Dawsyn on 'Doubling Down With the Derricos' Was Born With a Hole in Her Heart
Updated Feb. 12 2021, 1:06 p.m. ET
Those who have recently become hooked to TLC's Doubling Down With the Derricos have likely been on the edge of their seats as they watched Karen Derrico deliver her triplets via C-section. The babies came early and shortly after they were born, it was revealed that Dawsyn had a congenital heart condition — and would soon need open heart surgery. Naturally, the top question on fans' minds has been: Is Dawsyn OK? Does she make it through surgery?
Dawsyn Derrico was born with a heart condition called VSD.
On July 6, 2019, Karen delivered triplets via C-section: two girls, Dawsyn and De’Aren; and one boy, Dyver. The triplets were premature, but it appeared they were all born healthy — at least at first.
"Our reality is one of our babies is not OK. Baby Dawsyn has an issue with her heart and she's going to need surgery," Deon explained on the TLC series. "This is all taking me back to the heart-wrench pain of losing my son, Carter."
Before Dawsyn, De'Aren, and Dyver, Karen was pregnant with her first set of triplets. Tragically, one of those babies, Carter, died shortly after birth. Deon and Karen now refer to the two surviving babies from that pregnancy — Diez and Dior — as "triplins" to honor the brother they lost.
In Episode 3, Karen was discharged from the hospital one week after delivering her triplets — but she had to leave her three premature babies behind in the NICU.
"I'm freaked out because our baby girl, Dawsyn, has to have open heart surgery due to VSD, which is ventricular septal defect," Karen said. "It's a hole in the heart."
The mom of 14 went on to explain that Dawsyn would need two surgeries total. For the first one, a stent would be placed as a temporary fix to prepare for the second surgery, during which the hole in Dawsyn's heart would be repaired.
Karen and Deon gave one of their triplets the nickname "Awesome Dawsyn."
"Dawsyn is our special little heart baby, and that's why I have given her the added name of Awesome Dawsyn," Karen said while visiting her babies in the NICU.
"I know she's getting good care. I have to just pray it continues and give her love."
By the end of Episode 3, both De'Aren and Dyver had been discharged from the NICU. Meanwhile, Dawsyn was heading off to her first open heart surgery with Karen waiting anxiously for her at the hospital.
"It's a lot to comprehend — surgery. I wish that I could just lay on the table for her," the nervous mama lamented.
Does Dawsyn die on 'Doubling Down with the Derricos'?
It's the unthinkable — which is exactly why fans of Doubling Down with the Derricos want to know in advance if Dawsyn pulls through her surgeries. Thankfully, an Instagram post offers a clue.
In January 2020, Karen posted a closeup photo of baby Dawsyn grabbing onto her finger. "Our Dawsyn is so awesome!" she captioned the shot.
When a follower asked what was wrong and how they could pray for the family, Karen replied, "Everything’s fine! Thx for askin. Dawsyn our first baby girl from the triplets has gotten stronger and is now home."
Between this happy update and the fact that promotional photos for the series features all three triplets, it seems that baby Dawsyn is thriving at home with her family today.
Watch Doubling Down with the Derricos at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesdays on TLC.