Vernon mom shares her baby’s harrowing health scare

Feb 2, 2021 | 5:20 AM

A Vernon mom is sharing her daughter’s tough first 18 months of life, in hopes people will support B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Heather Harney talks to Vernon Matters about her daughter Quinn’s health miracle thanks to B.C. Childrens Hospital.

In July of 2019, Heather and Ryan Harney were eagerly awaiting the birth of their daughter.

But their low-risk pregnancy took a dramatic turn when complications during delivery caused their daughter to be deprived of oxygen. In her first few moments, Quinn showed no signs of life. It took 13 minutes of resuscitation efforts before her heart started to beat. During that time, Quinn developed a form of brain damage called Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy and multiple organ dysfunction.

She suffered seizures, was unable to breathe on her own, had poor kidney function, and a portion of her bowel died.

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“The hardest part for us was the shock of how quickly everything changed,” Harney said. “We went from envisioning a life and a future for our daughter, to simply hoping she would survive.

Realizing that Quinn required highly specialized care to have the best chance of survival, the decision was made that she needed the expert care found only at B.C. Children’s Hospital and she was flown from Victoria to Vancouver. The family has since relocated to Vernon.

“As I have shared my story, it is incredible how many people from our area have had their children treated at B.C. Children’s Hospital,” Harney told Vernon Matters.

Within hours of arriving, Quinn underwent emergency surgery on her bowels and abdomen. As her greatest health challenge was her lack of kidney function, surgeons also inserted a line that would enable her to receive dialysis, a treatment that replicates the blood-cleaning function of the kidney.

With her surgery a success, Quinn was transferred to the Hudson Family Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). As one of the sickest babies in the hospital, she would spend almost two weeks in the unit fighting for her life with 24-hour, one-on-one care.

“Our time in the intensive care unit was when Quinn was the most fragile,” Harney said. “Had she not been able to have access to the dialysis machine, which was the only one in the province available for a baby, we know that she wouldn’t be here today.”

In the days that followed, Quinn’s kidney function improved, her brain activity stabilized, and her body began to heal from surgery. On her ninth day of life, the medical team was able to remove her respirator so that she could breathe on her own. Harney was able to hold her new born for the first time.

When Quinn was two months old, she underwent a second surgery to have her bowel reconnected. The surgery was a success and after a short recovery, Heather and Ryan were finally able to bring their daughter home.

Today, at 18 months old, Quinn is doing incredibly well, starting to try walk and talk and faces her ongoing health challenges with strength and resilience.

As she grows, she will continue to be supported closely by a team of experts at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

“It’s not lost on us how different our journey with Quinn would have been without the expertise and technology at B.C. Children’s Hospital,” Harney said. “And this was all possible because of generous donors from across the province.”

A home located at Infinity on Middleton Mountain in Vernon, is one of the prizes in this years ‘Choices Lottery’ that supports research at B.C. Children’s Hospital. The Phoenix is a three bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home with double garage. The 2,229 sq. ft. home at #32 – 1000 Mt. Robson Way has sweeping views of Kalamalka Lake.