Surgery was ‘successful’ for sick Phenix City boy who met Cam Newton
The surgery went well on Friday for the Phenix City boy who got to meet Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton earlier this week, according to a Facebook post.
“The procedure was successful!” read a post on the Facebook business page of Austin Deckard’s dad. “The doctors said everything went great, he did way better than they’d thought/expected him too! We haven’t gotten to see him yet, but hoping to soon. Deep thanks to EVERYONE for their prayers and support, means the world to our family.”
Austin, 10, suffers from advanced pulmonary hypertension and is at Atlanta Healthcare of Atlanta’s Egleston Hospital.
He has been diagnosed with advanced pulmonary hypertension. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it is a rare disorder in which the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the lungs become narrowed, making it difficult for blood to flow through the vessels. As a result, the blood pressure in these arteries — called pulmonary arteries — rises far above normal levels. This abnormally high pressure strains the right ventricle of the heart, causing it to expand in size. Overworked and enlarged, the right ventricle gradually becomes weaker and loses its ability to pump enough blood to the lungs. This could lead to the development of right heart failure.
The boy is a big Auburn fan and his physical education teacher at Lakewood Elementary Courtney Cooper began a social media campaign to get the boy to meet Newton, his favorite player.
“He may not make it,” Cooper said of the operation. “Please pray for a miracle.”
Cooper said Austin told her about his dream to meet Newton right before Thanksgiving.
Newton showed up at the boy’s hospital room on Tuesday and played a game with him.
“I thought I had an unknown number but dude I’ve gotten about 100 calls about you,” Newton said during the visit.
Larry Gierer: 706-571-8581, @lagierer
This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Surgery was ‘successful’ for sick Phenix City boy who met Cam Newton."