NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Seven-year-old Ezra McKinley of Nassau County may look like any other 7-year-old child does.
But Ezra’s mom Stacy learned early that something was not right on the inside.
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“I was 18 weeks pregnant at my anatomy scan that there was something significantly wrong with Ezra’s heart,” Stacy said.
Doctors diagnosed Ezra with Hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a type of congenital heart defect.
In Ezra’s case, he’s missing half of his heart.
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“It is super scary because you have all these dreams for your baby and everybody just says ‘as long as they’re healthy.’ And so when you find out that your baby is not going to be healthy, it is an adjustment,” Stacy said.
By the time he turned five, Ezra had already undergone three open heart surgeries.
His first surgery was at eight days old.
“It’s never easy to send your baby back into the operating room,” Stacy said.
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In addition to the surgeries, Stacy said Ezra has undergone several blood transfusions, and sometimes needs blood to fight off certain illnesses.
“Ezra would absolutely not be here today if it weren’t for blood donations,” Stacy said.
“We really need people to come out for these blood drives to donate,” James Skahn, District Recruitment Manager at LifeSouth Community Blood Centers in Jacksonville, said.
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LifeSouth is the local blood supplier to all the Level 1 and Level 2 trauma centers in north Florida. Skahn said they are in a “critical need” for blood right now.
“We have a roughly two day supply of blood for our hospitals,” said Skahn. “Ideally we want at least five days worth.”
Stacy hopes that by sharing Ezra’s story, people will find it in their hearts to donate blood.
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“It’s an easy way for people to be able to give something back and help,” Stacy said.
As for what’s next for Ezra, Stacy said no news is good news for now.
If you would like to donate blood and help people like Ezra, click here: LifeSouth - Donor Portal
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