He has undergone two major heart reconstruction surgeries, nearly died of respiratory arrest and surprised his family and doctors at how quickly he has recovered.

And he's not even 1 year old yet.

Parker suffers from a rare congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The left side of Parker's heart is underdeveloped and cannot support circulation. Valves are often weak, obstructing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the body. The defect on the left side of the heart adds strain to the right side. His aorta was one-sixth its normal size.

Parker's mother, Heidi, said he's doing fine now, but if it hadn't been for one alert nurse at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, he would not be alive today.

"We were almost discharged from the hospital," she said. "We were dressed and ready to go and there was one nurse that did a test on him that they do to all babies before they leave, and she didn't like his reaction and she encouraged me to stay. The doctor encouraged me to stay, too."

Parker Charles Miklos was born in the evening of July 3, 2003. He weighed a healthy 8 pounds, 7 ounces and otherwise appeared normal. His condition began to deteriorate within the next 72 hours.

At first, it appeared that Parker had a blood-borne infection. Soon he went into respiratory arrest. The blood that should have passed through the left ventricle had nowhere to go, so it collected in his lungs.

Doctors determined through an electrocardiogram that Parker had an abnormal heart.

The condition cannot be detected with genetic screening, which Heidi did have while pregnant. It is, however, detectable by ultrasound.

"I knew they couldn't see a four-chambered heart and questioned the doctor about it and he said it was 'no big deal,'" she said. "Now, knowing what I know, it's a huge deal.

"I've been an advocate for my kids and an avid reader and I had no idea that because they didn't see a four-chambered heart how serious that can be.

"When they talk about ultrasounds like, 'Isn't it great you can find out the sex of your baby?' It is. But you need to make sure that you find out that they're completing the important medical diagnostic portion of it, too."

Knowing that a fetus has a congenital heart defect, or CHD, does not mean doctors can fix the problem in the womb. There is no cure, but the condition can be treated after birth.

Knowing a baby might be born with a CHD would give the parents time to prepare.

"We would've been able to research it and go wherever we wanted," Heidi said.

In Parker's case, early detection would have prevented his respiratory problems, too.

Parker's condition led Heidi and her husband, Frank, to join the Congenital Heart Information Network, a national organization that provides information and support to families of children with congenital heart defects.

This Valentine's Day is not just important for the romantic heart but for the biological kind, too, as Feb. 14 has been declared Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day.

"We are part of a HLHS Michigan group and we're getting together with the kids on that day to do something," Heidi said.

Not much has been planned for this year, but she said she plans to create more awareness on Grosse Ile and the surrounding area.

"The elementary schools do Jump Rope for Heart every other year and I've already talked to the gym teacher at Parke Lane about next year, and I hope to have a lot more going on," she said.

The island elementary schools sent brochures home with all students to help raise awareness this year.

The Congenital Heart Information Network also has encouraged world leaders to recognize tomorrow as a day of awareness.

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Grosse Ile Township Board of Trustees have supported the grass- root organization's request.

"I definitely have to thank (Township Supervisor) Doug Jones," Heidi said. "He was very responsive to my letter and recognizing it on Grosse Ile is awesome.

"There are other people in the organization that couldn't get their communities to recognize it. Maybe they weren't going about it the right way. I can't speak for them, but it was actually very easy for me."

One reason others chose not to recognize it could be that congenital heart diseases do not affect many newborns.

Dr. Richard Humes is the associate director of cardiology at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit and Parker's cardiologist.

He said 0.8 percent of newborns have congenital heart defects, and Parker's condition is even rarer. Just 1 percent of those who have heart problems at birth have hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

"You have to keep that in perspective, though," he said. "Congenital heart disease is not a super-common thing. However, it is the most common cause of neonatal death due to birth defects."

Parker's problem is on the higher end of severity and complexity of heart diseases -- and his long-term outcome is unknown.

"For a lot of the patients I see, the heart disease is much simpler," Humes said. "If surgery is necessary, and it's not always, most often those hearts can be restored to a pretty normal condition."

There are two ways to correct Parker's heart defect: surgery or a transplant.

The problem with a transplant is that organ donors are difficult to find, especially for someone Parker's age and size.

So, less than two weeks after he was born, Parker underwent his first surgery, known as the Norwood procedure.

The first step connects the aorta directly to the lower right chamber of the heart.

The second is performed when the baby is about 6 months old. The superior vena cava, which transports oxygen-poor blood from the upper body, is connected to the pulmonary artery, which then can carry this blood to the lungs.

The final step, which Parker will undergo within the year, connects the inferior vena cava, which carries oxygen-poor blood from the lower body to the pulmonary artery.

The Norwood procedure has been used since the early 1980s. Before then, parents were told there was no hope.

