Family Raises Awareness About Daughter’s Congenital Heart Defect

Sara and Collin Young of San Antonio, Texas learned that daughter Eleanor had a congenital heart defect called transposition of the great arteries (TGA), when the two arteries in the heart are in abnormal positions, just hours after she was born. Her heart was the size of a walnut and the consistency of tissue paper. “Patients with transposition usually have surgery within the first 10 days of life,” said Jennifer Johnson, DO, a pediatric cardiologist at Pediatrix® Cardiology of San Antonio who cares for Eleanor. “For parents, especially for patients that are not prenatally diagnosed, this can be quite a shock.” Eleanor’s surgeries were successful. "Our first big challenge was being in the hospital for a whole month," said Sara.

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