WADING RIVER, NY — With the world still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, there's one 10-month old baby girl in Wading River whose entire life has been spent in quarantine after she received a Christmas heart transplant.

But despite the challenges, Ruby June Cotter is a happy little girl who's growing stronger every day.

Ruby's father, Brian Cotter, spoke with Patch about how he and his wife Ashley are handling the stay-at-home order.

"We have been hunkered down like everyone else, but it really was not much of a change for us," he said. "Ruby's immune system is still very weak. She is doing well, so we don't go to city as much to keep the risk of exposure down. She recently had her monthly biopsy, and the results were great." Currently, he said, they bring Ruby to New York every other week just to get her blood checked and "to make sure her medication is still doing the right thing."

"She is growing fast, so adjustments are normal," Cotter said. "Even without going to her physical and occupational therapy appointments and her speech and swallow appointments, she is still making improvements." Ruby is almost crawling, and eating lots of adult food, he said.

"She has one tooth and is working on another," he said. "She says 'Mama' and 'Dada,' along with other noises. Ruby is really just a happy baby. She's a character and makes us laugh all the time."



On Saturday, Ruby sat up by herself for the first time — a huge milestone, he said.

Navigating the coronavirus isn't easy for anyone, but with an infant who's just had a heart transplant, the need for vigilance is critical, Cotter said. "This virus is scary and would be terrible for her, but in our town everyone is being careful, and it brings us comfort when we have to go out to go food shopping," Cotter said. "Everyone is wearing masks and being just as careful as we are."

