Yahoo Finance YouTubers Phil & Alex Congelliere's Daughter Cassidy, 4 Months, Undergoes Open Heart Surgery
Phil and Alex Congelliere are sharing updates on their baby girl as she undergoes open heart surgery.
On Tuesday, the YouTubers posted photos of daughter Cassidy Drew, 4 months, from the hospital, just before she was set for the procedure. Cassidy has the same congenital heart defect as her dad, which the parents discovered back in March while Alex was still pregnant.
"It's time. Before they rolled you into your open heart surgery, while our tears and our prayers were flowing non-stop, your little heart was bursting with joy," Phil wrote on Instagram Tuesday morning alongside the baby smiling as she held his finger. "Thank you for your smiles and your new sound of laughter. You go get fixed little buddy. Daddy loves you."
At the same time, Alex posted a close-up of Cassidy pre-op, asking her followers for prayers.
"Last little view of Cassidy's precious chest. Today her heart gets a fresh start," wrote the mom, who also shares daughters Callie Jo, 4, and Kinsley Grace, 5, with husband Phil. "Please pray. Cassidy is in the operating room for her open heart surgery right now."
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A post shared by Phil Congelliere (@philconge) on Oct 20, 2020 at 5:37am PDT
On her Instagram Story, Alex offered hourly updates, writing that she was placed under anesthesia at 8:35 a.m., and by 9:35 the surgeon was "working down to her heart and getting her ready for the heart/lung bypass machine."
Alex said Cassidy was on the bypass machine by 10:35 a.m., with the surgical team "working on patching the holes in her heart."
In a vlog back in March, the couple documented the emotional moment they found out their baby on the way would have a heart defect, which they said was their "worst fear." During the video, Phil said he was "incredibly disappointed" at the discovery, at one point breaking down into tears, telling Alex, "I'm sorry."
"It's gut-wrenching," the dad said after learning the news. "It's exactly what I had, and we thought all genetic screening and everything had ruled this out. It didn't. It does feel like our journey has been filled with things that have tested us and challenged us, and it feels like it's gonna be almost impossible here."
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The couple have shared their emotional infertility journey on YouTube for years, showing subscribers the moment Alex found out she was pregnant in a video in September 2019. Later, they posted another video showing Phil's reaction when Alex surprised him with the news.
"After seven years of infertility, we never imagined we'd get to experience this!" the couple told PEOPLE in November. "Every moment of this pregnancy has been a blessing and brought us immense joy, but it is not lost on us that there are so many in our infertility community who still long for their miracle after their seasons of loss."
When they welcomed their new addition on May 31, Alex wrote on social media: "She is doing amazing! We can't even begin to thank each and every one of you for your love, support and prayers. We can't wait to share with you every miraculous detail."
"Until then, we are spending our day visiting her, talking to the NICU team, trying to finally get some rest, pumping, and eating. How has 12 hours flown by so fast? I still can't believe she is here and she is our daughter," Alex added at the time. "Just wow. What a miracle."
