Baby Harmony dies before trip overseas
Parents thank donors after newborn passes just as funds secured for surgery
Published:Wednesday | August 16, 2023 | 12:13 AMAshley Anguin/Gleaner Writer
Baby Harmony Wong, who needed emergency surgery overseas after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect a few days after birth, passed away on Monday night.
Harmony, who was born at the Cornwall Regional Hospital on July 16, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and doctors said that she would live one or two weeks without emergency intervention.
On July 28, The Gleaner published a story of the family’s pain and their efforts to raise the funds to carry out the high-risk surgery, which is not available in Jamaica or Cuba, and would have cost US$344,320.
However, Baby Harmony died at four weeks old, just as the family was beginning to see a glimmer of hope.
“She was doing great. We were at the brink of getting her surgery done; we were so close then things changed overnight and she left us. We were so hopeful and now we’re in deep despair, but we salute our cheerleaders, our support system, Jamaica and the world. Thank you for the love shown,” her mother, 31-year-old Michaelia Morris, told The Gleaner on Tuesday.
Morris said that the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Florida was ready to accept Baby Harmony for surgery.
An anonymous donor had sent documentation confirming an appointment scheduled for Harmony at the HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in Miami.
But the family said they had finally raised the funds to cover the first in a series of surgeries, when things took a turn.
“We had donors through Global Humanitarian Mission Company and Jayne Cunningham, who were willing to foot the hospital bill of US$185,000 that was charged for her first surgery at Joe DiMaggio. We had enough money to pay for the air ambulance, so we were finally ready to go. Then suddenly her health went downhill,” Morris said.
“We woke with a heavy heart as the mortuary came for Baby Harmony last night,” added Harmony’s father, Justin Wong. “We had confirmation of all the funding yesterday (Monday) midday while on the road. When we stopped by the hospital to check on the baby in the evening, we were told the baby has complications.”
He also expressed gratitude to Jamaicans and people overseas for the love, prayers and support given.
“Our beautiful flower fought so well,” Morris said.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HLHS is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. As the baby develops during pregnancy, the left side of the heart does not form correctly, resulting in the critical congenital heart defect.