Matthew hadn’t even been born when an ultrasound revealed he had Ebstein’s anomaly — a rare birth defect affecting the tricuspid valve in his heart. Because the valve didn’t form properly, he was born with an enlarged heart that filled his chest cavity. By the time Matthew was 2, he’d undergone three surgeries in Salt Lake City, where he was born.
In 2024, his surgeon presented his case at a national convention of thoracic surgeons. The experts agreed: Matthew needed to travel to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for the cone procedure — created by José Pedro da Silva, MD, and performed by him and his wife, Luciana da Fonseca da Silva, MD. When Matthew, age 4, and his mom arrived in March 2025, they stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. They received a welcome bag with a teddy bear he named “Doggie.”
The bear became his hospital cuddle buddy, even wearing a bandage over his heart like Matthew. The day after surgery, Matthew was off oxygen for the first time in his life. Untethered from the tubing, he was soon running the hallways. “Look how far away I am from you!” he told his mom. Matthew is now happily back home in Utah with his parents and four siblings.