Before Christian was even born, he was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, a complex and rare congenital heart defect. At birth, he was rushed to Miami Children’s Hospital where Dr. Redmond Burke, Director of Cardiovascular Surgery, was handed the task of reconstructing baby Christian’s heart.
In Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, the left side of the heart is critically underdeveloped and can’t supply the body with enough blood. Surgeons have to reconstruct the baby’s circulatory system through a series of three open heart surgeries (Norwood, Glenn, and Fontan procedures) staged over about three years to create normal blood flow in and out of the heart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 960 babies (1 out of 4344) in the United States are born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome every year.
Here’s the latest in a continuing series of videos I’ve been producing for Miami Children’s Health Foundation, who raise funds and awareness for Miami Children’s Hospital. This is Christian’s remarkable story…
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/108418342[/vimeo]
To support Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, please visit mchf.org/donate.
