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Lucas Gutman, 4, listens along as Port Clinton City Council President Lisa Sarty reads an official proclamation from the city recognizing Conquering Congenital Heart Defect Week.(Photo: Jon Stinchcomb/News Herald)

PORT CLINTON - Though four years ago he was born with a condition making his heart critically underdeveloped, Lucas Gutman does not let it slow him down one bit.

In fact, Lucas is every bit as active as you would expect of a typical toddler and you would never know he was a child living with a congenital heart defect.

Hes playing soccer. He has tons of friends, said Jennifer Gutman, Lucas mother. Hes living life. Hes loving life.

His grandfather said Lucas has no shortage of energy. That was readily apparent when Lucas came to Port Clinton City Hall this week to be honored with an official proclamation.

The proclamation declared this week Conquering Congenital Heart Defect Week in the City of Port Clinton.

Lucas Gutman, 4, holds an official proclamation in honor of him from the City of Port Clinton. Gutman was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome as an infant, but he does not let that slow him down.(Photo: Jon Stinchcomb/News Herald)

It coincides with a national week-long movement to raise awareness of what is actually a common but not widely known medical condition, congenital heart defects, or CHD.

Each year, the American Heart Association sponsors the Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week from Feb. 7 to 14, an effort to encourage increased education about CHDs.

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 100 babies are born with a heart defect, the most common type of birth defect. Annually, twice as many children die from congenital heart defects than all forms of childhood cancer combined.

Jennifer Gutman said she is so thankful to the city for the proclamation and efforts to raise awareness of CHD.

With awareness comes funding that we desperately need, she said. This is the Port Clinton that I know and love. The community that comes together for each other and Im very proud to be a citizen of Port Clinton.

The Gutman family has experienced the love of the close-knit local community before.

Lucas Gutman, of Port Clinton, was born in 2015 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning the left side of his heart was underdeveloped.(Photo: Submitted)

After Lucas was born and diagnosed, thanks to a fundraiser organized by the Port Clinton Fire Department, their very first Firelight Fund 5K glow run, the family was able to travel to Minnesota to participate in a clinical research trial at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

More: Firelight Fund to help local family as child battles rare disease

The form of CHD that Lucas was diagnosed with is hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, which means the left side of the heart is critically underdeveloped.

According to the Mayo Clinic, typical treatment for HLHS usually involves medication, multiple surgeries, and can, in some cases, include a heart transplant.

However, the Mayo Clinics lead researcher on their Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome Program, Dr. Timothy Nelson, has been studying regenerative therapies like stem cell injections for treating HLHS.

The Gutman family decided to participate in the clinical trial and in December 2015, Lucas became the second child in the country to receive a stem cell injection from his own umbilical cord blood.

Since then, the results have been incredibly promising for Lucas.

His cardiologist is now saying that she wishes she could prescribe stem cells to all of her HLHS patients, Jennifer said. Hes doing great.

The Gutman family is taking it one step at a time as Lucas continues to live life like any other fun-loving toddler.

What the next 10-to-20 years will bring, we dont know yet, Jennifer said. But were faithful and we trust that hes going to show everybody what you can make happen with CHD. Were very proud of him.

Lucas Gutman, 4, listens along as Port Clinton City Council President Lisa Sarty reads an official proclamation from the city recognizing Conquering Congenital Heart Defect Week.(Photo: Jon Stinchcomb/News Herald)

jstinchcom@gannett.com

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'Loving life': 4-year-old not letting heart condition slow him down - Port Clinton News Herald