Vet couple: ‘A surgeon saved our baby – so we helped his sick dog with the same condition’

Heidi and Luca Ferasin found a special way to thank the doctor who saved their newborn son’s life...

Vets Heidi and Luca Ferasin were overjoyed when their son Mattia survived life-saving heart surgery at just six days old.

The couple were so grateful to their son’s team of surgeons, including Dr Caner Salih, that they wanted to find a way to repay him. And, when they discovered he owned a puppy suffering from exactly the same heart condition as their child, they offered to help.

For a whole year, the couple cared for French bulldog Büdu, and now both Mattia and the pup are thriving.

Heidi, 38, says, “When we heard about Dr Salih’s puppy, it felt like fate – not only are we are vets, but we specialise in cardiology. Dr Salih gave our son a chance at life, so we knew we had to try to thank him for what he did for our family.

“Now both Mattia and Büdu are doing well – everyone got their happy ending.”

Heidi was 20 weeks pregnant in November 2014, when she discovered during a scan that her unborn baby was unwell.

Mattia was diagnosed with a large hole in his heart and coarctation of the aorta – a rare condition which causes a narrowing of the blood vessel carrying oxygenated blood.

The only way of saving his life was to operate on Mattia as soon as he was born.

Heidi recalls, “We already had a healthy son, Danté, then three, and expected this pregnancy to go as smoothly as the first.

“We’d treated animals with this condition before, and knew all too well how serious it was. Suddenly, we were always on edge – we lived to the end of each day.

“Pregnancy should be a really special time – but for us, it was very frightening.

“I gave birth to Mattia on 21 March 2015. I got to hold him for about ten seconds before he was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit, where nurses kept a close eye on him.”

Heidi and Luca stayed in hospital with Mattia, while Danté stayed with his grandparents.

Heidi says, “At first, Mattia was doing really well, but then he started to become agitated. We knew then that it was time for him to have his surgery.”

At just six days old, Mattia had open heart surgery to widen his aorta and close the hole in his heart.

Luca says, “The night before, we had to sign a consent form that laid bare the risks, which were terrifying.

“We were warned about the possibility of paralysis and neurological complications, as well as loss of blood. There was a 10 per cent chance of him not surviving.

“We had been prepared for the surgery since discovering Mattia’s condition during pregnancy, but it was still heart-breaking to hand our tiny newborn baby over to go under anaesthetic. But we had no choice.

“Saying goodbye was one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do.

“We were advised to leave the hospital and do something, to make the time go quicker, but we ended up walking around London in a daze.”

Mattia was under anaesthetic for over seven hours – which is surprisingly quick for such a complicated procedure. He then spent four days recovering in the intensive care unit. It was during this time that Heidi and Luca met Dr Salih.

Heidi says, “One day, we were sat by Mattia’s ventilator when Dr Salih approached us to introduce himself from the team of surgeons and pass on his well wishes.

“As we got talking, we mentioned to him that we were veterinary cardiologists, and that’s when he told us about his three-month-old puppy, Büdu, who had heart problems too.

“It was such a strange coincidence, and we knew immediately we needed to help Dr Salih after all the work his team had done for us.”

Once Mattia was discharged from hospital, Luca decided to take on the care for Dr Salih’s beloved French bulldog, who had been receiving care at a different veterinary practice.

Luca says, “I knew we had to repay Dr Salih for saving our son’s life. It was the least we could do.

“When Büdu first came to my veterinary hospital, he was a really poorly pup.

“We performed the same diagnostic tests on him that they’d done on Mattia. The vet who had been caring for him previously had identified a heart murmur, but we found that he had a hole in his heart, too, and in the same place that Mattia had his. It was such a bizarre twist of fate.

“It’s not common for dogs to undergo heart surgery for this condition, so we monitored Büdu for a whole year.

“It was a very tense period for Dr Salih – and for us, since we had grown close to little Büdu. But, thankfully, the hole closed without the need for an operation.”

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Not only had Dr Salih’s puppy made a remarkable recovery, but Mattia’s health also rapidly progressed.

Heidi says, “Once he was back home, he continued to go from strength to strength – after a couple of weeks, you’d have had no idea that he’d been unwell.

“Ten weeks later, we had a follow-up appointment at the hospital, and we were relieved to hear only good news.

“We went through all of the standard post-maternity checks with a midwife that newborns normally do, and Mattia’s tests were looking great.

“We now have yearly checks at Evelina Children’s Hospital. We’re grateful to have our little ray of sunshine.”

And Mattia and Büdu are now the best of friends.

Heidi says, “We still keep in touch with Dr Salih – Mattia loves playing with Büdu. They’re so close, it’s like they know what the other has been through.

“They’ve got a really special bond.”

Following Mattia’s surgery, Heidi and Luca have been fundraising for the Evelina London Children’s Hospital. To donate, visit Virginmoneygiving.com/Team/PawPals. To find out more about the Evelina Children’s Hospital, go to Evelinalondon.nhs.uk.

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