Gallatin County

Belgrade father talks about baby's recovery

Posted: Mar 19, 2013 8:39 PM by Judy Slate
Updated: Mar 19, 2013 8:46 PM

BELGRADE - Touch and go - that's how a Belgrade father describes his young daughter Poppy's recovery.

Poppy Dahl was born March 8. She's been at Seattle Children's Hospital ever since where doctors are repairing her defective heart.

"We're happy. We're just doing a lot of praying right now," her father, Brad, said.

Poppy had surgery on Monday to repair her heart. She was in the operating room for more than 13 hours being monitored because of swelling. Her chest cavity remains open.

On Tuesday afternoon, doctors decided to put Poppy on a heart and lung machine to help her weak body heal.

"They say that the first day after surgery is probably the hardest, because she's trying to heal herself up," Brad said.

If things go well, Poppy's chest will be closed up in five to six days after the swelling goes down. In the meantime, Brad says he and his wife, Christie, appreciate all of the support they're receiving from the Bozeman area and across the country.

"It's kind of encouraging just to see people say, ‘I'm praying for your daughter.' That's what we need a lot of people praying," Brad said.

Brad said he and Christie will continue to update their blog, charting Poppy's recovery, as they wait, watch and pray.

Click here to visit the Pray for Poppy Facebook page.

Click here for Poppy's blog.