Nate Draper, a 10-month-old born with a potentially fatal heart
complication, was released Thursday from Mattel Children’s
Hospital at UCLA due to an improvement in his condition that his
doctors described as nearly miraculous.
Nate and his identical twin brother, Nick, were born in their
hometown of Phoenix with a rare and life-threatening heart
condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy, which weakens the heart
muscle and causes it to pump less efficiently.
They were both brought to UCLA Medical Center within the first
week after their birth.
Nick was immediately placed on the heart transplant list, but
Nate was initially not eligible for a transplant because he was
suffering from hemorrhagic bleeding in his brain.
When Nate became healthy enough, he was placed on the list
behind his brother, who received a transplant on Feb. 16 and has
since recovered and has returned home.
In March, Nate’s doctors said his condition began to
worsen and he would need a heart transplant as soon as
possible.
But recently Nate’s condition has improved and doctors
said he has been taken off all intravenous heart medications and is
no longer actively awaiting a heart transplant.
“This is as close to a miraculous recovery as I can think
of,” said Dr. Mark Plunkett, surgical director of
UCLA’s Pediatric Heart Transplant Program, in a statement
Thursday. “We plan to study Nate’s case in the hopes
that we can gather information that may help other children with
cardiomyopathy and heart failure.”
There is a chance that Nate may not need a heart transplant in
the near future, or for years to come, said Dr. Juan Alejos,
medical director of UCLA’s Pediatric Heart Transplant
Program, during a press conference Thursday.
“I think we’ve come to a light at the end of the
tunnel,” Alejos said.
Alejos called Nate’s recovery an amazing turnaround.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen something like
this,” he said.
The drastic improvement in Nate’s condition is tempered by
test results that seem to show Nate’s eyes are not
communicating with his brain.
Alejos said they are not certain whether Nate has lost his
vision, but said brainwave tests have indicated Nate does not
respond to visual stimulation.
Doctors do not know exactly if or why Nate may be blind, but
said his vision may have been damaged during the brain hemorrhage
from which he suffered.
Nate’s parents, Michael and Nicole Draper, received the
news about their son’s condition optimistically.
“(Nate’s improvement) is truly amazing,” the
twins’ father said.
Even with the chance that Nate might not be able to see, Michael
Draper said he was hopeful that everything would work out well.
“Nate already defies odds,” he said.
But Nate’s doctors said his condition is not yet
perfect.
Though Nate will be returning with his parents to UCLA’s
Tiverton House, he will still be on medication and will undergo
continued evaluations to determine the condition of both his heart
and his ability to see, Alejos said.
“I can’t say we’re totally out of the woods
yet,” he said.
Nonetheless, Nate’s parents, who are scheduled to return
to their home in Phoenix this June, said they are looking forward
to having all of their family in the same room.