When Dean Sicoli and his wife found out they had a third son on the way, they were over the moon. For their 21 week scan, they took Dean’s mum along for the ride – and couldn’t wait to see the 3D photo of their tiny baby boy.
But in a heart-wrenching account written for Fox News, Sicoli relives the moment the ultrasound technician conducted the scan in silence, before calling in a doctor.
“The doctor came in after we heard loud whispering in the hall,” Sicoli writes. “[He] looks around and says, ‘this baby has an abnormal heart. He does not have a fourth chamber. The aortic valve is not formed – the blood in the heart is not flowing in the right direction.’”
After he led Sicoli and his wife into his office, the doctor delivered the final blow: “This baby will die at birth… you need to abort. My office can make the appointment for you for next week.”
But, amazingly, this is a story with a happy ending. The Sicolis’ obstetrician, who they contacted after the ultrasound, referred them to another doctor to get a second opinion.
Even more amazingly: the second doctor couldn’t find anything wrong with their baby.
Sicoli recalls the second doctor saying: “This baby is totally healthy. Perfect. I am not seeing anything that the other doctor saw. His heart is healthy. He is healthy.”
Seven years later, Matthew Dean is thriving just like any normal little boy.
You can read the full first person account here.
