SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County ESD 11 firefighter is leaning on his department for support as his 7-month-old daughter fights for her life while awaiting a heart transplant.
Firefighter Tyler Jessamine and his wife, Alyssa, welcomed their daughter, Lainey, about seven months ago. Since then, the infant has undergone two open-heart surgeries and faces ongoing medical complications.
“There’s nothing really I can do, but I try to put that into helping other people in hopes we get some of that karma back one day,” Jessamine said.
Lainey was born six weeks premature and later developed heart failure and dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart’s left ventricle becomes enlarged and struggles to pump blood effectively.
She is currently being treated at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, where she is connected to a device that helps her heart pump blood. In January, she was officially placed on the pediatric heart transplant list.
“Her age group is very rare to come by a heart quickly compared to a teenager or an adult,” Jessamine said. “We just go day by day.”
Doctors said Lainey will not be able to go home until a suitable donor heart is found. For now, her mother has remained by her side in the hospital since November.
“My wife has been in the hospital every single day for her,” Jessamine said. “She’s my hero, along with my daughter.”
Meanwhile, Jessamine commutes between San Antonio and Austin on his two days-on, four days-off shift, balancing time with his family and his duties as a firefighter.
Jessamine’s colleagues at Bexar County ESD 11 said they are standing behind him and his family during the difficult time.
“He’s one of ours,” one firefighter said. “She’s all of our niece.”
The department is now raising money to help with Lainey’s medical expenses. Firefighters are hosting a barbecue plate sale starting at noon on Saturday at their fire station located at 7412 Walzem Road, with proceeds going to the family.
“Everybody’s taken me under their wing and has done so much for me and my family,” Jessamine said. “I couldn’t be any more thankful.”
Read also: