Keaton Elliott had heart surgery at 5 days old; benefit will help with costs
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Staying positive: Alisa and Kraig Elliott pose for a photo with Keaton, then 7 weeks old, on Mother's Day. The Elliotts learned of their son's diagnosis, a congenital heart defect, 10 days before his birth.
GREENFIELD — Even before her son was born, Alisa Elliott knew there were rough times ahead for her first child.
Ten days before Keaton Elliott was welcomed into the world, doctors delivered devastating news: The baby boy suffered from Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a congenital heart defect that leaves the left ventricle of the heart critically underdeveloped and non-functioning.
Most parents would be in the dark about the rare diagnosis, but Elliott, 24, of Greenfield, already knew what was in store.
A nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Vincent Hospital, the soon-to-be mom had firsthand knowledge of the life-threatening condition her son was facing.
“I took care of kids with this defect,” she said. “I attended a funeral of a baby that had the same diagnosis.”
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