Salvatore’s Story: “St. Joseph’s Gave My Baby A Future”

Danielle DeMatteo was still delighting in the joy of being pregnant when her 20-week anatomy scan picked up an abnormality. She tried to remain positive while undergoing multiple scans and appointments, which ultimately revealed her baby’s official diagnosis: hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

“He wasn’t even here yet and we were already dealing with a health crisis,” explains Danielle, who immediately turned to St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital for the expert care necessary to bring her little boy into the world.

The months leading up to Salvatore’s birth were filled with numerous tests and meticulous planning for both his delivery and the days that would follow. Although it was overwhelming, Danielle took comfort in knowing every detail was being carefully considered.

“I was really scared but the doctors at St. Joseph’s gave me the confidence to look forward,” she said.

When Salvatore was born, he was immediately brought to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and later transferred to the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU) at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. He underwent his first open heart surgery at only four days old and stayed in the PCICU for the first six weeks of his life.

“It was really hard,” Danielle said. “But his medical team was outstanding, and the Child Life team brought a little bit of normalcy to a situation that was anything but. When you spend that much time in the hospital, having them to lean on is a priceless gift.”

Salvatore finally came home on Thanksgiving Day, but there was still a whirlwind of cardiology visits, hospital stays, and open-heart surgeries his future. But the Child Life Team was there for Salvatore and his family with warm and welcoming arms, helping make their time spent in the hospital a little less scary, especially as Salvatore got older.

“There were days we couldn’t calm Salvatore down ourselves, but Child Life worked their magic and offered him, and us, so much comfort,” Danielle said.

Today, Salvatore is a funny, outgoing, 7-year-old who loves spiderman, swimming, and playing with his siblings.  

“This is the future St. Joseph’s Hospitals enabled me to picture when it was hard looking beyond those first few days,” Danielle said. “I will forever be grateful to St. Joseph’s for getting us here.”