Two of Jason and Stacy Bingham's young children have required heart transplants and the other three are facing the same fate.
The Oregon couple thought they had their fair share of bad luck when 6-year-old Sierra got a transplant due to her failing heart.
Six years later they were devastated to find out that 8-year-old daughter Lindsey would also require a heart transplant.
Lindsey had presented with stomach pains and difficulty breathing, and her face and stomach were swollen.
The children suffer from rare genetic condition affects approximately six out of every 1 million kids under 18 each year. It is a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart increasingly weaker - and larger, as it tries to compensate.
“At the time when the older sister was first diagnosed, not much was known about the genetics that can cause these defects,” the family's cardiologist Dr Daniel Bernstein told TODAY.com. “Today there are genetic tests.”
So the Binghams got their children tested. Their son Gage, 4, has already had a pacemaker installed and will likely need a heart transplant at some point. Their 10-year-old Megan has shown a minor heart abnormality while 6-year-old Hunter is yet to display any problems, but given the family history it is something that he too will possibly face at some point.
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To help the Bingham, visit http://www.heartsforbinghams.org/ or follow their blog http://jasonandstacybingham.blogspot.com/.
source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/5-siblings-may-all-need-heart-transplants/