`Mikayla is our little miracle'; Girl born with half a heart lives life whole-heartedly.

Byline: Ellie Oleson

OXFORD - Mikayla's mother was 18 weeks pregnant when she was encouraged to have an abortion because of Mikayla's severe heart defect, which was discovered during an ultrasound test.

When Jennifer C. and Kevin D. Garvey of 25 Whiting Road refused to abort the pregnancy, the doctor, whom they declined to name, grew angry. "She told me that what we were going to do was `morbid and disgusting.' I never saw her again. Had I listened to her, we would have missed out on our beautiful daughter. We went with our hearts and our faith instead. Children's Hospital performs miracles every day. Mikayla is our little miracle. She's doing fantastic."

Five-year-old Mikayla M. Garvey was born on Sept. 4, 2003, with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The entire left side of her heart is basically missing. Without treatment, this defect is nearly always fatal within the first few days or months, according to information from the American Heart Association's Web site at www.americanheart.org.

When Mikayla was 4 days old, her heart stopped. She was put on a ventilator and had her first open heart surgery the following day. A second surgery followed when she was 4 months old, and her third major open heart surgery was done when she was 2 years old.

As a result, the existing right side of her heart has taken over the entire workload of her heart, which has almost no ventricle or related left-side heart structures.

Unlike her parents and her 11-year-old sister Kelsey, Mikayla has no memories of the surgeries, but is quick to pull up her shirt and show off her surgical scars that leave a neat line down the center of her tiny chest. Big sister Kelsey said she would like to be in a medical profession when she grows up, except for one small problem. "I don't like seeing blood, but Mikayla loves it."

When Mr. Garvey, a project manager for Renaud HVAC & Controls of Sutton, suffered a severe injury to his leg in a snowmobile accident this winter, there was a lot of blood loss.

"Mikayla just asked, `Why did Daddy run into that tree like that?' She wasn't bothered by the blood at all," Mrs. Garvey said.

Mikayla said she might consider being a doctor, but probably will be a "hair-cutter." She has already begun practicing her profession by cutting off most of the hair of two of her Barbie dolls.

Mrs. Garvey has high hopes that both of her children will grow up to be healthy and happy adults doing whatever profession they choose. "I think Mikayla will be fine. One day she may need a pacemaker or a heart transplant, but we support the American Heart Association and their research. We think our little peanut will be fine."

Mikayla takes daily doses of Enalapril to lower her blood pressure, a baby aspirin to thin her blood, and Lasix to prevent congestive heart failure, which she has suffered before.

She has heart checkups with her pediatric cardiologists twice a year, at Child Heart Associates in Worcester with Dr. M. Victoria T. Tantengco and at Children's Hospital Boston with Dr. Gerald R. Marx. Mikayla next will return to the hospital for tests in May.

Mikayla is an incredibly active and spunky, 33-pound preschooler at St. Louis School in Webster, where Kelsey is a varsity cheerleader. "I want to be a cheerleader, too," said Mikayla, who dove behind the sofa of her comfortable home, grabbed her sister's pom-poms and jumped into an impromptu cheer, long, blond curls flying in all directions and big blue eyes squinted in deep concentration. Also enjoying the show, as well as an occasional quick pat from a speeding Mikayla, were the family's long-haired dachshund, Annabelle, and gray tabby cat, Bootsie.

"Mikayla has huge energy. It's amazing. You'd never know she only has half a heart," said Mrs. Garvey, a waitress at Oxford's Casual Dining.

Kelsey said, "Mikayla really wants to be a cheerleader, but you have to be in third grade. She likes to make up her own cheers. She runs around a lot. She loves to race. She's fun. I really love her."

Last September, all four Garveys were sent to Walt Disney World by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical problems.

"It was an absolutely amazing fifth birthday for Mikayla. Her friend, Bryce Adams, and his family from Webster were also there," Mrs. Garvey said.

Bryce, 4, has Sanfilippo syndrome, a genetic metabolic disorder. His family's trip to Orlando was also sponsored by Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts.

Katie M. Emerson, communications manager for the foundation, said 339 wishes were granted to Massachusetts children last year. "Our goal is 350 in 2009."

In Florida, the Garvey and Adams families were housed at the Give Kids the World nonprofit resort, which is 10 minutes from Disney World.

"We had Make-A-Wish buttons that meant no standing in lines. We got to go backstage and meet Disney characters. Each time we got back to the hotel, there'd be gifts waiting for Mikayla. It was amazing," Mrs. Garvey said.

"Normally, we try to live our lives as normally as possible. The last time we went to the doctor, Mikayla's heart was enlarged a little. They don't want that to happen, but said it was nothing to worry about at this point. Not worry - that's what I try to do. Mikayla is so active and seems so healthy, she makes that easy."

ART: PHOTOS

PHOTOGT&G Staff/PAUL KAPTEYN

CUTLINE: (1) "Mikayla has huge energy. It's amazing. You'd never know she only has half a heart," says her mother, Elizabeth. (2) Mikayla Garvey gets a piggy-back ride from her sister, Kelsey, 11.