Lincoln Seay, 7 months, who was born with a rare birth defect, is recovering after receiving a heart transplant last week, just days before his parents and doctors feared he would run out of time. 
 
 A 7-month-old Alaska boy with a failing heart was days from death less than a week ago, when a rare, last-minute transplant at Seattle Children’s answered his parents’ prayers. 
 
 Lincoln Seay, who was born with a severe heart defect, was alert and kicking this week, despite a tangle of tubes and the long scar that covers the golf ball-sized heart now beating in his chest. 
 
 The boy had been waiting since November for a pediatric heart transplant his parents and doctors feared might come too late. 
 
 Instead, he’s an example of the hope that can follow tragedy when parents of children who die opt for organ donation, experts said. 
 
 “He was right on the edge,” said Dr. D. Michael McMullan, Seattle Children’s surgical director of heart transplantation, who leads the center that performed 21 transplants last year, among the most in the nation. 
 
 “We have a list of patients and he was the one we were most concerned about.” 
 
 Rob and Mindy Seay, the baby’s parents, had been told it could take 90 days for a donor organ to become available. 
 
 The offer came last Thursday evening, on day 89. 
 
 “The last two days, you could just tell they were his last days,” recalled Rob Seay, 37, Lincoln’s dad. The baby’s skin was dusky purple and he slept most of the time. 
 
 The Seays, who have three older children, were sent to Portland, Ore., last summer, when scans during pregnancy showed the baby had Heterotaxy syndrome. The birth defect causes the heart and other organs to develop on the opposite side of the body. 
 
 In Lincoln’s case, his heart was on right side, not the left, where it normally develops, and there were other problems. 
 
 At first, doctors at Portland’s Legacy Emanuel Medical Center thought the problem could be solved with surgeries, including an operation performed when Lincoln was just 12 hours old. 
 
 The family returned to Alaska, where Mindy Seay, 35, works as a paralegal, and Rob Seay is a server at a popular restaurant. But Lincoln’s heart began to fail in October and he was sent back to Portland — and then to Seattle Children’s, which routinely handles the most complicated transplant cases, McMullan said. 
 
 They’ve lived since then in Seattle’s Ronald McDonald House. Their older children — ages 16, 8 and 6 — have enrolled in the Hutch School, operated by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Public Schools, which offers education and support to school-age patients and family members of patients undergoing treatment nearby. 
 
 Lincoln’s wait was not unusual. He was one of two babies under age 1 in Washington state and 43 across the nation on the list for heart transplants, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Twenty-five babies died last year waiting for hearts. 
 
 In Washington last year, there were six transplants in such young children, and 121 across the nation. 
 
 The chief challenge is a shortage of donor organs, including hearts, from infants and toddlers matching the size and shape needed for babies such as Lincoln. 
 
 “Because of his size, it had to be a young child,” McMullan said. 
 
 Nationally, less than half, 48 percent, of those eligible have marked themselves as designated donors on driver’s licenses, according to the advocacy group Donate Life America. The proportion is far higher in western states, including Washington, where the rate is about 80 percent. 
 
 No information is available about the child who donated the heart Lincoln received. Because of privacy restrictions, information about even the region where it was obtained is kept secret. 
 
 There’s a chance the families could meet in the future; some do, with help from agencies such as LifeCenter Northwest, the regional organ-procurement organization. Mindy Seay, however, has already posted an open letter to the mother of the child who was lost. 
 
 “I will treasure that heart more than I’ve ever treasured any gift,” she wrote in a blog post. “I will care for that gift to the very best of my ability and will be sure we always give reverence and respect to the child and the family from which it came.” 
 
 Most parents who’ve lost children take comfort in knowing the organs have helped another child live, said Kevin O’ Connor, LifeCenter’s president and chief executive. 
 
 Lincoln’s prognosis is good, McMullan said. He’ll face challenges as he recovers from surgery and lives with the strong drugs that prevent his immune system from rejecting the heart. 
 
 But the heart will grow with Lincoln and could last 20 years or more. 
 
