CNN 2010-04-01

PHILLIPS: Forget the questions regarding the law just for a second and just think about the moral issue here. It may make your blood boil. A small baby at risk, her parents worried about her broken heart, but also faced with no way to pay for her life-saving treatment.

We get more on that from the CNN’s affiliate 1 KLTV in Henderson, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT LEWIS, FATHER: OK. Give you a ummm… Have some sugar.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It's obvious Brynn Lewis' daddy loves her very much.

AMY LEWIS, MOTHER: She's a real happy baby. She's 4.5 months old. She coos, she laughs, and giggles 2.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Even though she does look happy, the tubes that help keep her alive make it obvious that Brynn is a very sick baby. Right after she was born, doctors told her parents she had a congenital heart defect and needed a heart transplant. That's when she had her first surgery, the one that will hopefully buy her enough time for doctors to find the right heart.

S. LEWIS: They actually leave the chest cavity open for 48 hours in case of an emergency. Amy and I were actually able to see our little girl's heart actually beating through the protective cover. When you're up there and you see your little girl's heart beating through her chest, you know it's real.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Brynn's older brother, Brady, asked his mother what was wrong with Brynn.

A. LEWIS: I don't remember saying this, but my mother-in-law said that I told him, well, she has a broken heart. And she really does have a broken heart and it broke our hearts. Our hearts are still broken.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And their finances had been shattered. The transplant surgery will cost close to a million dollars. The Lewis' have insurance to cover that, but they say they probably won't have it after the surgery. The insurance has a $2 million lifetime treatment cap, combined with the last four months of Brynn's treatment, the surgery will push her past the limit and the Lewis' expect to be dropped and the meds Brynn will need to stay alive after the transplant? They by themselves will cost about $5,000 a month.

The Lewis' say they're putting all of that in god's hands, they just want Brynn to live.

A. LEWIS: I just want to be able to hold her and, you know, dress her up in her pretty clothes and, you know, treat her like a normal baby because nobody wants to see their baby sedated 3 and just lying lifeless in a bed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the health care bill calls for an end to all those limits, but it's unknown right now how it will impact the Lewis'. We are going to keep you updated. Also in Henderson, this weekend, they're holding a fundraiser to help the family pay their bills.