It is with a heavy heart that I post this letter from Sylvie Stephens, mother of Sydney. I am inspired by her strength and faith.
Never give up faith. Never.
On Monday, the doctors indicated that Sydney is having multiple organ/system failures. It breaks my heart to tell you all that she will not ultimately survive. There [...]
Heart defects are the most common and deadly of all birth defects.
Approximately 36,000 babies are born each year with a congenital heart defect.
In 1950, a child born with a congenital heart defect had only a 20% chance of survival. Today, survival rates have increased to 90%.
Survivors of successful childhood intervention face life-long risks, including heart [...]
Continue reading about Congenital Heart Defects – Quick Facts
Scimitar Syndrome is a rare congenital heart defect characterized by Partial (PAPVR) or Total (TAPVR) Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return. The syndrome gets its name from the curved shape formed by the pulmonary vein. On a chest radiograph, the vein is said to look like a scimitar, a curved sword originating in the Middle East.
The abnormal [...]
by Michael Ruhlman
At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I believe this book may have saved Nathan’s life. Walk on Water is Michael Ruhlman’s raw, uncensored look at the life and death drama that takes place in the world of pediatric heart surgery. Most congenital heart defects (septal defects, e.g.) are routinely
I remember the first inkling I had that something might be wrong with my baby. Because of my “advanced age” (but isn’t 40 the new 30?), I traveled to Ochsner Health Center in New Orleans for a 3D ultrasound, a technology that was not available in my hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi, at the time. [...]
