Medical Technology Allows Wash. Woman to Survive

Nov. 11--WENATCHEE -- Samantha Zimmerman could easily have not survived birth 23 years ago. It took a miracle of medical technology to keep her alive those fragile first weeks of life.

But survive she did, thanks to a new at the time life saving procedure and technology called Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). The procedure involves a machine that functions for the heart and lungs when the organs fail.

Early life medical conditions left scars -- both physical and emotional -- but didn't dampen Samantha's enthusiasm for life. She graduated Wenatchee High School and Wenatchee Valley College and enrolled at Gonzaga University as a junior at age 18, earned a political science degree at 20, and then a law degree, passing her bar exam this past summer. She'd like to practice law related to public health.

"I feel so blessed to still be here and be healthy," said Samantha, now living in Spokane. "I want to do something that will really help other people."

Before her birth, Zimmerman suffered from a what is known as a diaphragmatic hernia. A portion of her tiny stomach had bubbled upward, putting pressure on her lungs and restricting their development and blood flow to and from her heart even before birth. It's an extremely rare condition that occurs in only one in every 2,500 births.

Stacy Davis, Samantha's mother, didn't know of the condition until she was rushed to Central Washington Hospital's emergency room in early labor. Doctors performed an ultrasound and could clearly see the hernia, basically a hole in the sheet of muscles that separates the baby's chest and stomach. Pressure on the lungs and blood vessels would likely impair the baby's breathing after birth. The baby's chances of developing spina bifida or other defects were very high.

"In one day, my whole life fell apart," Davis recalled. Doctors gave her medication to hold off labor, put her in an ambulance and sped her across the Cascades to University of Washington Hospital. Samantha was born Jan. 27, 1992.

She was immediately whisked away from her mother and put on life support. Later that night, Samantha was taken to Children's Hospital and put on the ECMO machine, a fairly new technology that was her only hope.

"She bottomed out. She wasn't even a whole day old. It was very scary," recalled Davis.

The ECMO machine allowed Samantha's heart and lungs to further develop by relieving the organs of stress. The machine continuously removes blood from the patient and replaces carbon dioxide with oxygen -- much like what the lungs do -- before returning the blood. Seattle Children's Hospital was the first to offer the procedure in the state, starting in 1990. It's still the largest and most recognized ECMO program in the Northwest with one of the best survival rates in the country, according to the hospital. Samantha was one of the first infants on which it was used. Since then more than 700 patients have used the procedure.

"If it wasn't for ECMO, she wouldn't be here," said her mother.

Samantha remained in intensive care for about a month while doctors repaired the hernia. As a result of being connected to the machine, her right carotid artery and jugular vein providing blood flow to the brain were permanently tied off. That procedure alone can result in learning disabilities and cerebral palsy.

Samantha somehow managed to beat the odds. She came home to Wenatchee healthy. But there were many hospital and doctor visits those early years. Davis recalled the time as very stressful.

Samantha developed hydrocephalitis -- water on the brain -- that made her head swell. Doctors had to drain the water to relieve pressure on her brain. She was held back in elementary school because of medical procedures and getting behind in learning. She couldn't run or play as hard as other kids because she was short of breath.

In high school, she stopped growing at 4-foot, 8-inches. Doctors put her on growth hormones. Eventually, she shot up to 5-foot-2.

"I was always a little different. I had a scar on my neck, a scar on my stomach. I couldn't keep up with other runners. I was always out of breath. I became very comfortable in hospitals," Samantha said, with a laugh. She still struggles with acid reflux and has to be careful with her diet.

She wasn't able to do a lot of things other kids could do physically, so she focused on academics.

She went through the Running Start program so she could earn high school and college credits at WVC. She had great support from her mother, her father, Ken Zimmerman, and a role model in her sister, Stephanie Zimmerman, who was already pursuing a law degree at Gonzaga.

Samantha followed her accomplished sister and completed her own law degree at Gonzaga School of Law last year. She passed her bar exam in May. In August, she attended a 25th anniversary of Children's Hospital's ECMO program. More than 100 former patients who survived because of the program gathered at the hospital.

"I feel so blessed, knowing that I did have a hard time, but I'm still here," Samantha said. "I think it probably helped me succeed. I knew I was here for a reason."

Reach Rick Steigmeyer at 509-664-7151 or steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com. Read his blog Winemaker's Journal or follow him on Twitter at @steigmeyerww.

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