PATIENTS REUNITED WITH DOCTORS AT HOLTZ CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOR CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT AWARENESS EVENT

Holtz Children’s Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, along with Angel’s Pediatric Heart House, hosted an event to celebrate children who were born with congenital heart defects and successfully treated at Holtz Children’s.

Anuradha Balgobin, 12, was diagnosed with severe mitral stenosis, a condition in which the valve does not open fully, restricting blood flow. On February 14 – Valentine’s Day –  she successfully underwent mitral valve replacement, which replaced her deceased mitral valve with a mechanical valve.

“I have to be careful for six weeks, and after that I can do what normal kids do,” said Anuradha, who traveled with her parents from Trinidad to have the procedure done at Holtz Children’s Hospital.
The Balgobin family hopes that by sharing what they have gone through, they can help support other children who have these lifelong conditions.

“You know that they all went through it, and they will all get better.,” Anuradha said. “I know I will get better too.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect in the United States, affecting nearly 40,000 births per year.

“Most of these patients go through a really tough time, requiring multiple surgeries since birth,” said Paolo Rusconi, M.D., director of pediatric cardiology at UM/Holtz. “It’s a great pleasure to see how well they are doing.”

Former patients also played games and celebrated their survival with former caregivers, including nurses, physicians and social workers.

“They begin to build a network; they meet other families who are going through the same thing. It’s also important for the children because they get to meet other kids just like them,” said Sonia Perez, founder and executive director at Angel’s Pediatric Heart House, which sponsored the event.

Angel’s Pediatric Heart House provides both emotional and financial support for South Florida children with heart diseases. It was founded in February 2004 by Sonia Perez in honor of her late husband, Dr. Angel R. Perez, a pediatric cardiologist in South Florida who died of cancer in 2000.