SYLACAUGA — Two-year-old Dylan Kissic is waiting for a lifesaving operation, and there’s no telling how long that wait will be. "You never know," his father, Jeremy Kissic, said. "They said it could be three days, three hours, six months. It could be a year, but we’re hoping not too long."
After several surgeries, doctors have determined that Dylan’s heart is no longer strong enough to support him. And until he gets a new one, he’ll be stuck in the hospital, with IVs keeping him alive.
Kissic and his wife, Lisa, learned of Dylan’s heart trouble shortly after he was born.
When he was just two weeks old, doctors discovered that Dylan had congenital heart disease.
"He had a shunt put in to buy us some time to figure out what needed to be done," Kissic said.
That was the first of Dylan’s trips to the operating room.
When he was a year old, Dylan had a tissue transplant, which his parents hoped would fix the problem.
But it didn’t.
In March of this year, doctors operated again to open the valves to Dylan’s heart.
And again in September, Dylan was operated on, this time to put in a stint. That surgery was not a pleasant experience, Kissic said.
"He had a heart attack and flatlined," he said. "They had to shock him twice."
Now, the left side of Dylan’s heart has ceased to function, and doctors won’t let the boy leave the hospital until a new one is located.
"He needs a heart to live a close-to-normal life — to live, basically," Kissic said.
Doctors at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham are frequently filtering the antibodies from Dylan’s blood, hoping to increase the chances that he will accept a new heart when one becomes available.
If Dylan gets a new heart and the operation is a success, there is still a chance he might need another one, maybe two more, before he is fully grown. Doctors have told the Kissics that sometimes a transplanted heart will grow with the body, but sometimes it won’t.
In the meantime, the Kissics are on leave from their jobs to spend time with Dylan.
Lisa Kissic probably won’t return to work anytime soon, but her husband likely will.
Insurance will cover the cost of the transplant, but still there are bills to be paid, groceries to be bought and costs for travel back and forth to Sylacauga. The Kissics also have to pay for the hospital room and may have more medical and prescription bills to deal with after the transplant.
Members of Mignon Baptist Church, Sylvan Baptist Church and even a church in Jackson Gap have contributed money to the family. Money was also collected at the Oct. 14 Winterboro football game.
"Anything is greatly appreciated," Kissic said. "That’s what has kept me off (of work) this long."
Two additional fundraisers are planned. There will be a Motorcycle Poker Run Nov. 5, and there will be a benefit singing at Sylvan Baptist Church Nov. 19.
A bank account for the family has also been set up at Heritage South Federal Credit Union for other residents who wish to contribute.
"I just hope we can find a heart for him and get him back to feeling well," Kissic said. "We just need a lot of prayers. That’s what we need."
