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Cardiothoracic Surgery Patient Stories

Meet our patients and read their remarkable stories of hope and inspiration from the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Double Aortic Arch - Callie’s Story

A baby named Callie holding a stuffed giraffe

When Senna was 20 weeks pregnant with her daughter, Callie, a scan revealed the baby was likely to be born with a double aortic arch.

Read Callie's story

Transposition of the Great Arteries - Charlie’s Story

A young boy named Charlie

During his 20-week ultrasound, Charlie was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA).

Read Charlie's story

Double Inlet Left Ventricle - Asher’s Story

A young boy named Asher holding a stuffed animal

Asher was born in October 2021 and spent the first five months of his life in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Read Asher's story

Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return with Atrial Septal Defect - Luella’s Story

A young girl named Luella sitting in front of her collection of Red Panda stuffed animals

When Luella was eight years old, she got a trampoline. This was an exciting new addition to the backyard, but after a day of jumping, she developed chest pain.

Read Luella's story

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome - Miller’s Story

A young boy named Miller smiling and holding a stuffed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle

During a 20-week prenatal ultrasound, Miller was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart doesn’t develop correctly.

Read Miller's story

Double Outlet Right Ventricle - Ajax’s Story

A young boy named Ajax, smiling and holding a brown dog stuffed animal

Ajax was diagnosed with double outlet right ventricle, a congenital heart defect that affects the body’s blood flow and oxygen levels.

Read Ajax's story

Tetralogy of Fallot - Emmett’s Story

A young boy named Emmett sleeping

Emmett spent the first two weeks of his life in the cardiac intensive care unit at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He had been diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot – a combination of four heart defects.

Read Emmett's story

Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return - Otto’s Story

A young baby named Otto laying with a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal

During the routine car seat tolerance screen two days after he was born, the team at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital noticed irregularities in Otto’s breathing and heart function.

Read Otto's story

Absence of the Right Pulmonary Artery - Yahya’s Story

A young boy named Yahya wearing a black winter coat and holding a white bear stuffed animal

At the age of 4, Yahya became sick with a bad cold. As his coughing and shortness of breath worsened, his parents decided to take him to the emergency room at UPMC Children’s.

Read Yahya's story

Ebstein’s Anomaly – Cardiothoracic Surgery

Amanda and Katharine Babst | UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Katharine was born with Ebstein’s anomaly. After her family moved to Pittsburgh, the first phone call her mother, Amanda, made was to the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s.

Read Katharine's story

Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) - Lorenzo's Story

Lorenzo Gallagher

At a 20-week ultrasound appointment in their hometown of Harrisburg, Megan and Philip’s son, Lorenzo, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Megan and Philip were determined to give their son the best chance at life and turned to the experts at UPMC for their son's comprehensive care.

Read Lorenzo's story