Community rallies around ‘Miracle Miley’

By Abby Cavenaugh

Duplin Journal 

While most toddlers are learning to walk and talk and just having fun exploring the world around them, 19-month-old Miley Byrd of Beulaville is hooked up to IVs and mostly confined to a bed at Duke Children’s Hospital. She’s already undergone two open-heart surgeries and is currently on the waitlist for a new heart.

Miley was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, which means “the left side of her heart did not develop in the womb,” explains mom Chelsea Byrd, a first grade teacher at Beulaville Elementary School.

The two open-heart surgeries the young girl has already experienced took their toll, as well as a couple of sicknesses she’s had this year. “All the viruses she’s had this year took a hit, and now she’s in heart failure,” Chelsea told the Duplin Journal.

Miley was admitted to Duke Children’s Hospital on Feb. 13, and will remain there for the foreseeable future.

The hope at first was that Miley could go home with oral medications, but Chelsea said any time the IV medications are removed, Miley’s condition plummets. “The game plan is to keep her stable here until a heart is available,” Chelsea said.

There’s also the possibility of a VAD, a ventricular assist device, which helps pump blood from the heart’s lower chambers to the rest of the body, but Chelsea said a heart transplant is likely the best option.

“The average wait for her age and specific needs is one to six months,” Chelsea said.

Chelsea and her husband Ryan alternate days with Miley, and days at home in Beulaville with their two other children, Hudson and Emerson.

“We have good days and bad days,” Chelsea admitted. “One of us is always home with them while the other is at the hospital with Miley.”

The support from their community has kept the couple going, Chelsea said. “I would love to express my gratitude for the teachers who donated their leave time to take me through the end of the school year,” she said.

Her husband, a home health nurse, is free until April, also thanks to coworkers donating leave time to the family.

That’s truly a blessing, Chelsea said, so that they can switch from Duke with Miley to home with the boys. “[Her brothers have] struggled with all of this, so we’re trying to be present for them, too,” she said.

The family’s church community at Grace Covenant Church has also been supportive of Miley’s cause, with many not only offering prayers, but donating money to help the family through this tough time. There’s also been something of a viral Facebook following, with hashtags like #miracleMiley and #prayforMiley trending throughout the community and beyond.

“We never really expected this many people to jump on board,” Chelsea said. “It’s been a blessing to us.”

The hashtag #miracleMiley couldn’t be more appropriate for her little girl, Chelsea said. “She is a spunky, brave fighter. There are lots of little miracles we’ve seen pour out over her life.”

That stems from when she was first born and the family prayed that her kidneys would begin to function. Within an hour of their prayer, her kidneys did function properly.

“Simply put, she should not be here,” Chelsea said.

For the latest updates on Miley’s condition, check Chelsea Byrd’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ChelseaDByrd.