‘Every day as a blessing’: Raising a child with medical concerns

For most parents, the birth of their first born child is a dream come true. That dream turned into a nightmare for Kerri and Arms Bumanlag when their son, Liam, required heart surgery at just five days old. 

“When Liam was born, he was diagnosed with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), Coarctation of the Aorta, Mitral Stenosis and a narrowing archway among other heart problems,” said Arms, now the director of communications and public relations for Erie Shores Healthcare. 

Arms Bumanlag, having spent twenty years in the broadcast industry, factored in his son’s health and decided it was time for a job change. 

“Liam’s frequent medical appointments was definitely a deciding factor in my change in careers,” said Arms. 

Coming up on eight months working at ESHC, Arms’ job entails being responsible for the overall communication strategy both internally and externally for the Hospital. Arms’ jobs includes but is not limited to building positive and strong relationships with staff, board of directors, community health partners, politicians, the media and the people of Windsor-Essex.

According to statistics from Little Mended Hearts, approximately 25 per cent of children born with a CHD will need heart surgery or other interventions to survive. More than 85 per cent of babies born with CHD now live to at least age 18. Many individuals with CHDs require additional operation(s) and/or medications as adults.

Kerri Bumanlag was a pharmacy technician but because of their son’s feeding issues, cannot go back to work. 

“Liam had a lot of complications from his surgeries. His thoracic duct vocal cord was ‘nicked’ during surgery with a prolonged recovery process,” said Kerri.

“His vocal chord still is paralyzed. Liam also battled infections while in hospital. He also had a feeding tube for the first 10 months of his life and still has feeding issues.”

So instead of a regular 9 to 5, Kerri manages and creates content for social media and clients through Little Heart Social, working around 20 hours a week. The Bumanlag’s joint hustle is a social media collaboration company to work with businesses and groups who are rooted in Windsor-Essex looking for a community around their authenticity. 

“There’s always the worry of more surgery for Liam. If his heart doesn’t continue to operate as it should, we’ll need to get more surgery to correct his issues. Infants and children with CHD have weaker immune systems than the average child,” said Arms.

“They can end up in the hospital for illnesses that others recover from on their own, so we’re always cognizant of germs and sickness around Liam.”

According to both, every few months they drive out to Liam’s cardiologist in London at London Health Sciences and every six months they head to SickKids in Toronto. 

Kerri says parents are often thrust into a world of unknowns and are required to learn “normal” parenting skills in addition to learning new medical terms, how to use medical equipment and what to do in an emergency. 

“We’ve learned to take everyday as a blessing. Raising a child like Liam has been challenging but it’s also taught us to be thankful. There’s always worry, and there will always be medical appointments,” said Kerri. “We will take it day by day as a family. Together.”