Riley's miracle: three open-heart surgeries by age nine

BORN prematurely at 36 weeks, Riley entered the world facing incredible challenges with his heart. Within three hours of birth, his tiny hands and feet turned blue, leading doctors to diagnose him with congenital heart disease (CHD), a complex condition affecting his heart’s structure.

- TRACY-LYNN RUITERS

From the very start, Riley showed remarkable strength. After being closely monitored in the neonatal ICU, he was transferred to Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, where doctors diagnosed multiple serious heart defects including Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), Pulmonary Atresia (PA), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), and a duct-dependent circulation on the Tetralogy spectrum.

At only 20 days old, Riley underwent his first heart surgery, where surgeons successfully inserted a right modified Blalock-Taussig (RMBT) shunt to improve oxygen flow in his blood. His journey was far from over; months later, Riley suffered a Tet Spell — a frightening episode where he turned deeply blue, struggled to breathe, and became limp.

“In the beginning, they told us two years max,” recalled his mother, Candice Swartland, 31, from Heideveld.

“That was after his first heart surgery. He was on life support countless times. The first two years were very tough, but he was so strong through it all.”