Smiley Ollie sails through heart surgery at Children’s Hospital New Orleans

As pharmacists, Katherine and David Sawyer of Alexandria are both comfortable with medical jargon and interacting with physicians as part of their daily jobs. However, nothing could have prepared them for their beautiful newborn, Oliver, being diagnosed with a rare heart defect.  

After trying to get pregnant for seven years, The Sawyers were ecstatic when they learned they had a successful pregnancy through in vitro fertilization. The pregnancy was going well until the eighth month, when Katherine developed gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, leading to an early delivery.  

Oliver Yates Sawyer, “Ollie”, was born on December 8, 2023, via Cesarean section. The Sawyers, still reeling from the early arrival of their son and Katherine’s emergency C-Section, were shocked when they received the news of their newborn’s diagnosis, Tetralogy of Fallot, a condition that impacts the normal blood flow through the heart.  

“This was tough news,” Katherine said, “but we were told Ollie was a pink Tetralogy baby, meaning he had a milder case and did not need immediate heart surgery. Once he had the surgery to repair the defect, it was very likely he would do very well. We were so thankful and relieved.” 

During their initial hospital stay, Ollie was also diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, a gastrointestinal condition that prevents food from entering the baby’s small intestine. Katherine said, in a way, this diagnosis brought relief in knowing there was a reason Ollie wasn’t gaining weight.  

At just one-month-old, doctors realized that Ollie needed more specialized care for his diagnosis. He was airlifted on January 12, 2024, to Children’s Hospital New Orleans to receive specialized gastroenterology and cardiology care.  

Once at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, they met Fabienne Gray, MD, their pediatric surgeon, who gave them confidence the pyloric stenosis surgery would be straightforward. From there, Ollie would gain the strength to undergo the heart surgery to correct the Tetralogy of Fallot, typically scheduled for when a baby is between three and six months old.  

When the Sawyers met their pediatric cardiologist, James Krulisky, MD., they immediately felt at ease. “From the first moment we met him, we could see how compassionate and detail-oriented Dr. Krulisky is. He made it really easy for us to understand what was going on and made us feel very confident about the next steps,” Mom said. 

As to not wait too long, at the three-month mark, Ollie, weighing in at 10 pounds, one ounce, got the green light for his heart surgery, to be performed by Dr. Timothy Pettitt. Katherine said she and David were elated – and very nervous.  

"The pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, Timothy Pettitt, MD, is a fantastic surgeon. He is a straight shooter, very precise and direct. He drew us a diagram and explained every step of the surgery and any possible complications. I must have asked him 8,000 questions and he very patiently and kindly answered every single one," Katherine said. 

The surgery went off without a hitch. “Ollie did phenomenally well. He was a trooper, the doctors told us, and they were very encouraging. They said they have never seen a baby wake up after surgery, acting like he didn’t just have surgery. He woke up smiling, and happy, and playful with all the nurses. He was very much the Ollie that we have come to know,” Katherine gushed. 

In fact, Ollie’s strong, sweet personality traits only blossomed after his surgery. Katherine said, “His personality is even stronger. He is so smiley, such a people-person. He is so much more lively now.” 

After spending a week in the cardiac NICU, Ollie was finally discharged and able to go home. His parents celebrated what they hoped would be the beginning of a healthy, “normal” life for him. Katherine eagerly looked forward to the day she would be cleared to start “tummy time” with her little one. 

Ollie developed quite a fan base when he was at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. The nurses loved to carry him around because he was such a happy baby.  

One nurse who cared for Ollie, Gavin, stood out to Katherine. “He went out of his way to make sure Ollie was occupied and doing well. He even joked with us that Ollie apparently didn’t care for painkillers but loves Disney songs,” Katherine said. “That was so funny to me because I’ve sung him Disney songs every night since he was born – and Gavin didn’t know that!”   

Two other nurses named Alex and Adrienne also made an impression on Katherine. “I can’t imagine nurses caring about my baby more than they did,” she recalled.  

Although the circumstances were tough, the Sawyer family had an incredible experience at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “The whole experience at CHNOLA was really positive,” Katherine said. “I think you have to give yourself some grace when you are under that kind of pressure, but the staff was so helpful and supportive, and they made us feel like we could feel confident in bringing him home. We knew we had to be strong for our baby, but it was hard to stay positive. The doctors and nurses made all the difference. CHNOLA is such a positive, supportive environment. I couldn’t have imagined a better built-in support system.” 

Now home in Alexandria, Ollie is smiling, making noises, holding his head up, grabbing toys, and putting everything in his mouth! “He also wants to turn over all the time, but we are stopping him from doing that because of the post-surgery precautions,” Mom added. 

Dr. Krulisky provides follow-up care for his patients from infants into adulthood and beyond. The Sawyer family is thankful that he holds monthly clinics near their hometown to save them a long drive.  

Katherine said she can’t wait to watch Ollie grow up and have a healthy, normal life. But not too fast! “Everything we’ve been through makes you appreciate everything a bit more,” she said. “As much as I’ve worried about Ollie and his condition, I am very thankful that he was fixed and will have a normal life. We can’t imagine life without him now. He is the light of our lives.” 

For more information about the cardiology program at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, please visit: https://www.chnola.org/services/heart-center/heart-center-programs/. 

For more information about the gastroenterology and nutrition program at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, please visit: https://www.chnola.org/services/gastroenterology-hepatology-nutrition/