Four-month-old baby awaits heart transplant as father fulfills duty to country

March 5, 2003

Four-month-old baby awaits heart transplant as father fulfills duty to country

Betsy Sellers, 37, visits her son Dillon at Loma Linda University Children’s hospital several times a week. Dillon was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome 10 days after his birth on October 19, 2002.

Dillon Sellers, just over 4 months old, fights a daily battle for life. At the same time, his father prepares for war. Marine Major Hal Sellers, and his wife, Betsy, learned that their son Dillon had a defective heart 10 days after he was born on October 19, 2002. Dillon’s condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, leaves the left side of the heart underdeveloped and too weak to pump blood well enough to keep circulation going to all his organs.

With possible military action against Iraq looming, Maj. Sellers faced a heart-wrenching choice: stay behind and take a desk job offered by the Marine Corps at Twentynine Palms, or fulfill his duty as executive officer and second in command of the 700-member 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion by shipping out to the Middle East.

Maj. Sellers left with his men on February 21.

“He just felt a duty and sense of responsibility to his Marines,” says Mrs. Sellers, 37. “I support his decision, his commitment to his country.”

Even though Dillon is in critical condition and kept alive with a ventilator, Maj. Sellers believed he could do the most good by going with the Marines, says his wife. She said the feeling of helplessness is the worst part of the waiting process. Maj. Sellers felt he could be of the most help by deploying with his men.

Dillon is placed at the top of the heart transplant list at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, according to transplant coordinator Armando De Amaya.

“Every day could be an end-of-life issue for him,” Mr. De Amaya said in an interview with the Associated Press. “We’re probably talking days rather than weeks. The longest an infant has waited here is six months.”

Dillon’s blood type, O +, adds to the dilemma. While he has the universal donor blood type, he is not a universal recipient. He can only take a heart with matching O-type blood.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sellers continues to care for her other sons, Alex, 8, and Erik, 6; two blond-headed, rambunctious boys. They are saddened by their baby brother’s poor health, but are holding up well, says Mrs. Sellers. She visits Dillon every few days while Alex and Erik are in school, and on Sundays the two boys go with their mother to visit Dillon.

Dillon’s plight has received national attention from all three major broadcast networks: ABC, NBC, and CBS. His story was also aired on CNN. Several print media news organizations, including the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, carried the word across the country as well.

Since his deployment, Maj. Sellers has only had two chances to speak with his family. Once on the CBS “Early Show,” one of several news networks carrying the story, and once on Sunday a week after he left. He left a message for Dillon: “Daddy loves you.”

An account is currently being set up to receive financial donations for the Sellers family. Please check this website next week for account information. Email messages may be sent to kkuzma@ahs.llumc.edu. Cards and letters may be directed to the Office of Public & Media Relations, Room 1106, 11234 Anderson Street, Loma Linda, CA, 92354.

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