 “I hope he plays football or does whatever he wants to do,” McMullan said of his young patient. “He’s supposed to live.” ||||| A 7-month-old Alaska boy died from heart failure and came back to life as a last-minute transplant arrived right on time. 
 
 Baby Lincoln Seay was born on July 14 with a severe defect that left his heart on the wrong side of his body. 
 
 After waiting months for a heart transplant — and minutes before it arrived at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, Lincoln died. 
 
 “He died. He was out of time,” Mindy Seay, Lincoln's mother, said on her YouCaring page. “While they were prepping him for surgery, he coded. His heart stopped. They did CPR and chest compressions without success.” 
 
 Surgeons opened baby Lincoln's chest and manually compressed his stopped heart with their own hands until the donor's organ arrived. (YouCaring.com) Alaska parents Rob and Mindy Seay were able to get a life saving heart transplant for their son Lincoln at Seattle Children's Hospital. (YouCaring.com) 
 
 But the surgeon’s determination saved the infant’s life, after opening the baby’s chest early and compressing the heart with his own hands until the new organ arrived. 
 
 Hospital staff acted efficiently, opening the boy’s chest for manual compressions in 12 minutes; the process typically takes more than an hour. 
 
 The quick thinking brought Baby Lincoln back to life in time for the successful heart transplant, Mindy said. 
 
 Rob Seay, Lincoln's father, travelled from Alaska to Seattle so Lincoln could get better medical care. (KCPQ) Mindy Seay said the days have been a blur after baby Lincoln's surgery. (KCPQ) 
 
 “After surgery the days have been a blur. Lincoln has done SO well and his heart is so strong,” his mother wrote on Feb. 24. 
 
 The day before the surgery, Lincoln’s body was purple, but returned to normal after the transplant. 
 
 “The last two days, you could just tell they were his last days,” Rob Sealy, the boy’s father, told the Seattle Times. 
 
 Rob and Mindy Seay waited a nerve-wracking 89 days for the new heart transplant. (YouCaring.com) 
 
 Even though baby Lincoln had the highest priority status on the waiting list since November, his parents waited a nerve-wracking three months for a potential donor. There were several close calls for Lincoln, who was at end stage heart failure. 
 
 “He’s been pretty sick and getting sicker,” the transplant surgeon, Dr. Michael McMullen, told ABC News. “I think he was about to die on us, right before he fell off the edge, a heart became available.” 
 
 The parents learned they could wait up to 90 days for a donor, but luckily a new heart arrived just in time to save the boy’s life — on Day 89. 
 
 Baby Lincoln had a heart surgery the day after he was born and has spent more than half of his life in hospitals. (KCPQ) Baby Lincoln suffered from a severe defect where his heart was on the wrong side of his body. (KCPQ) 
 
 “Honestly, I think he talked for 20-30 minutes but I heard absolutely nothing after WE GOT A HEART,” Mindy said, after the doctor broke the news that there was a donor available. 
 
 The infant will have to face challenges as he recovers from surgery, but the prognosis is good, McMullan said. 
 
 Baby Lincoln had heart surgery the day after he was born, but then suffered medical issues in October, his mother said. 
 
 The family, which is originally from Alaska, relocated to Seattle, where they could receive top medical care for Baby Lincoln. 
 
 After spending more than half his life in hospitals, his parents hope Lincoln continues to grow without complications. 
 
 “My baby is coming back. He has a long, hard road ahead of him, but his progress is amazing," Mindy said. ||||| Follow Lincoln Online! Facebook: Lincoln's Heart Journey / Instagram: Warrior Lincoln 
 
 
 
 Hi friends & family! Many people are asking for updates on our journey with sweet baby Lincoln. A friend told me about this site as a way to keep everyone informed with how things are going, changing, and progressing with Lincoln’s health. It is also a place where people can offer prayers, support, and encouragement which are very much appreciated during this difficult time! Some people have asked if there was a way to contribute financially to help us cover the costs of unexpected travel and medical expenses and this site offers that, but our main goal for establishing this site is to keep our loved ones informed and up to date. Please do not feel obligated to donate anything, and feel free to visit often to check for updates! 
 
