MD, Director of the Congenital Cardiac Catheterization program at the Mount Sinai Children’s Heart Center.
As a mother, I had immense fears as my baby boy was sent off from my arms and transferred. Each time I heard the lullaby music that went off throughout Valley Health System’s speaker system to let people know another baby was born, I cried. I longed to hold my boy in my arms and bring him safely home. My husband and I had varied emotions, and we often had to put on a brave face. We longed to protect our son, but there was nothing we could do but have faith and trust the doctors. We were both assured that Dr. Love, as well as the entire medical team at Mount Sinai, were the very best. Thankfully, we can both attest to this being absolutely true and nothing less.
Following the procedure, Salvatore continued his care at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital for three weeks. He made strides and progressed each day in recovery. Each day felt like an emotional roller coaster, and our lives had suddenly been flipped upside down. But the Mount Sinai team was very communicative and thorough. They shared updates each day on our son’s progress, his condition, and the effect that the procedure had on his heart, and whether it was effective enough and what would be the next steps to take.
The hospital staff became our lifeline, from the nurses, to the social workers, and doctors who explained any type of procedure, test, or treatment that was administered. We will never forget the doctors who took the time to explain what his condition was, who drew a heart on a piece of paper to describe to us clearly what was wrong, and the nurses who took care of our son and went above and beyond. Each time we called the unit, the nurses reassured us that they would tell Salvatore how much we loved him and this helped put our minds at ease.
Our strong baby boy recovered fully and finally, after three weeks, Salvatore was able to come home with us without any complications or further treatments needed, thanks to the exceptional care and support of the staff at Mount Sinai.
Each month since he returned home, Salvatore has been evaluated and cared for by Dr. Gayanilo. Dr. Gayanilo is nothing short of amazing. She is patient, kind, reassuring, and vigilant. She always took her time to explain in detail updates about Salvatore’s condition. She always made us feel at ease. Thanks to Dr. Gayanilo and the incredible skill and close collaboration between the doctors at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Valley Health System, we feel Salvatore’s recovery was even more remarkable.
Salvatore is now playing and living his life like any normal one-year-old.
We are filled with immense gratitude for every staff member who was involved in our son’s day-to-day care. We would especially like to thank Salvatore’s social worker who went above and beyond to ensure that we were provided with resources and support. Thanks to the pediatrician who saw our son when he was born, to Dr. Gayanilo, Dr. Love, and the entire team at Mount Sinai. Thanks to you, our son is alive and thriving. His heart may have been born imperfect, but in every other way, he is perfect to us.
If your child has a heart condition, schedule an appointment or refer a patient to Dr. Gayanilo at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Call 844-733-7692 or visit our website.
