Rory Feek‘s 12-year-old daughter, Indiana, will undergo open heart surgery at a hospital in Texas this week.
Her procedure will address a ventricular septal defect (VSD), which is a small hole in her heart that’s been there since she was born.
“We’ve always known that open heart surgery was a possibility,” Feek wrote in a blog post where he shared the news. “But this last appointment in January confirmed that it was something that…needed to be done, sooner than later.”
Rory Feek’s 12-Year-Old Daughter Indiana Needs Open Heart Surgery
Feek says that he and his late wife and duet partner, Joey Feek, had known about Indy’s VSD since she was an infant. Most instances of VSD will close up on their own, so they watched and waited, and took Indiana in for regular heart checkups.
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“Ultimately, the hole continued to be there,” he writes. “It hasn’t gotten any larger, but over time, it has begun to cause a few complications.”
Indiana’s surgery is expected to take six to seven hours to complete, followed by a week of recovery in the Intensive Care Unit before she’s able to return home. From there, she’ll recover to six to eight more weeks before healing completely from the procedure.
How Is Rory Feek’s Daughter Indiana Doing?
At this point, Indiana’s VSD isn’t affecting her quality of life much.
Feek says in his blog post that Indiana is “as healthy and happy as can be” from an external standpoint, though she “often gets winded when she’s running and playing with other kids.”
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Her cardiologist has told the family that her condition isn’t life-threatening now, but it could eventually affect her quality and length of life if the hole is not repaired.
Feek also wrote that helping Indiana get “emotionally ready” for a major surgery has been the most difficult part of the process. He said that his daughter has had many tearful moments leading up to the procedure.
“Preparing her for something that’s going to be very hard on her,” he reflected. “Hard on all of us, especially her Papa, to see her go through so much difficulty and pain. But I also know that when it’s done, it’s going to make her life better.”
Community Support and Prayers Lift Up Indiana Feek Before Surgery
Though Indiana has some fears about the prospect of going in for major surgery, Feek also wrote that community support and time spent with friends has lifted her spirits leading up to the procedure.
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“Indy knows well that God can do miracles and so that’s what she has been praying for,” he says. “On Sunday morning, in church, the whole congregation of more than a thousand prayed for her.”
What Is Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD)?
According to the Mayo Clinic, VSD occurs during pregnancy, when the heart’s walls are forming.
- VSD is the most common congenital heart defect, affecting about one in 500 babies, per the University of Utah.
- Indiana has Down Syndrome, and children with genetic conditions such as Down Syndrome are at greater risk for VSD.
- Up to 90 percent of small VSDs will close on their own during the first year of life.
Some small VSDs will never cause complications, but larger holes can pose a life-threatening risk. Complications can include heart failure, arrythmias, heart valve disease, Eisenmenger syndrome or, rarely, endocarditis.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
