Riziah’s parents chose her unique name for a reason.
It means resilient, and that is exactly what the British girl has been. Diagnosed with a rare heart disorder and discriminated against because of her disability, Riziah Moazzeny overcame it all, and today is a feisty, happy 3-year-old girl, according to the Liverpool Echo.
“She doesn’t let anything stop her,” her mother, Naomi, said. “She is such a sassy, feisty and strong little girl. She will always have complications but we are hoping she can live a normal life.”
Her parents, Naomi and Farzam, of Preston, England, first learned that something was wrong with their daughter during a 12-week pregnancy scan. Doctors discovered serious problems with Riziah’s heart, and they told her parents that she would die in the womb, according to the report.
As is increasingly common when an unborn baby is diagnosed with a disability, the doctors offered to perform an abortion. But the family refused to consider the deadly form of discrimination against her daughter.
“… we told doctors that this had been our baby since we saw that blue line and there was not a chance we were terminating this pregnancy,” Naomi said. “So we asked all our friends and family to pray, and we believed that our baby would get through this.”
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At 28 weeks of pregnancy, Riziah was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called heterotaxy syndrome, or “mirror heart” disorder, which cased her heart to form two left chambers instead of a left and a right, the report states.
At 37 weeks of pregnancy, she arrived alive and fighting. She weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and quickly was admitted to the intensive care unit at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, according to the report.
“Even when she was born her heart did something quite miraculous,” her mother said. “When babies are born, there is a hole in their heart called a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus) which should close. However, in Riziah’s case, it stayed open, which in fact saved her life as it caused her heart and lungs to work harder.”
She underwent her first heart surgery when she was 9 days old, and recovered quickly, her parents said.
Naomi said they relied on their faith through the difficult times, and they knew Riziah would survive. She said they chose her name because it means resilient.
Though Riziah still has health problems and needs open heart surgery in the future, Naomi said they expect that she will lead a normal life some day.
“She is the most happy and sweet little girl you will ever meet,” she said of 3-year-old Riziah. “When people meet her and they find out all she has been through and all that’s going on inside her they are gobsmacked. She is our little miracle.”
