Facing surgery can be scary, especially for children.
That’s why one North Texas mother is hoping to provide comfort in the pages of a new book inspired by the care her son received at Children’s Health.
Two-year-old Noah Bullard loves story time with his mother.
His own story began with an unexpected diagnosis.
“He was born with trisomy 21 and a heart condition,” said his mother, Kelsey Bullard. “Both of those were unexpected. We didn’t know about his diagnosis until pretty much the morning after he was born.”
A heart defect called atrioventricular canal meant Noah’s heart was in a constant state of working out – even when he was sleeping.
So at just four months old, he underwent open-heart surgery.
His mother noticed an immediate boost in his energy.
“God blessed us with Noah, and we have just grown as individuals and as a family,” Bullard said.
Inspired by their journey, she felt called to write a book about a dinosaur doctor who heals hearts.
Titled “Healing Hearts with Doctor Bronto,” the English teacher hopes it will offer comfort to those facing something similar and explain open-heart surgery to children.
“My goal for it is to reach families who need it,” Bullard said.
Pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Nicholas Andersen, who performed Noah’s surgery, says visits with the young patient bring him joy.
“This story is so remarkable because it shows all the magical things that can happen when we do our job well,” said Dr. Andersen. “For us, this is the reward. This is why we do it.”