When A’Londre Jones’s mother, LaQuita Qualls, left the hospital with her newborn son in December 2022, she’d been told that everything was normal. But once they were at home, she noticed his rapid breathing.

“His color was kind of bluish, purple,” she said. Qualls tried to dismiss her concerns, but A’Londre’s distress became concerning very quickly. At a doctor’s appointment, it was discovered that A’Londre had a heart murmur. Further investigation found the left side of his heart was underdeveloped.

“His first surgery was a shunt,” Qualls said. A’Londre was just over a week old when this procedure was performed.

After six weeks in the hospital, A’Londre was released to go home. Weekly trips to Jackson followed, with close monitoring of A’Londre’s weight and eating.

“The second (surgery) was a Glenn Procedure in May (2024),” Qualls said.

She explained the Glenn Procedure was an open-heart surgery to help the blood flow through the heart. A’Londre did well following this surgery, and a third surgery was recommended in the future.

However, A’Londre’s condition recently took a dire turn at the end of December 2024. Qualls said after he contracted Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), she noticed his face and belly were swollen. A trip to the hospital on New Year’s Eve turned into an indefinite stay.

“They did an MRI, and it was very helpful . . . but no need for a third surgery, it would only make him sicker. (They said) he needed a heart transplant,” Qualls said.

A’Londre will remain hospitalized until a heart has been located for him. Qualls tearfully acknowledged that “for my baby to get a heart, someone else has to lose their baby.”

In addition to the challenges associated with an extremely sick child, Qualls has three older boys, ages 11, 8 and 6. She smiled when asked about her other children. “They’re all very smart,” she said.

Only the oldest child is able to visit his sibling in the hospital, as children under age 10 aren’t allowed to visit the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Qualls gets support from her mother and sister in taking care of the three boys while she is in the hospital with A’Londre.

“They know he needs to have a new heart,” Qualls said, of A’Londre’s brothers.

Before A’Londre got sick in December, Qualls said he enjoyed chasing his brothers around the house and playing with a new truck his mother had given him for Christmas. Despite A’Londre’s illness, the family describes him as a happy child who loves the cartoon character Bluey.

Qualls had to quit her job as a bus monitor to care for A’Londre. Currently, she returns to Vicksburg as often as she can to see her other children. Navigating medical benefits has been a challenge, and Medicaid doesn’t cover all expenses. A previous rib plate fund raiser was successful, and the family plans on having another one soon. A Go Fund Me account has also been set up through Facebook at https://gofund.me/5b8c5a33

For now, it’s a waiting game. Qualls said they are waiting for word about a transfer to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis or Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. Initially, the Texas hospital refused A’Londre based on the severity of his condition, but Qualls said they recently contacted her again. Either of these hospitals will be equipped to perform the transplant once a heart has been located.