What was supposed to be a routine visit with their pediatrician on a seemingly typical Friday morning changed Stephanie Harding and her son Trent’s life forever when their day ended with a diagnosis of Tetralogy of Fallot.
As the pediatrician wrapped up his checkup that morning, he noticed 5-week old Trent’s forehead appeared somewhat purple. He tested his oxygen saturation to find the baby’s oxygen level was low and would need to be seen by a cardiologist immediately for further examination.
A few hours later, the cardiologist determined that Trent had Tetralogy of Fallot, a heart condition made up of four related congenital heart defects that occur due to abnormal development of the fetal heart. Those three words were as foreign and shocking to Stephanie as the turn of events that day.
“I remember thinking we had only packed enough food and supplies for the baby for a trip to the pediatrician and back. Here we were now, at a hospital, hearing the cardiologist explain what his condition involved and everything else went blank. All I could hear is that Trent had four heart defects that needed to be repaired immediately,” Stephanie says. “We asked for prayer right away; we were in disbelief.”
A few days later, Trent had open heart surgery at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital to repair the four heart defects.
“He’s our miracle baby,” Stephanie says. “It’s a miracle that we caught his condition in time. There had been no signs or symptoms before that appointment with his pediatrician.”
In 2017, Trent, then 6 years old, underwent a second surgery, as is typical for a child with Tetralogy of Fallot, to replace the pulmonary valve with Dr. Richard Gates, a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon and co-medical director of the CHOC Heart Institute. Stephanie and her husband, Tim, remember having to explain as best they could to their little boy what was about to happen to him once again.
“Trent is quiet and goes with the flow, yet I didn’t know how he would take it. He was so brave through it all,” Stephanie says. “I still remember as he was being wheeled into the operating room and I finally had to let go of his hand so he could go in; he looked up from the gurney and looked at me, with the anesthesia just starting to kick in, and I thought he was surely going to start crying or screaming. Instead, he just gave me this confident look like, ‘I’ve got this Mom, it’s going to be OK,’” an emotional Stephanie recalls.
The surgery was successful, and the Hardings couldn’t be more thankful with the remarkable care and compassion Trent received from CHOC staff, many of whom they keep in touch with today.
Stephanie and Trent occasionally stop by the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at CHOC to say hello to the nurses and doctors who took care of them, and drop off gifts for other families going through what they’ve experienced. Stephanie had provided goodies to the hospital, including the CVICU, long before her son was treated at CHOC. Now, giving back to the CVICU means more than ever.
“It feels great to let another parent know they’re not alone, and that there are resources and groups out there that will support them,” Stephanie says.
Trent, now 7, puts it simply. It makes him so happy, he says, to be able to give back to other kids like him.
The Harding family’s passion to help others doesn’t stop at CHOC. They are very active locally, raising awareness and funds for the congenital heart defect (CHD) community, through groups like Hopeful Hearts Foundation, an organization for families with children affected by CHD.
On Feb. 23, the Hardings are hosting a fundraiser at GritCycle, an indoor cycling gym, with the proceeds benefitting CHOC. Participants can buy a ticket to cycle at the Monarch Beach location.
Trent will need another surgery to replace his pulmonary valve in about five years. For now, he is an active first-grader who enjoys math and jiu-jitsu. He also loves hanging out with his family, including his brothers, Stephan and Dylan, who are very supportive of their ‘miracle baby.’
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Learn more about CHOC’s Heart Institute
CHOC Hospital was named one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its 2024-25 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and ranked in the cardiology and heart surgery specialties.
