Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at Duke Children’s, especially Ashley, Heath, and Naomi!

These three Duke Children’s patients have one incredible thing in common: they are all heart transplant survivors.

Ashley was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy, a condition that prohibited the inside of her heart from functioning correctly, when she was in the 4th grade. She was placed on a heart transplant list several years later, and received her new heart during her last year of high school.

A normal wellness checkup at nine months old revealed major problems with Heath’s heart. This seemingly healthy baby was diagnosed with restrictive cardiomyopathy and put on a transplant list. Heath, now ten and thriving, received his new heart at eleven months old.

Baby Naomi was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning half of her heart was extremely underdeveloped. Her case was too complex for surgical repairs, so she was put on a transplant list. Naomi, now almost two, received her new heart when she was five months old.

Ashley, Heath, Naomi, and all of us at Duke Children’s are sending a big Valentine’s Day HEART to everyone in our Duke Children’s family!