Global News: Dream Lottery
This morning’s interview with Dr. Harris, Harmehar Samra and mom, Amanjot Kaur, in support of BC Children’s Hospital’s Dream Lottery. The 2023 Dream Lottery grand prize draw winner will be announced tomorrow, Nov 2 during the Global TV Noon News.
Harmehar’s Story in support of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation
In 2018, Amanjot and her husband Kamaljit were expecting a normal birth for their first child, Harmehar, at their local hospital in Surrey, BC. But when their little girl emerged into the world she didn’t cry or open her eyes, providing a small hint of the momentous events to come over the next 72 hours.
Amanjot could see that Harmehar’s nostrils were flaring as she struggled to breathe, and the baby wasn’t feeding properly. At 24 hours after her birth Harmehar went through a routine test and it was determined that something was wrong with the newborn’s heart, although the exact diagnosis was still unclear. They rushed her to the neonatal intensive care unit and quickly put her on a ventilator.
Once the team was able to stabilize her, Harmehar was diagnosed with a severe form of tetralogy of Fallot, a rare condition composed of multiple heart defects that drastically reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. The baby was taken to BC Children’s Hospital and Amanjot was transferred to the adjoining BC Women’s Hospital as she recovered from the C-section delivery.
Harmehar went into surgery when she was 3 days old, and the procedure went well. More surgeries followed later on, and Amanjot was grateful for the incredible care her family received from the medical teams. Nurses checked in with Amanjot every week to make sure the baby was okay, and they even responded when Amanjot called with questions in the middle of the night, concerned about Harmehar’s wellbeing.
Harmehar is now four years old, and she’s developed into an active, social child. She’s interested in dance and skating, and has inherited Kamaljit’s love of the Vancouver Canucks. Harmehar even has her own child-sized hockey stick and plays hockey in the living room with her father. Harmehar also recently became a big sister. Her little brother and family are enjoying their time together.
Most recently in Harmehar’s health care journey, she had a cardiac catheterization this past August 2023. She bounced back quickly and is doing very well.
View information on Dr. Kevin Harris here.