 So, here’s our story, so far . . . 
 
 When we went in for our 19 week anatomy scan, the doctor's immediately confirmed we were expecting a baby boy! They then went on to do all the other measurements typically done at that appointment. Toward the end of the ultrasound, our technician told us he had some concerns about the baby's organ placement and his heart. We were immediately sent in to talk to our OBGYN who referred us to the Maternal-Fetal clinic for high-risk pregnancies to see a Perinatologist. They got us an appointment for the following day. 
 
 The next day we went in to see the Perinatologist, Dr. Isada. We had a 3-hour ultrasound and echocardiogram of the baby's heart. We also met with the Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Wellman. They determined that Lincoln had Heterotaxy and a number of "complex and severe" heart defects and that we would need to be seen outside of Alaska, where the medical facilities and doctors were better able to diagnose and treat the problems. We were then referred to the Maternal-Fetal Clinic at Legacy-Emanuel Hospital in Portland, OR. 
 
 About three weeks later we were in Portland, OR, seeing Dr. Jenkins, our Portland Perinatologist. Again, we had another 3-hour ultrasound and echocardiogram of the baby's heart and met with the Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Hoyer. Between the two of them, they determined that Lincoln has the following issues: 
 
 Right Atrial Isomerism Heterotaxy (See http://www.heterotaxy.org/pages/what_is_heterotaxy.aspx and http://www.childrensheartclinic.org/diagnosisillustrations/heterotaxysynd.pdf) Artrial-Ventricular Canal (See http://www.pted.org/?id=atrioventricularcomplete1) Pulmonary Artresia (See http://www.pted.org/?id=pulmonaryatresia1) Asplenia (See description for Heterotaxy with Asplenia, above) 
 
 After finding out Lincoln’s diagnoses, we spent the better part of two days meeting doctors, specialists, surgeons, and touring the hospital. We met with the Pediatric Surgeon, the Neonatologist, the Perinatologist, the Pediatric Cardiologist, two Nurse Case Managers, etc. We also got a personal tour of the Labor & Delivery, Family, Birthing, and NICU areas. We were very impressed with the team that is in place to care for Lincoln, as well at the facilities at Legacy-Emanuel. The medical team seemed to be very well versed in who we were and what we would need, which was comforting. All in all, we were treated very well there. We are thankful for the team that is in place to care for little Lincoln. 
 
 During our whirlwind days at Legacy, we were given a game plan going forward for mine and Lincoln’s care. Currently, the plan is for me to travel to Portland when I am 35 weeks pregnant (mid-June). We will monitor the pregnancy closely as I am high risk for preterm labor (which would be VERY bad for Lincoln). We hope to deliver Lincoln via c-section at 39 weeks (mid-July). Once Lincoln is born, then he will dictate the entire team’s next steps. He will go immediately into a resuscitation room where they will take whatever steps necessary to get him stabilized. We have already had to sign papers concerning our DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) wishes, authorizations for blood transfusions, approval to administer PIC lines/medications, and oxygen options. It is all very intense and overwhelming. Once they have him stabilized, he will be transferred to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) to keep him stabilized, get him further evaluated, and perform any procedures or surgeries that are immediately necessary. He will likely be in the NICU anywhere from 2-8 weeks, depending on how he’s doing and what procedures they perform. Depending on how things go, we are looking at being in Portland anywhere from 2-4 months, maybe more. 
 
 For now, we remain hopeful and prayerful for Lincoln’s continued growth and health. He is currently growing well in utero and our main goal is to keep him growing and healthy so that he is as strong as possible when he is born. The closer we can get him to being born at 39 weeks, the better his chance at survival! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we approach that time. Every day counts. Every day makes a difference. 
 
 We truly appreciate everyone’s care, concern, and prayers that are being offered during this confusing and difficult time. We feel completely surrounded by love and support and know we are so lucky to have the extended team in our lives that we do. So, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. I will post updates as we learn more. XOXO Rob & Mindy 
 
 
 
 www.youcaring.com/babylincoln ||||| The family of a Seattle infant said he was "staring death in the face" days before he got a life-saving transplant. 
 
