Fox Anchor Shannon Murray Reveals Unborn Daughter's Rare Heart Condition During Live Broadcast
Murray said her doctors were confident the condition would be treatable.
An anchor from Texas revealed live on air that her daughter has a rare heart defect. Shannon Murray, one of the anchors on FOX 4 Good Day, revealed to viewers on Friday that her daughter Stella, who will be born in March, has been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot and Pulmonary Atresia midway through her pregnancy.
The rare condition is caused by a combination of four heart defects that alter blood flow, and both Olympic champion Shaun White and Jimmy Kimmel's son underwent surgery to fix the health issue.
"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.
It was during American Heart Month that the first-time mom revealed her diagnosis, saying it had taken her and her husband, Chris, several months to process the news and prepare for the delivery and postpartum care that would follow.
"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 said on air.
"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 said during the segment, wearing a necklace with Stella's name.
The mother-to-be also posted the news on Instagram, where she has nearly 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 as the caption to 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 said on the broadcast that her doctors were confident the condition would be 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."
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