CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An Ingleside baby born with half a heart died at a Houston hospital Thursday morning.
Juan Rivera, Junior was born on April 2 with a congenital heart defect. His mother confirmed he died ten days later, around 1 a.m.
The couple took baby Juan to get evaluated for surgery just days earlier. Doctors said Juan Jr.'s heart was too weak to endure the surgery.
We first told you about baby Juan on February 22. Doctors discovered Juan Jr. had a congenital heart defect when his parents, Alexis and her husband, Juan, went to their 20-week check-up.
Doctors told the family they could not find the fourth chamber of the baby's heart. This meant that the baby was developing half a heart in the womb.
This condition is also known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which is a defect that develops during pregnancy. It's so rare that at least 1,025 babies are born with it each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control.
After going through several tests and exams, doctors advised the Rivera family that it would be best if Alexis gave birth at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The family traveled to Houston, where medicine is more advanced, and had received treatment there for Juan Jr. since his birth.
Although Juan Jr. was born with a rare heart condition, the family remained hopeful that their son would go on to live a full life.
