In a harrowing incident that has gripped social media, popular influencer Estee Williams is facing a parent's ultimate nightmare. Her three-month-old daughter, Estelle, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in the dead of night and is now fighting for her life on full life support.
A Night of Terror and a 47-Minute Fight
Williams shared the devastating update with her over 100,000 Instagram followers. "My little Estelle went into cardiac arrest," she revealed, detailing the frantic efforts to save her baby. Chest compressions were performed for a staggering 47 minutes before her tiny heart was stabilised.
The crisis began in the early hours of Tuesday. Baby Estelle suddenly stopped breathing, and her skin turned a frightening blue. Her parents, Estee and her husband, rushed her to the hospital. Doctors administered medication to boost her oxygen levels, but her condition deteriorated rapidly. Her oxygen saturation plunged into the 60s, and she lost her pulse, prompting the medical team to initiate prolonged CPR.
A Lifelong Battle from Birth
This emergency is the latest chapter in Estelle's short but incredibly challenging life. Just 14 hours after her birth on September 5, she was diagnosed with severe congenital heart defects. Her journey has involved multiple open-heart surgeries already.
Her first major operation took place on November 20, when she was merely 11 weeks old. Surgeons discovered a rare and extremely large, 30-millimetre hole in her heart. To repair it, they had to cut her tiny heart and place a patch, a procedure that required her to be on a heart-lung machine for almost four hours—an exceptionally long duration for an infant.
Hope Amidst the Struggle: The Road to a Transplant
Despite the nearly hour-long cardiac arrest, there is a glimmer of hope. Doctors have confirmed that Estelle's brain is functioning normally. She is currently supported by an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine, which is performing the work of her heart and lungs, allowing her body to rest and recover.
The medical plan now involves a bridge to a heart transplant. Estelle will soon be fitted with a Berlin Heart device, a specialised mechanical heart pump for children. This device will sustain her while she waits for a donor heart, a process that can take three to six months. Her family lovingly refers to her future donor as her "angel hero heart."
In her heartfelt post, Estee Williams, a stay-at-home mother from Virginia, made one simple request to the world: "Please keep my sweet girl in your prayers." The online community has since rallied around the family, offering support and hope for baby Estelle's recovery.
