A Child's Life on Hold

Albert Jeffries IV, her 4-month-old son, is critically ill and is waiting for a heart transplant.

Albert's grandmother, Annie Foust, took him into the UNC Hospitals emergency room last month because, she said, he was grunting and fussy.

"Al J. was a completely healthy child since he was born," Foust said. "We knew something was wrong when he wasn't bubbly and happy."

When ultrasound results were normal, Albert was sent to see a pediatric cardiologist in the emergency room.

Turner, a nursing assistant at Student Health Service, was told that Albert's chances for survival were practically zero and that he might not live through the night.

"It was the worst day of my life," Turner said. "It was a blessing that Al J. pulled through."

Albert was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that causes the heart to lose its ability to pump blood and leads to irregular heartbeats.

According to the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute's Web site, in many cases of cardiomyopathy, the heart becomes enlarged as it tries to compensate for its weakened condition.

There is no cure for the disease, so in cases such as Albert's, a transplant is necessary. Albert is listed as "high priority" on the hospital's organ donation list.

For her son to receive a heart, Turner said, another otherwise healthy child must die from a brain injury, have a matching blood type and be younger than 3 years old.

Turner said that she's staying hopeful but that doctors can't predict when a heart will be ready.

"It could be days, weeks, months or years," Turner said. "For now, our whole life is on hold."

Once he receives the transplant, Turner said, Albert is expected to make a full recovery.

"All of his arteries and the rest of his body are perfect," she said. "He just needs a replacement for his heart."

Turner said Albert's disease might be linked to genetics. Albert's father has a 14-year-old daughter who received a heart transplant at age 6.

In many cases of cardiomyopathy, family inheritance is a common explanation, but the cause of Albert's disease officially is not determined.

Turner said she has learned the importance of organ donation. "If God was to take my baby, I would want other children to live because of him," she said. "Other parents must realize how they can help too."

In the meantime, Turner has continued to work as hard as she can to help her son stay healthy. For the first three weeks of Albert's hospital stay, Turner put work on hold and spent each day and night at the hospital with her son.

"I basically moved into the hospital because we tried to make his environment comfortable," she said.

Now that she's back at work at Student Health, Turner spends her lunch breaks with Albert, goes home to cook dinner after work and returns to the hospital in the evenings.

She said she has been fortunate to receive a tremendous amount of support from co-workers, family members, friends and community members.

Her church, Victory in Jesus Ministries, raised money to pay for some of her household expenses.

Turner's mother and brother take turns staying with Albert while Turner is working, and Turner's colleagues at Student Health raised more than $100 and sent cards and balloons.

Turner started working at Student Health only one month before Albert went into the hospital, but she said she has been impressed with the help she has received from her co-workers.

"The other employees donated over 80 hours of shared leave so that I could spend more time with my son," she said. "I couldn't ask for a nicer group of people to work with."

If her son receives the transplant, Turner said, she and Albert will have matching scars -- hers comes from where she had her thymus gland removed.

"It will be something that we can share together," she said. "We will always have something in common -- a bond that shows our strength."

Albert was released from the hospital Tuesday, and Turner is now responsible for inserting his food tube, administering medicines and caring for him at home.

She says her family continues to remain hopeful for Albert's recovery.

"I've been taking lots of pictures during Al J.'s illness because when he gets older, I want him to be able to look back and see what he's been through," Turner said. "I want him to know how strong he is."

The Features Editor can be reached at features@unc.edu.