A six-month-old baby girl who underwent surgery in the womb with an experimental laser technique that had never been used on a fetal heart before is finally going home.
Ivy Finn then needed three open-heart surgeries after she was born - a tough ask for a fragile body.
But last week, doctors, stunned at her progress, said Ivy was finally strong enough to go home to Jacksonville, Florida.
For doting parents Rachel and Geoff Finn, it is the moment they have been dreaming about for a year.
It was in May last year that doctors told Rachel, then-five months pregnant, that her unborn baby had rare congenital heart defects that meant she would likely not survive past birth.
But they referred them to staff at Texas Children's Hospital, who offered to try they a new procedure that might give the baby a chance of survival, reported CBS News.
In July, doctors performed the surgery in-utero - and it was a success, breaking new ground medically, and offering Ivy a lifeline against the odds.
Ivy Finn (left and right) was diagnosed before she was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and an intact atrial septum. These are congenital heart defects that make it difficult for blood to throw through the body properly
Cardiologists in Jacksonville, Florida, told Ivy's parents that she would likely not survive past birth. Pictured, left to right: Dad Geoff, brother Bear and mom Rachel with Ivy
Rachel and Geoff were thrilled when they learned they were expecting a second child and that their four-year-old son, Bear, would be a big brother.
However, at Rachel's 20-week ultrasound, doctors revealed that the baby had a heart defect.
'We went from being super positive to everything spiraling downward. Everything was doom and gloom,' she told The Florida Times-Union.
Ivy was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a birth defect in which the left side of the heart does not from correctly while the baby is in the womb.
Because the left side of the heart is unable to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body, the right side is responsible for pumping blood to both lungs and the rest of the body.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 960 babies are born in the US every year with this defect.
Problems quickly arise soon after birth including difficulty breathing, a weak pulse, and a bluish skin color.
Sufferers may need to take medications to lower blood pressure and strengthen the heart muscles for the rest of their lives.
