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Then, just seconds after Ruth Eleanor Kramer was born on Feb. 20, 2019, she was rushed out of the delivery room at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati.
“That’s when I knew something was terribly wrong,” her mother said. “She was blue and she stayed blue.”
That dark day has led, several months later, to a very noticeable show of support for the girl who fought for her survival.
Bobby Burwinkel, Ruth’s uncle, farm owner and maze designer, created “a grand tribute” to his youngest niece in his field artwork.
“Baby Ruth, Heart Warrior,” is the message carved with a zero-turn mower into the acres of sunflower fields and field of corn at Burwinkel Farm, along with a heart theme throughout the design.
The celebration of her several months of life came after hard times. Ruth was born with a critical congenital heart defect called transposition of the great arteries (TGA). The defect caused improper blood circulation in Ruth’s newborn body, leaving her brain and other organs starved for oxygen.
Three hours after she was born, Ruth was transported from Good Samaritan to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for what her mother called “a critical, life-threatening condition.”
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Doctors performed a balloon septostomy, allowing Ruth’s body to finally receive oxygenated blood. Doctors also cooled her body for 72 hours to slow normal body processes in hopes of reducing damage to the brain and other organs from that initial lack of oxygen.
Burwinkel was still in Good Samaritan Hospital when she received a photo of Ruth. Her color had changed from blue to pink.
The first time she talked to a nurse practitioner about her daughter’s medical condition, she was told Ruth had a serious heart condition, but it was treatable.
The nurse’s message: “This is the good heart defect to have.”
“Those words don’t go together,” Burwinkel remembered telling the nurse.
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Ruth, at 1 month old, had open heart surgery in an attempt to correct the defect and normalize blood flow through her body. She spent 57 days in the hospital.
“There were times during those first hours when we could have lost her,” Burwinkel said. “But she’s such a fighter.”
Right on cue, Ruth, being held by her mother, became fidgety as they stood outside the Burwinkel Family Farm during in an interview last week.
“Probably hungry or tired,” her mother said.
Then Ruth flashed a large smile.
“We were told to treat her like a healthy, normal child,” her mother said.
Instead, she’s being treated like a hero.
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Thousands of people have joined Burwinkel Farms this fall and visited the tribute. The design leaves visitors “inspired and filled with joy,” Burwinkel said.
Among the visitors have been many of the medical professionals who played a part in saving Ruth’s life, her mother said. That was important, she said, because after children leave the hospital, they rarely are seen again by the medical staff.
“It is so great to have the medical teams involved in her care see her now, happy and healthy,” she said.
A MRI revealed Ruth had a mini stroke on the right side of the brain, but doctors told her parents she’ll have no long-term disability.
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“We were very fortunate,” her mother said.
The Burwinkel Farm, located on Hamilton Cleves Road, commemorated its 100th year in 2018, and now the family is celebrating a more important achievement: Ruth’s recovery. Now 8 months old, Ruth serves as a reminder of the fragility of life and the power of the human spirit.
“We made it clear what the message is this fall,” Karen Burwinkel said. “When you are at your lowest you can find strength to overcome it. Take the positives out of a scary situation when it was difficult for us at that point. We all have inner strength to get through the tough times.”
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