 Lincoln Seay was born with a birth defect that left his heart in the wrong place in his body. As a result, he needed multiple surgeries to keep blood flowing and his heart pumping. However, after multiple surgeries, his heart was still not working properly and his doctors told his parents he needed a transplant. 
 
 His parents, Mindy and Rob Seay, temporarily relocated from Anchorage, Alaska, to Seattle so that Lincoln could have the best shot at survival. However at 7 months old, Lincoln's heart had begun to give out. 
 
 "He really started to decline. He had a cardiac arrest and they were able to revive him," Rob Seay told ABC News. His "color turned to purple." 
 
 His transplant surgeon, Dr. Michael McMullen, surgical director of heart transplantation at Seattle Children’s Hospital, said he thought Lincoln did not have much time left. 
 
 "He’s been pretty sick and getting sicker," McMullen said. "I think he was about to die on us, right before he fell off the edge, a heart became available." 
 
 But just four days after Lincoln went into cardiac arrest, Rob and Mindy Seay said they found out a heart was available. 
 
 "It was a whole roller coaster thing," Mindy Seay told ABC News. "I was shocked, I was elated, I was sad for the other family. I had every emotion you could think of." 
 
 However, Lincoln was not out of the woods yet. 
 
 When Lincoln was being prepped for his transplant in the operating room, he went into cardiac arrest again, McMullen said. This time they were able to put him on the heart bypass machine that was set up for the transplant. 
 
 "The remarkable thing was we were able to get him on machine quickly," McMullen told ABC News. "It can take two hours and we did it in 12 minutes and doing CPR." 
 
 Lincoln's heart transplant took hours but after the surgery his parents and surgeons noticed a difference immediately. 
 
 "His color is incredibly different, it’s pink and vibrant and he woke up with so much energy," Mindy Seay said. "We joked, 'He woke up thinking he was the Hulk.'" 
 
 Rob Seay said that with his new heart, Lincoln stays up for hours and no longer is so fatigued that he falls asleep every half hour. 
 
 "He was grabbing at my face and pulling my beard," he said. "He didn’t know what he wanted to do with his body." 
 
 While Lincoln is still in the hospital, McMullen said he's optimistic that Lincoln will be able to go home in the next few months. Rob and Mindy Seay said they are anxious to get their son home for good, and that they want to share his story to help other families in a similar position. 
 
 "We hope his story gives other families hope and raises awareness about organ donation," Mindy Seay said.
– Lincoln Seay was born July 14 with his heart on the wrong side of his body and immediately went into surgery. By November, doctors told his parents that Lincoln was suffering from end stage heart failure and would have to wait about 90 days to get the new heart he so desperately needed. On Feb. 18, after 89 days, the Alaska couple learned a new heart was on its way at Seattle Children's Hospital. "I think he was about to die on us, (but) right before he fell off the edge, a heart became available," says surgeon Michael McMullan. The drama wasn't over, though. "While they were prepping him for surgery, he coded," writes mom Mindy Seay on a YouCaring page, per the New York Daily News. "His heart stopped." Doctors were able to quickly connect Lincoln to the heart bypass machine that had been set up for the transplant, however. The boy who went into cardiac arrest and turned purple before surgery "woke up with so much energy," Mindy tells ABC News. His dad, Rob Seay, adds, "He was grabbing at my face and pulling my beard." McMullan expects Lincoln will be able to go home in a few months. "I hope he plays football or does whatever he wants to do," he tells the Seattle Times. "He's supposed to live." His new golf-ball-sized heart should last about 20 years, he adds. Nothing is known about the child who donated the heart because of privacy restrictions, but "it had to be a young child," McMullan says. "I will treasure that heart more than I’ve ever treasured any gift," Mindy writes in a blog, per the Times. "I will care for that gift to the very best of my ability and will be sure we always give reverence and respect to the child and the family from which it came."