MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Her nickname is Marvelous Marcie and we think you would agree she has earned the title.
Marcie Henn is six years old and lives out in Rutherford County. A few months ago her family almost lost her, but her recovery is nothing short of miraculous.
When Carolyn Henn was 24 weeks pregnant, Marcie was diagnosed with five congenital heart defects.
When she was 6 months old, she had open heart surgery.
"She did well with that she had some complications, but after that she did beautifully," Carolyn said.
Then this past December, what should have been another simple surgery.
"We were, you know, just planning on doing this surgery and then having Christmas and then she would go back to school," Carolyn said.
That plan did not happen.
"I first met Marcie after she'd already been admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. So she had had a heart surgery the week before and during or right after the surgery had had a complication that involved a stroke," Dr. Katie Boyle with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt said.
Marcy had a stroke and a major seizure.
Dr. Boyle was Marcie's doctor in the ICU, she said it was touch and go for a couple of days. They were not sure if Marcie would make it, but miraculously she did.
Her road to recovery has been long and hard.
"She's always decided when she wants to get better. She'll get better and we decided this shouldn't be any different," David Henn said.
She eventually moved her left leg, started moving more and opened her eyes.
"She lost the ability to do everything. She had to learn how to do every single thing over again," David said.
She had to do physical therapy and there were difficulties with that, but there were some big milestones along the way. For instance, the first hug the day after Christmas.
"I think she realized she could do more than she thought," David said.
Later on they spent more than a month in Atlanta for rehab, learning how to do everything again.
Now Marcy is back in kindergarten, continuing to beat the odds.
"We had prepared for the worst and now we're so thankful that she's still here," Carolyn said.
There are now so many wonderful things Marcy gets to do alongside her family.
"I've always known she's gonna change the world. I think she's just getting started," David said.
Marcie still has weakness with her right arm and hand. She is also working on talking. Right now she can say a handful of words.
