Sydney’s Story

On May 21, 2009, Andy and Brandi Mead met during a lunch hour for a routine OB appointment and, very unexpectedly, Sydney Mead was born a few hours later.  The events that unfolded after this moment have been everything but ordinary and the Mead family has grown in faith and patience during the past several six months.

Sydney Mead was born in Jackson, Mississippi and spent 110 days in hospitals before arriving at her home for the first time on September 4, 2009.  She was transferred after birth to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where she had open-heart surgery.

Sydney has a condition called Williams Syndrome.  It’s a genetic disorder that affects about one in 30,000 newborns and is commonly associated with congenital heart defects.  Sydney’s heart condition is known as coarctation of the aorta, which involves a narrowing of the large artery exiting her left ventricle.  Part of her aorta was narrowed, making it hard for her heart to pump blood through the artery and on to the rest of the body.

During her 110 days in the hospital, Sydney had one open-heart surgery, two heart caths, and saw more than 11 doctors including cardiologists, geneticists, dieticians and neurologists.

Being over 1,000 miles from home and from their family, Andy and Brandi relied heavily on a relationship with cardiac social worker, Heather Langlois.  It was through this relationship that they learned of the Erika Kate Foundation and applied for assistance.

Before Sydney was born, the Meads had purchased a home for their new family. They were locked into a scheduled closing but were unable to move into the new house because they were at Sydney’s side at the hospital. The family incurred the expense of a mortgage payment and a rental payment until arrangements could be made to move.

With both parents unable to work and the additional costs of living near Sydney for 3 ½ months, the family soon needed assistance. The Erika Kate Foundation was able to offer assistance paying some of the family’s expenses and offer emotional support to Andy and Brandi. Brandi stated, “Without the help of EKF, families would struggle even more and some may not be able to remain bedside with their child.”

Sydney and her parents returned home on September 4th, 2009 and she continues her care in her hometown of Jackson.  Both Brandi and Andy felt it was too good to be true that they were finally home with their baby.

“No one is ever prepared for something like this to happen to their child; it has changed our family forever.  I think it is great that people who have been through trying times then reach out to others to help them through their experiences. It’s been wonderful working with EKF.  We have learned much through this experience and hope to help others in the future.” – Brandi Mead