Alexandria Family Gives Back To Hospital That Saved Their Boy

ALEXANDRIA, VA—When doctors found an Alexandria newborn had holes in his heart, it was a scary moment that no parent ever wants to face. At three days old, Teddy was diagnosed with a congenital heart defects and faced open-heart surgery at two months old.

He was in the NICU at Virginia Hospital Center when the team caught a heart murmur. Before they knew it, Kait and Zach Rothstein tell Patch they had a an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist at Children's National Hospital System.

"It was terrifying knowing that your child's sick and there's nothing you can do about it," Kait Rothstein told Patch.

Fortunately for them, they were not alone. The cardiologist, Dr. Hougen, performed echocardiogram and determined Teddy had multiple heart defects. The most concerning was the ventricular septal defect, a hole in the lower wall of the heart. This means oxygenated and unoxygenated blood were mixing, making his heart not push out blood very efficiently and his body work harder.

"You could see that breathing was more laborious for him than other kids his age," said Zach Rothstein.

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At two months old, he had only gained 2.7 pounds and was getting sicker, resulting in the doctor moving up the surgery. So that month, he underwent the procedure and had recovered enough to leave within the week. And when Teddy left the hospital, he had gained a pound, an encouraging sign for his parents.

From then on, in between regular checkups, it was like Teddy was a regular happy (and hungry) baby. By his second birthday, Teddy was cleared as healthy. And the family gives a lot of praise to Hougen, nurses and other professionals at Children's National for that.

"It could have been a lot harder than it was without Dr. Hougen by our side," said Kait Rothstein.

Adds Zach Rothstein, "Having such phenomenal care at all stages of his diagnosis and treatment made it more of a general issues than something we were scared about."

With this in mind, the family wants to give back to the people that helped in Teddy's recovery—and other children like him. Luckily, they can bring together their passion for running and gratitude for the hospital by participating in the annual Race for Every Child, which raises money for Children's National. The race, which includes a 5K and Kids’ Dash, will be held Saturday, Oct. 21 at Freedom Plaza in DC.

The family is rallying relatives, coworkers and friends to form a team called "I Heart Teddy." They hope to raise $3,000, and are about halfway at their goal. Those interested in registering can do so through Oct. 12 at 11:45 p.m.

This year, Teddy is healthy enough to run with Zach in the race—if he doesn't spend the whole time goofing off with friends in the bounce house.

Images by Danielle Hunter Photography, courtesy of the Rothstein family