Meet our patients and read their remarkable stories of hope and inspiration from the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Megan knew early in her pregnancy that her son, Lorenzo, had hypoplastic left heart syndrome — a rare congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart is underdeveloped.
Early in 2025 Lena did a genetic test for her 7-year-old son, Jax. The results revealed 13q deletion syndrome.
Routine prenatal testing showed that Jaylin had Down syndrome. When she was born in September 2024, doctors also found she had an atrioventricular septal defect.
Before Miles was born, his parents knew he had a rare congenital heart defect — double outlet right ventricle. Read about the success of his procedure and experience at UPMC Children's Hospital Pittsburgh.
Teagan spent the first year of her life at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh due to multiple complex heart issues. Read about the success of her procedure and experience at UPMC Children's Hospital Pittsburgh.
During Will's 20-week ultrasound, Will was diagnosed with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum and hypoplastic right ventricle. Read about the success of his procedure and experience at UPMC Children's Hospital Pittsburgh.
As a newborn, Emalee was diagnosed with an extreme form of tetralogy of Fallot — a congenital disorder with a combination of four heart defects that changes the way blood flows.
Before birth, a scan showed Liam had hypoplastic right heart syndrome with pulmonary atresia, a rare and complex congenital heart condition.
When Senna was 20 weeks pregnant with her daughter, Callie, a scan revealed the baby was likely to be born with a double aortic arch.
During his 20-week ultrasound, Charlie was diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA).
Asher was born in October 2021 and spent the first five months of his life in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
When Luella was eight years old, she got a trampoline. This was an exciting new addition to the backyard, but after a day of jumping, she developed chest pain.
During a 20-week prenatal ultrasound, Miller was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a congenital heart defect where the left side of the heart doesn’t develop correctly.
Ajax was diagnosed with double outlet right ventricle, a congenital heart defect that affects the body’s blood flow and oxygen levels.
Emmett spent the first two weeks of his life in the cardiac intensive care unit at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He had been diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot – a combination of four heart defects.
During the routine car seat tolerance screen two days after he was born, the team at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital noticed irregularities in Otto’s breathing and heart function.
At the age of 4, Yahya became sick with a bad cold. As his coughing and shortness of breath worsened, his parents decided to take him to the emergency room at UPMC Children’s.
Katharine was born with Ebstein’s anomaly. After her family moved to Pittsburgh, the first phone call her mother, Amanda, made was to the Heart Institute at UPMC Children’s.
At a 20-week ultrasound appointment in their hometown of Harrisburg, Megan and Philip’s son, Lorenzo, was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Megan and Philip were determined to give their son the best chance at life and turned to the experts at UPMC for their son's comprehensive care.
