Countywide : Yorba Linda Baby Given Donor Heart

A 23-day-old Yorba Linda baby received a heart transplant Thursday at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, ending a nationwide search for a donor heart for the critically ill child.

Michael John Reddix, son of Gerald and Valerie Reddix, was listed in critical condition following the operation, but the parents are now optimistic about the baby’s chances to live, a spokeswoman for the Reddixes said.

“The family is very grateful for all the help and prayers they’ve received and for the attention the news media has given to this,” said Brenda Poklacki, who had been coordinating the family’s efforts to increase public awareness about the baby’s need for a donor heart.

Tim Bradley, a spokesman for Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, said the surgery was done early Thursday morning by Dr. Vaughn Starnes, a heart surgeon. “It was the first heart transplant ever performed at this hospital,” Bradley said.

Bradley said no information could be released about the donor, noting that the donor-organ program generally keeps such information confidential. He said Michael’s parents were at the hospital during the three-hour transplant operation.

Michael was born Feb. 8 in St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and immediately transferred to Children’s Hospital of Orange County when doctors found the infant had a defective heart. That same day the baby was airlifted to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where a heart-lung machine was available to keep him alive.

Gerald Reddix, who is a marriage, family and child counselor, said in an interview earlier this week that Michael might live only a few more days if a heart donor could not be found.

A nationwide alert for a donated organ was coordinated by the National Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, Poklacki said.