Girl Born with Congenital Heart Defect Celebrates Milestone

A family in San Antonio, Texas is celebrating a milestone in their daughter’s battle with a congenital heart defect. Eleanor Young was born with a rare condition called transposition of the great arteries. “Transposition is when the aorta comes from the right side of the heart, and the pulmonary valve comes from the left,” said Jennifer Johnson, DO, a pediatric cardiologist at Pediatrix® Cardiology of San Antonio who cares for Eleanor. “The aortic valve brings blue blood to the body, and the pulmonary valve will bring red blood to the lungs. So, the circulation is in parallel instead of in series.” Eleanor celebrated the six-month anniversary of her open-heart surgery on Feb. 1, and the Young family wants to bring hope to other families in similar situations. “I think the whole month is a great time to honor the heart warriors, as well as honor the heart angels, and all the families and doctors and just really bring awareness,” said mom Sara.

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