A baby boy who had multiple in-utero surgeries to save his life is now celebrating is first birthday.
In March 2018, when Sara Toner, 21, was six months pregnant, she learned that her son, Tyler, had a heart defect that made it difficult for blood to throw through his body properly.
Doctors told Toner, from Spokane, Washington, that if they didn't immediately operate, her son's survival rate was below 10 percent.
So Toner and her husband, Ryan Hendershot, 32, traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, for a rare surgery that involved inserting a tiny balloon in Tyler's aortic valve to allow for proper blood flow.
After a few weeks, doctors determined that Tyler's heart was starting to develop properly, and increased his chances of survival to 60 percent.
Sara Toner, 21, from Spokane, Washington, was six months pregnant when she learned her son had hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Pictured: Tyler with his parents Ryan, left, and Sara
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a birth defect in which the left side of the heart does not from correctly while the baby is in the womb. Pictured: Tyler in the hospital
Toner's pregnancy was difficult from the start. She suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of morning sickness.
It can result in hospitalization due to dehydration from extreme nausea and vomiting.
Several celebrities have opened up about their experience with hyperemesis gravidarum including Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian and Kelly Clarkson.
'In my first trimester, I lost 17 pounds because I couldn't keep anything down,' Toner said.
During her 20-week ultrasound, Toner's midwife told her she needed to see a pediatric cardiologist for 'further testing'.
At the local children's hospital, she had a fetal echocardiogram, and the cardiologist told her that her son had hypoplastic left heart syndrome and aortic valve stenosis.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is 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.
Aortic valve stenosis occurs when the aortic valve - the valve that separate the the heart's main pumping chamber and the main artery - narrows.
This limits or prevents blood flow from
