A pregnant Texas news anchor revealed news about her daughter’s rare heart defect live on air.
Shannon Murray, an anchor on FOX 4 Good Day, told viewers on Friday that midway through her pregnancy, her daughter, Stella, who is due in March, was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia.
The rare condition, caused by a combination of four heart defects that cause altered blood flow, is what both Olympian Shaun White and Jimmy Kimmel’s son had at birth, and underwent surgery to fix.
“It means essentially that there’s a hole between the left and right side of her heart and she’s also missing her pulmonary valve, so she’ll need an open-heart surgery and other procedures to save her life once she’s born,” Murray explained on the broadcast.
The first-time mom, who shared the diagnosis during American Heart Month, said that she and her husband Chris have “spent the last several months processing this news” and preparing for her delivery and care.
“In the short-term though we are focused on fighting for our daughter and being her advocates, while also trying to remain joyful and excited about the pregnancy and becoming parents. And we can’t wait to meet her,” Murray, wearing a necklace with Stella’s name on it, said during the segment.
The mother-to-be also posted the news on Instagram, where she has close to 13,000 followers.
“No fluff. No BS. The doctor looked at us straight and broke the news. Looking back now, I appreciate his candor,” she wrote, alongside a sonogram photo.
“He went on to explain that it’s treatable and she will be ok. But there’s no sugar coating it— this first year will be especially hard on our family as we navigate life as new parents.”
Murray, who also broke the news of her engagement on the broadcast, said on air that her doctors have assured her that the condition is treatable.
“Doctors assure us that Stella can live a normal life. We’re hopeful that she’ll be able to play sports someday, maybe she’ll even be a snowboarder like her dad and like the Olympian Shaun White, who, by the way, also has Tetralogy of Fallot,” she said.
“Doctors made sure to tell us about his case right away after the diagnosis and I’m really glad they did.”