"There isn't all that much these days that we can't do for it," Humes said. "Some things are easier than others, but there isn't much we can't do. That's very gratifying,"

Most babies with congenital heart defects die within the first 48 hours after birth without the procedure, Humes said.

Not only has Parker beaten those long odds, but he has recovered so quickly that he has amazed his doctor.

"Parker's been a star," Humes said with a chuckle. "For recovery from surgery, he has set the indoor record."

Parker left the hospital a week after his first surgery, which Humes said took about half as long as most babies who undergo major heart reconstructive surgery.

"He was another star for his second operation," he said.

Humes saw him again Tuesday and said he is doing fine.

"There's a lot of uncertainty about Parker's problem," he said. "The reconstructive surgery that we're doing, three operations over the first 18 months, does not give him a normal heart. He's still going to have just a one-pump heart instead of a two-pump heart. But he will do quite well."

Parker might have to take medications for the rest of his life unless technology gives him other options.

The Norwood procedure is relatively new and successful (95 percent to 98 percent survive the Norwood III procedure), so Heidi said she hopes that medical science will improve enough in Parker's life to restore his heart to normal.

"That's what his cardiologist is very honest about," she said. "There's no crystal ball. They can't promise what his overall life expectancy will be or what technologies will occur in his lifetime."

When he's older, Parker will undergo exercise stress tests to determine what types of physical activity his body will be able to handle. Heidi said contact sports already are out of the picture.

"As my husband said, he'll be a golfer," she said.

The shock has worn off and the Miklos family is settling into a new schedule. However, ailments that would be routine for most babies now become a reason to worry.

"We go and do what we need to every day, but you can get thrown for a loop over little things," Heidi said. "He had a little wheeze, a little cough and he went to the hospital. A sickness that wouldn't harm another child could make him very sick."

Still, the family tries to do everything to live a normal life. Heidi said life is just a little different from what it was after her other two children were born.

"It's slowed our lives down a lot," she said. "We stop and appreciate it a lot more. We're a lot more careful now. It's changed our vacation plans too because he can't fly."

Parker missed the big family gathering at Christmas, and it has been difficult to find a baby sitter who would want the responsibility of watching him.

Humes told her that between the second and third surgeries, life should become easier.

Heidi said her two daughters have not been sick this winter, thanks in part to all the extra hand washing and cleaning around the house to try to be germ-free.

Parker is shy around strangers, probably because most of them end up poking him with needles, but when his sisters lavish him with attention, Parker's eyes double in size and a broad smile creeps across his face.

"These guys are great helpers," Heidi said. "They're great big sisters. When they come home from school, he just lights up."

Libby, 9, and Abigail, 7, change his diapers, feed him and, of course, play with him.

"I entertain him a lot," Libby said, adding that he loves funny noises.

"My dad is the master of funny noises," Abigail added.

Libby wrote a personal narrative in school about overcoming adversity using Parker's ordeal from birth through his first surgery.

The girls said Parker's favorite song is "Frere Jacque," which calms him down when traveling in the car.

Parker also loves the family dog, Isabelle, who returns the love.

"When he had just gotten out of surgery and he would cry, Isabelle would try and lick him," Abigail said. "She would have to be yelled at, even though he likes it, she needs to be yelled at."

The family's ability to cope and deal with Parker's condition is not unusual, but still surprises Humes every time he sees a family do it.

"I'm amazed at the resilient abilities of people to handle and move on with that kind of stress," he said.

The family started a Web site to keep people informed of Parker's progress.

"When he's in the hospital, he gets about 1,000 hits a day," Heidi said.

Friends, neighbors and the Grosse Ile community have shown their support by offering to cook meals, watch the girls and offer prayers.

"Even churches on the island that we're not members of sent us cards when they heard about it over the summer," Heidi said. "It's a great community to be a part of in that respect for sure. And that makes it a lot easier because you feel supported and like people care and are concerned."

The Congenital Heart Information Network has connected the family to others who have faced similar troubles.

"It is helpful (knowing others are going through similar circumstances), but it's also hard at times because you see the good and the bad," Heidi said. "My friend in Auburn Hills, her baby has done really well, but they had their surgery at (the University of Michigan Medical Center), and two of the babies they were there with at the same time are deceased.

"Sometimes you can find great information out there and sometimes it brings you down."

The network's Web site has many stories of survivors of congenital heart defects including many who share Parker's condition. Because the Norwood procedure is relatively new, there is no way to predict his or others' life expectancy.

But where medical science is uncertain, leave it to a 7-year-old to provide an answer.

"He's our miracle baby," Abigail said.

The Web site, www.littleparker.com, includes links to more information about congenital heart defects as well as information on how to become an organ donor. The Congenital Heart Information Network can be found at www.tchin.org/aware on the Web or by calling 1-215-493-3068.
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